Saturday, December 17, 2011

Garmin Forerunner 405 Wireless GPS-Enabled Sports Watch

Product Description


Garmin Erunner 405 Wireless Gps Enabled Sports Watch , Panas Ic Bl C121a Wireless Network Camera , Lorex Eco 16 Channel Security Dvr , Lorex Edge 4 Channel Video Security Dvr , Lorex Edge 8 Channel Video Security Dvr , Deals Cib K404w500g8752 4ch Network Security Surveillance Dvr, Panas Ic Bl C140a Outdoor Mpeg 4 Network Camera , Logitech Wilife Digital Video Security Hidden Master System Camera , Lorex Lh326501c8 Edge 16 Channel 500gb Dvr , Logitech Wilife Digital Video Security Indoor , Lorex Eco 4 Channel Security Dvr , Deals Lorex Edge Lh328501c4 8 Channel Video Security Dvr, Defender Digital Wireless Dvr Security System , Foscam Pan Tilt Wireless Ip Camera , Cib R401h60w500g H264 4 Ch Network Security , Night Owl Security Products Cam 4pk Cm245 4 Pk Wired Color Security , Swann Swdvk 825508 8 Channel Digital Video Recorder , Cctv Surveillance Video System 1000gb Hdd 8 Channel Dvr , Bushnell 8mp Trophy Cam B E Collector Trail Camera , Night Owl Security Zeus 810 16 Channel 8 Camera H264 Dvr Surveillan, Color: green Product Description With the Forerunner 405, Garmin has finally put the power of GPS location-based date into a sleek sport watch that can be worn all day. Runners no longer have to choose between function and fashion. Garmin's ANT + Sport wireless platform that wirelessly sends your data to your computer and a touch bezel that lets you change screens with a simple tap (no more fumbling for buttons) run make this not just a leap forward in GPS-enabled fitness devices, but in training devices period. Forerunner 405 comes in two color options — black or green.

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The Power Of Location-Based Data Anyone who has used Garmin's Forerunner 205 or 305 already understands the power that attaching location data to traditional measurements like distance, speed, time, calories burned, and heart rate can provide. Knowing exactly where you worked hardest, ran fastest (or most slowly), and lets you tailor your workouts to improve for specific distances, conditions, and types of terrain. It gives a complete picture of how you interact with every portion of your run.

cologs Forerunner 405 comes in two color options — black or green

Train with a virtual partner

Watch Results

Loaded with serious training features, Forerunner 405 continuously monitors your time, distance, pace, calories and heart rate (when paired with heart rate monitor). Each run is stored in memory so you can review and analyze the data to see how you've improved.

The high-sensitivity GPS receiver sustains satellite reception, whether you’re tackling a trail or jogging through the urban canyons of skyscrapers. The Forerunner 405 is water-resistant (IPX7) and can be used outdoors or indoors (with an optional foot pod), making it the ultimate year-round, all-weather training tool.

Includes Heart Rate Monitor USB ANT Stick

Forerunner 405 is available with or without a heart rate monitor (see the versions tab) to help you make the most out of your training. Versions with a digital heart rate monitor continuously track heart beats per minute. Train in a certain heart rate zone to improve your fitness level or compare your pace and heart rate to past performance on the same run.

The revolutionary patent-pending touch bezel on the face of the watch makes navigating the options easier than ever. Simply by tapping, holding or running a finger along the bezel, runners can begin a new workout, access their training history or challenge a Virtual Partner. The Forerunner 405 makes training with a Virtual Partner easy and efficient. Runners can adjust the Virtual Partner’s pace without stopping in the middle of a workout, and the Virtual Partner is always on and ready for a challenge.

Run, Sync, Store and Share One of Garmin's most ambitious decisions has been to approach fitness devices as a total platform with their "ANT + Sport" connectivity system. All of Garmin's new fitness devices, including the Forerunner 405, Edge 605 and 705 bike computers, and Forerunner 50 heart rate monitor watches, will interface wirelessly with any devices that are compatible wiht the "ANT + Sport" protocol, including devices from other manufacturers.

Once you’ve logged the miles, the ANT + Sport wireless technology automatically transfers data to your computer when the Forerunner is in range. No cables, no hookups. The data’s just there, ready for you to analyze, categorize and share through Garmin's online community, Garmin Connect or optional Garmin Training Center software. You can wirelessly send workouts from your computer to Forerunner, too.

Share Wirelessly With Forerunner 405 you can share your locations, advanced workouts and courses wirelessly with other Forerunner 405 users. Now you can send your favorite workout to your buddy to try, or compete against a friend's recorded course. Sharing data is easy. Just select "transfer" to send your information to nearby units.

Cross-Train Take your training inside with the versatile Forerunner 405. Pair it with an optional foot pod to track your speed, distance and running cadence indoors when a GPS signal is unavailable. This new design clips onto your laces for easy removal and automatically turns on when you start moving. You can also add a speed/cadence bike sensor to track the speed and distance of your cycling workouts.

Be Part of A Community Garmin acquired Motion-based, the largest shared repository of customer-generated gps-based routes, courses and maps. This was a significant move for Garmin to support the gps user community and bring a wealth of route options to gps users. With a simple connection to your computer, you can join a worldwide network of cyclists and outdoor enthusiasts through Garmin Connect our new, one-stop site for data analysis an sharing.

You can also upload to optional Garmin Training Center software for further analysis. Garmin Training Center stores large quanities of workout and ride data. Some of the things you can do are:

  • Review your workout data, including pace/speed, distance, time, calories burned; and if available, heart rate, cadence and detailed elevation.
  • View a detailed graph of your workout data, plotted over time or distance.
  • View a map of your workout that shows the exact path you traveled.
  • Categorize your workout history according to type of activity.
  • Review previous workouts, which are saved by day and week.
  • Create customized workouts with specific goals and rest intervals. Then send them to your fitness device.*
  • Schedule workouts for a specific day with calendar.
  • Get custom workout templates designed by the experts at TrainingPeaks

What's In The Box Forerunner 405, USB ANT stick and Heart Rate Monitor, AC adapter, Charging clip, Owner's manual, and Quick reference guide


This review is from: Garmin Forerunner 405 Wireless GPS-Enabled Sport Watch with USB ANT Stick and Heart Rate Monitor (Black) (Electronics)
When I was trying to decide between the 305 and the 405, I read every single review from a couple of different websites...it seemed that there was a lot of negative reviews on the 405, but also some hidden gems that make regular use of the watch a pleasure. I was shocked by how much Mac users seemed to hate the thing...since I own a Mac I knew I was going to have to work a bit harder to get the data to my Mac. For me, the deciding factor for the 405 ended up being the usability of the watch as an actual watch....it does look pretty sharp...and for $350 it better get more use than for an hour a day on a run...

Here is what I've seen with my own use over the last couple of weeks:
The set up on my Vista PC was actually pretty simple...I followed the directions to the letter and went to the Garmin site which helped me get everything set up pretty quickly. There are some pretty good directions there...I can't see how anyone could screw this up honestly...but it seems that some folks have had trouble with it...I was able to update the firmware right then and that went well also (just be patient as it seems to update one firmware version at a time and not all at once)...

Once I got my PC all set up, I downloaded Trailrunner on my Mac...which supports the .tcx files of your runs that you can export out of the Garmin Training Center software (which really isn't good)...I don't know if there is a similar software package for the PC, but since I rarely use my PC, I really didn't take the time to look...

After I got done with some runs, I came home and was amazed at how easily the Ant+ stick picked up my watch...it even picked it up once when I left the watch downstairs...which I thought was pretty cool (but I haven't tried to see if I could do it again, I just bring my watch upstairs)...I would assume that if you have your watch in the same room as your computer it would pick it up pretty easily...

From this point I really wanted to get the data back on my Mac and into Trailrunner...and this seems to be the difficult part for most Mac users (the Garmin site says to get VMware and run it through that way-which is insane, but some might not have a PC box in their house like I do, so it would be the only way at this point)...What I end up doing is importing the data wirelessly, then pull it into Garmin Training Center...then export it as a .tcx file which I email to myself and pull up from my Mac...then save it to a folder and "open" into Trailrunner from there...sounds like a lot, but takes maybe 5 minutes at the most...and the newest version of Trailrunner is awesome...

I also have seen some reviews where the watch is not responsive to the bezel touching...what I ended up figuring out after watching the video on the Garmin site, is that when the watch is in powersave mode you actually have to wake it up before it will respond...which can be done by clicking either side button...then the bezel responds to touch etc...this is really a much cooler feature than you would think...it really helps avoid draining the battery during regular "watch" use...

As far as getting going on runs and using the HRM...it picks the HRM and Satellites up really quickly...which is surprising based on what I've seen in some reviews...it actually picked them up while I was in my house...and as of yet, I haven't had any trouble with using it on my runs...it shows my Heart Rate in huge numbers and the first screen shows pace/total time/total distance big enough that I can see it while on the move...I don't really need it to do much more than that as I am not what you would consider a fancy runner at this point with sprints or crazy heart rate work...I just have it auto-lap my time at a mile and call it good...

The GPS has been darn near 100% accurate so far (I live in Houston TX)...and everything that comes through on Trailrunner is also within 1%...

I took the advice of one of the reviewers and bought it from a running store in our area that is known for good customer service (Luke's Locker in Houston) and they have a 30 day no questions asked return policy that covered me in case anything crazy happened...I was nervous with all of the complaints about it not working when wet...but that hasn't happened to me yet (I even licked my fingers to see if anything strange would happen and nothing did)...

I really like the watch and would hope anyone considering it would really do their homework...I really like the watch and give it a huge thumbs up!

*UPDATE*
Garmin just released support for Macs...and after using it for about two weeks - it just blows away the Windows version. My Windows PC was never able to sync with Garmin Connect automatically...the Mac version does it without a hitch. The interface is better, it is way more stable, and it actually does what is intended. The Garmin Training Center for Macs is about the same as the Windows version - nothing special, but it gives all the info you would need for your runs or workouts...

I've used the watch for almost 8 months and have had no problems...it's still as reliable as when I first got it and I still think to myself after literally every run, "What an awesome watch"...

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