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The Garmin Forerunner 610 features a weather-proof touch display for training in any conditions

For serious runners who want to track their progress, a GPS sports watch can be indispensible.

Garmin has outed a number of wrist-mounted trainers over the years, but the new Forerunner 610 is its first touchscreen model. It’s also a bit more attractive than previous members of the Forerunner line.

The 610 can keep track of pace, distance and, with an optional heart monitor, heart rate. It will deliver vibration alerts for when audible ones can’t be heard. Its slim black form also houses “Training Effect” and “Virtual Racer” features, for tracking workout intensity and beating your own personal bests. The Garmin Connect online service provides access to additional functions, including an online fitness community and tools for logging run metrics and plotting them in charts and illustrations.

For those who prefer alternating between running and walking, Auto Lap and Auto Pause help keep track of this type of training session.

You don’t need to buy a GPS watch. Tools like the Nike+ GPS app, which run on your smartphone, can do many of the same things. But a watch is less cumbersome than carrying your phone on every run.

We recently took a look at the Nike+ SportWatch GPS, which offers similar run-tracking features. It has a large, bold-numbered display that’s operated by three buttons and an easy to use, intuitive interface.

The Forerunner 610 functions with a combination of buttons and touchscreen taps, which looks like it could potentially be more complicated and less user friendly than Nike’s answer to the GPS watch.

The Garmin Forerunner 610 is definitely designed for the fitness buff, with a price of $350. No word on when it will be officially available for purchase.

Forerunner 610 [Garmin via Crunchgear]

Continue reading Visualized: classic biplane gets a glass cockpit

Visualized: classic biplane gets a glass cockpit originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 Mar 2011 23:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Among tons of generic GPS devices at its booth, Garmin had the new GTU 10 GPS locator out for the world to see on the CES floor. If you need a refresher, this little tracker connects to AT&T’s network and and lets you keep tabs on anything you choose to hook it onto. The signage showed the compact locator on a dog collar, though there’s also a carabiner attachment so you can attach it to pretty much anything. We spotted the tracking app running on a Galaxy Tab, so it looks like Android support is definitely on the table — we’re still in the dark on compatibility with other mobile operating systems. Other than that there’s not much to say, but feel free to peruse our shots of the discreet black blob in our gallery below.

Garmin GTU 10 GPS locator hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 08 Jan 2011 12:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GPS is that stuff that gets you home when you have no idea where you are, but it can also be the thing that helps you find those dealies you left… somewhere. At least, it can be if you have a GTU 10 GPS module from Garmin attached to said dealies. It’s a little integrated unit that has a wireless connection and can, for better or worse, dial itself to AT&T‘s data network. It updates its location in regularly and allows you to see just where that is via the Garmin Tracking site. Or, you can download the Garmin Tracker app to your mobile device (of undisclosed provenance) if you prefer to use your active voice, enabling you to get turn-by-turn directions right to your wayward GTU. It’ll even fire you an e-mail or a TXT if whatever it is you’ve attached it to strays too far outside of your safe zone. The GTU 10 looks to be available now at $199.99, which includes one year of tracking. You’re stuck paying $49.99 per year after that — or, you know, losing your stuff.

Continue reading Garmin GTU 10 GPS locator tracks whatever you want, wherever AT&T’s coverage goes

Garmin GTU 10 GPS locator tracks whatever you want, wherever AT&T’s coverage goes originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 04 Jan 2011 13:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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What’s that? You’ve never heard of caching? For shame! In all seriousness, we’re surmising that quite a few of you out there may have overlooked this up-and-coming jewel of recreation, but Garmin’s doing its darnedest to change that. The GPS maker has just opened up a new online community at OpenCaching.com, hailed “a completely free online community for creating, sharing and finding geocaches around the world.” For those out of the loop, caching is akin to a sophisticated game of hide-and-seek, where individuals download GPX files and then head out on adventures that’ll lead them to various surprises and / or treasures. A two-month old honey bun, an original script from Step Brothers, or maybe even a sealed bag of Deutsche Marks from last century — you know, things of that sort. The site even lets users rank the ‘Awesomeness’ in addition to size, terrain and difficulty, and while it’s obviously hosted by Garmin, it’s platform agnostic in nature. Head on over if you’re looking to blaze a few trails over the holiday break.

Continue reading Garmin launches OpenCaching community, pushes caching closer to the mainstream

Garmin launches OpenCaching community, pushes caching closer to the mainstream originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Dec 2010 01:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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