Skip to content
FileSaveAs logo

FileSaveAs UK

Mobile Technology, Smartphones and Connectivity

  • Home
  • Mobile Phones
  • Smartphones
  • Home Internet
  • Mobile Internet
  • News
  • Toggle search form

GPS Watches Explored


You have GPS in the car, and GPS in your phone – what about GPS on your watch? Know where you are, and where you’ve been with a GPS watch

GPS in a watch?

Why would you want GPS in your watch? There are two main reasons why strapping GPS to your watch are a good idea:

  • Where are you and where are you going: Whether you’re a rambler wanting to get to your next waypoint, or you want to find your way back to the car in the car park, a GPS receiver is a handy gadget
  • Keeping fit: Those interested in keeping fit should give serious consideration to a GPS Sports watch. When you go out jogging of cycling, these watches can track your speed, distance, location and pace, and export that information to a PC as needed. Who needs a cheapo bike computer, when you can get accurate information on your watch that’s very accurate and very exportable. Add your heart rate to the mix, and this is a very powerful fitness tool.

Audio Review: Check out our Audio Review of the iPhone Sat Nav applications – FrequencyCast Show 43 | Transcript

Our Top GPS Watch

Here are FileSaveAs, we tested several GPS-enabled watches, and our favourite was the Garmin Forerunner 405 GPS Fitness watch.

Garmin Forerunner 405 GPS Watch
Garmin Forerunner 405 GPS Watch

Fitsense LogoGPS watches from Garmin, Polar and Timex available online from www.fitsense.co.uk – Pick up a Garmin Forerunner 405 at a low price, with fast delivery.

 

Garmin Forerunner 405 Reviewed

We gave the Garmin 405 a full workout in show 43 of our podcast, and were very impressed. The Forerunner 405CX was also been voted Number One Sports Watch by The Gadget Show in 2009.

Here’s what the 405 does:

  • Heart rate monitor (a strap that sits around your chest)
  • GPS – Enter waypoints and navigate your way there
  • Track your journey. When you start a training exercise, the watch tracks were you were at any given time, and what your heart rate was showing
  • Wireless export to PC – Use the supplied USB dongle and your watch will send exercise and GPS data wirelessly automatically

 

Garmin 405 GPS:

With a fast lock and accurate positioning, this is a great GPS receiver. Not much hanging around waiting for a lock, this is an impressive and accurate receiver. If you’re using it on a bike, use the optional bike mount to ensure you’re getting the best possible lock.

Garmin 405 showing satellite information
Garmin 405 showing satellite information

 

Garmin 405 for exercising

Enter your weight, gender and a few other vital statistics, and the watch can be a serious boon with exercises such as running, biking and indoor cardio. If you wear the heart rate chest strap, real-time information is sent wirelessly to the watch and you can see your exercise time, current and average heart rate, distance, calorie burn, exercise zone and a host of other metrics.

Top feature is "auto pause" – stop running, or stop at lights on your bike, and you can set the watch to pause your recording automatically. There’s also a "virtual partner" (using previous workouts) as a pace setter.

Garmin Forerunner 405 Heart rate graph
Garmin Forerunner 405 Heart rate graph

Your data on a PC

Once you’ve been out and about with your Garmin 405, walk in range of the USB receiver plugged into your PC, and the Garmin ANT software will find your watch automatically, download the latest data, and import it into the supplied Garmin Training Center application, or the online Garmin Connect service.

in our opinion, Garmin Connect is the best of the two, as your data is stored online to be viewed anywhere, and there’s integration into Google Maps.

Below is a screenshot of Garmin Connect showing a bike ride – See where you were at any given moment, what speed you were doing, and your heart rate. You can use the Player to replay your outing, seeing your heart rate climb as you go uphill, and being able to compare a workout against previous sessions

Garmin Connect - Your resukts on a PC
Garmin Connect – Your results on a PC

Garmin 405 Summary

We’re impressed. This is definitely the best of the bunch for GPS and Heart rate watches. The Forerunner 405 has a built-in rechargeable battery, holds up to 1000 laps, and has a seamless wireless sync. The watch is backlit, and navigation is achieved by touching the touch-sensitive bezel. A quality piece of kit, well worth a look.

Update: The Garmin Forerunner 405 was voted top Sports Watch in their show at the end of August 2009.

 

You can get the Garmin Forerunner 405 direct from Garmin Store, or for a better price at fitsense.co.uk


Listen to the FrequencyCast UK online radio show
FrequencyCast Podcast IconPODCAST FEATURE: We looked at Sat Nav Watches and devices in show 43 of our podcast.
Listen to Show 43 | What is FrequencyCast? | Add us to iTunes

 

Your questions

  • No questions yet.
Got a question on the Garmin forerunner 405, or need help? Ask us

 

GPS Links:

  • GPS
    Tutorial
    – Help,
    advice and links on GPS
  • Looking
    for GPS units, leads and adapters?
    Try
    Maplin, Dabs.com or Amazon. For a real bargain, take a look on eBay.co.uk
  • Add Geo-tagging to your digital camera
  • Getmapping
    – If you’re into maps and navigation, take a look at the overhead images,
    maps, digital photos and CDs that this mapping firm has to offer
  • Fitbit – Wireless fitness tracker, clever gadget to keep you trim
  • Sat Nav on the iPhone – Turn your Apple mobile into a Sat Nav for under £30

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  

About FileSaveAs

Our team has been serving the online community since 2002. We offer a mix of tech information & answers to common questions.

Recent Comments

  • Neil John Aplin on Forum – Not Available
  • Shrimp on iTunes Library Updater killed by iTunes 11
  • adr on iTunes Library Updater killed by iTunes 11
  • Sinead MacCaughey on Tip for Faster Mobile Broadband
  • Jon on Disabling the mobile version of a website on an iPhone

Home | Site Info | Terms & Privacy Policy | Glossary | Contact FileSaveAs | Copyright © 2024 FileSaveAs >>

Powered by PressBook WordPress theme

This site uses cookies to enhance your browsing experience, serve personalised ads or content, and analyze our traffic. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to our use of cookies, however you can select "Cookie Settings" to control your consent. View Terms & Privacy Policy
Cookie SettingsAccept All
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-advertisement1 yearSet by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin, this cookie is used to record the user consent for the cookies in the "Advertisement" category .
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
CookieLawInfoConsent1 yearRecords the default button state of the corresponding category & the status of CCPA. It works only in coordination with the primary cookie.
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
CookieDurationDescription
_gasessionThe _ga cookie, installed by Google Analytics, calculates visitor, session and campaign data and also keeps track of site usage for the site's analytics report. The cookie stores information anonymously and assigns a randomly generated number to recognize unique visitors. For details of this cookie, go to <a href="https://policies.google.com/technologies/partner-sites">Google's Privacy & Terms site</a>
_gat_gtag_UA_*1 minuteSet by Google to distinguish users. For details of this cookie, go to <a href="https://policies.google.com/technologies/partner-sites">Google's Privacy & Terms site</a>
_gat_gtag_UA_226762_36sessionSet by Google to distinguish users. For details of this cookie, go to <a href="https://policies.google.com/technologies/partner-sites">Google's Privacy & Terms site</a>
_gidsessionInstalled by Google Analytics, _gid cookie stores information on how visitors use a website, while also creating an analytics report of the website's performance. Some of the data that are collected include the number of visitors, their source, and the pages they visit anonymously. For details of this cookie, go to <a href="https://policies.google.com/technologies/partner-sites">Google's Privacy & Terms site</a>
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT
Powered by CookieYes Logo
Go to mobile version