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Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Review of the Forerunner 205

By Joseph Aaron

If you are a professional athlete, you will always certainly benefit from the Garmin Forerunner GPS 201 watch. It has a striking array of functions to offer. It contains a GPS sensor, an electronic map, session change and reversal capabilities, calorie tracker, lap info and information, performance archives, auto stopwatch with auto-lap and auto pause features, lap timer, pace alert, distance alert, free Training Center software, a bendy wristwatch strap, and an A/C desktop charging unit with a serial port.

The GPS 201 is the best choice for a professional as well as a more casual athlete. It mainly works to help you manage the rate and tracking facets of a workout. This device provides quite a number of advantages, but its major flaw is that it does not work predictably. This is the only reason you would not consider it excellent. Its dimensions of 3.3 ? 1.7 ? 0.7 make it appear more bulky than a normal fitness watch; in fact it is lighter than it looks, as it weighs only 2.8 ounces. The watch is safe for use in water and hence it may be worn by swimmers or by sports participants in rainy or wet weather conditions.

The GPS 201 can store a lap record history of up to 5000 laps and offers many more features that you should tinker with to match up with your own demands and personal requirements. One of the most important features the watch provides is the Training Center Software. This is the perfect feature for you to use to save your performance statistics and can also help you see ways in which they have varied along your path, particularly if you have worked out at different elevations. The Virtual Partner component helps you set goals that you want to reach. You simply have to compare your actual workout session with that of your virtual partner.

The GPS function of this 201 model is put down by many users because the signal can be fickle at times. In addition to that, they also tend to find fault with the irregularities in components such as altitude and pace readings. This model does not have a heart rate monitor. Currently, when most of the computer interfaces can work with a USB, this model falls to the back of the pack with a serial port facility.

The wristband of the Forerunner 201 GPS Fitness Watch is stretchy, enabling you to wear the watch by wearing it on your wrist or your bicep as you choose. Its LCD display screen is a joy to view in well-lit conditions as well as in the shadows. The rechargeable lithium alloy battery can remain charged for 14 hours before losing power. It appears to be just fine for runners, but may not be quite adequate for bicycling, etc.

Overall, the Garmin Forerunner GPS 201 is a watch with a lot of benefits. The training Center software and the Virtual partner features warrant special mention. Ultimately, its patchy GPS signaling is its only flaw.

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