Garmin Forerunner 305 GPS Receiver With Heart Rate Monitor

Design
Garmin Forerunner 305 GPS Receiver With Heart Rate Monitor

The 305's design is a radical departure from Garmin's previous generation of wrist mounted GPS devices, which reached a pinnacle with the Garmin Forerunner 301. While the 301 delivered accurate heart rate monitoring, good performance tracking, and decent GPS reception, it didn't quite deliver in the design department. The form factor was bulky and wearing it wasn't much different than duct taping a full-sized GPS device to your wrist.

Not so with the 305. Garmin's engineers obviously burned the midnight oil and have come up with a waterproof design that, while certainly not as small as a sports watch, feels just as comfortable. The curved casing allows the unit's antenna to face the sky when you're running, while the widescreen display is perfectly positioned for viewing when you need it. And the display certainly deserves a few kudos. While it's smaller than the display found on previous Forerunners, its resolution is far higher, offering incredible clarity and crispness.

Garmin has smartly given the 305 a simple button layout and the buttons have a nice tactile feel with good pressure response. The right side houses the menu selection and enter buttons, while the left houses a power/backlight button and a mode button. This simple and elegant solution is a big improvement over the sometimes confusing button functionality of previous Forerunners.

 GPS Performance

The big news about the Forerunner 305 is that it features an integrated, high-sensitivity SiRFstar III GPS receiver. What does this mean? It means that the 305's ability to both track, and maintain a lock on, your position is better than anything before it. After an intial battery charge, the tester had the 305 on his wrist and was tracking speed and distance with GPS satellites within 3 minutes. The next time we used the 305, satellite acquisition was nearly instantaneous. A run through dense trees didn't faze the unit either; tracking remained true and steady. Performance on a bike was equally impressive. Whatever witchcraft has been cooked up by the designers of the SiRF technology, we like it!

Computer Connectivity and Software

Garmin has been outfitting their devices with USB connectivity for some time now -- a welcome move for those who struggled with serial port connections in the days of yore. Thanks to USB, the 305 integrates seamlessly with the Training Center software and we quickly had workout history uploaded and stored on the computer. Not only does Training Center--which is compatible with both PC and Mac--make it easy to track your performance, you can graph data such as heartrate alongside your speed and distance. Over time, this is a great way to view your fitness levels increase, and it also helps you see what types of workouts are necessary to strengthen your weaknesses. For instance, if you see your heartrate begin to spike after a certain distance, you know you need to increase your endurance workouts to train that area of fitness.

In a first for the Forerunner series, the Training Center software also lets you define courses on your computer that you can upload to the device. When course information is combined with uploaded workout information, the Forerunner becomes a complete guide, telling you where to go, when to make a turn, and what kind of workout to do when you're on the road or path. Back on the computer, the software's ability to overlay workout data on maps of the course makes it easy to see where the course offers up the tough hills and the easy recovery spots. Plus, the ability to track historical performance on a given course is a great way to measure your improvement.

The 305 is also fully compatible with Garmin's MotionBased service, which takes your training to another level by connecting your data with the Internet. While we weren't able to use the service, the promise of sharing courses, maps, workouts, and performance data with other users is intriguing. And if you're a serious endurance athlete, you'll be glad to know that the 305 is also compatible with TrainingPeaks.com, an easy-to-use web based training system designed to help athletes train for any event.

Pros

• Radically new design is better in every way
• Amazing accuracy and fast satellite acquisition time
• So simple to set up and use, you will actually use it

Cons

• Okay, it's bigger than a sport's watch -- but so much more powerful

What's in the Box

Forerunner 305, Garmin Training Center CD-ROM, heart rate monitor, docking cradle, expander strap, A/C charger, USB cable, owner's manual, quick start guide. 

Product Description

Package Includes: Forerunner 305, Heart rate monitor, docking cradle, expander strap, AC charger, PC/USB interface cable, Quick start guide, Garmin Training Center CD & owner's manual The Garmin Forerunner 305 GPS System combines form and function. This combination running partner and personal trainer is designed for athletes of all levels. It features a high-sensitivity GPS receiver, new courses feature, and robust ANT wireless heart rate monitor for optimal performance. The super-sensitive GPS tracks your every move, even working on tree-covered trails and near tall buildings. The heart device monitors your heart rate, speed, distance, pace and calories burned so you can train smarter, more effectively. These taskmasters will continually push you to do your personal best. Courses feature lets you download recorded courses and compete against previous workouts Auto Pause pauses and resumes training timer GPS features - GPS with high-Sensitivity SiRFstarIII architecture Wireless communication between system devices via ANT protocol Display Size(WxH) - 1.3 x 0.8 (33 x 20.3 mm) Lap Memory - 1,000 laps Rechargeable internal lithium ion battery - lasts 10 hours (typical use) Waterproof - Submersible in one meter of water for up to 30 mins. Alerts - Time, distance, pace and heart rate Physical Size(WxHxD) - 2.1 x. 7 x 2.7 (53.3 x 17.8 x 68.6 mm) Weight - 2.72 oz. (77 g)

Heart rate monitor features - Transmission Range - approximately 3m (9.8ft) 3V CR2032 battery - lasts 3 years (1 hour per day) Physical size(WxHxD) - 13.7 x 1.4 x 0.5 (348 x 35.6 x 12.7 mm) Weight -. 74 oz (21 grams)

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Three best GPS devices on the market

1.Garmin GPS Map

Garmin GPSMap judged to have a stronger body with compact design and feature complete. This waterproof GPS device suitable for use in all conditions in all terrain, either on your vehicle dashboard mounting, mountain biking or even hiking. In addition, this device also has a microSD and USB slots to allow integration with a computer. GPS is also considered more sensitive to the signals even if you're in the thick jungle or even in the abyss though.

 2. I Phone From Apple

Although not everyone is willing to spend some money just to buy a mobile phone with GPS equipment that only 2-year contract, but apparently has a built in device that the iPhone is considered an advantage that no other competitor has a lot. Features Applications can be downloaded directly from Apple's App Store has a complete feature like folder along with a compass (though digital compasses are only present at the series 3GS). Unique and creative, that's the word that often appears. Because, although it has a compass which is digital but can designate the direction of the wind with the right, lets make a route through the folders there are many more, to no one when this feature will be friends right road guides.

 3.Tomtom

Actually Tom Tom is a long time player in the GPS device. They have been making GPS devices since 1991. Tom's products are often used as a direction that is placed on the dashboard of the vehicle. Technology they use so that the sharing method is more easily done updating the map. Tom Tom also added dozens of features that are very useful. Some of them such as pronunciation direction, guides the advanced class which can display the actual exact replica road with your actual circumstances while driving, voice input of destination addresses, integrated with a bluetooth mobile phone as a hands-free mode, the transmitter as a link to a stereo FM system of your vehicle and even has a built in media player. Tom Tom is specially designed for ease of driving is equipped with a larger screen, clearer text and actual interactive map.

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Uses and Benefits gps tracking

Global Positioning System (GPS) is the only satellite navigation system that works fine on Gps Store. The system uses 24 satellites that transmit microwave signals to Earth. This signal is received by the receiver on the surface, and is used to determine position, speed, direction, and time. GPS system similar to the other between the Russian GLONASS, Galileo European Union, India IRNSS.
This system was developed by the United States Department of Defense, with his full name is NAVSTAR GPS (common mistake is that the NAVSTAR is an acronym, this is wrong, NAVSTAR is the name given by John Walsh, an important policy makers in the GPS program). [1] This satellite collection *** rus by the 50th Space Wing United States Air Force. System maintenance cost is about U.S. $ 750 million per year as Gps Store, [2] including the replacement of older satellites, as well as research and development.
* Military
GPS is used for war purposes, such as guiding the bomb, or know where troops are located. In this way we can find out where friends where the opponent to avoid the wrong target, or determine the movement of troops.
* Navigation
GPS is also used as a tool much like a compass navigation. Several kinds of vehicles have been equipped with GPS for tools nivigasi, by adding a map, then it could be used to guide motorists, so motorists can find out where the line should be selected to achieve desired goals.
* Geographic Information Systems
For the purposes of Geographic Information Systems, GPS is often also involved in map making, such as measuring the distance of the border, or as a reference measurement.
* Vehicle Tracking System
Other uses of GPS are as vehicle tracking, with bamtuan GPS vehicle owner / manager of the fleet could find out there where only the vehicle / asset movement is right now.
* Monitoring earthquakes
Even today, the GPS with high precision can be used to monitor ground movement, which ordenya only mm a year. Monitoring land movements is useful for estimating the earthquake, either volcanic or tectonic movement
Source: http://id.wikipedia.org

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What is GPS

What exactly is GPS? And how to work the GPS? Do not until you buy a mobile phone equipped with GPS feature, but you yourself do not know what and for what GPS?
GPS or Global Positioning System in simple terms is one system that will help us to know the position we are today. GPS works with menstransmisikan signals from satellites to the GPS device (mobile or Blackberry technology equipped with GPS for example). To obtain a detailed position as accurately as possible, the GPS should be used in open space use of GPS in the room, the forest or in a place that many tall buildings, will make the GPS work less accurate.
GPS information is transmitted by several satellites (three satellites for example) so that the GPS receiver can calculate and display accurately as possible the position, velocity and time information to GPS users.
GPS technology was first used by the United States Department of Defense (DOD) for military needs. GPS system into use since 1980, but in general usage by the new public around the 1990's.
GPS privilege is being able to work in various weather conditions, day or night. The accuracy of a GPS device can reach 15 meters, even the latest models are equipped with technology Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) accuracy to 3 meters.

If the mobile phone, blackberry or maybe Motorola Milestrone / Droid you have been equipped with GPS feature, then you can see where you are currently on the maps (Google Maps, for example), even you can determine how long your trip from one place to another, you can also continue to measure how the speed of your vehicle, and of course you are also given directions that must be passed, how many liters of gasoline needed to get to your destination. There are many many benefits that can be obtained from the GPS in your phone, especially with the support of various applications, which of course can facilitate you in carrying out daily activities

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