Mr-Java

Well, I have lost a button from my Garmin Forerunner 201 GPS. It still works well as a GPS, but until I figure out how to repair the rubber button I lost, you must have a pencil or bit of twig to access and select the button on my unit. It’s a bummer, because this little guy is awesome for training.

I ordered a replacement last night and got the Forerunner 305 and the Edge cadence sensor for the bike. Thanks to a rebate, a deep discount from online providers and an online gift card I had, this bundle ended up costing me about $150. That’s a steal!

The initial difference between the x01 and the x05 series is obvious just to look at, the “watch”-like form factor. The 205 is a great training aid, but that sucker is huge. It’s like having a giant GPS brownie strapped to your wrist. I am looking forward to the slightly slimmer more squared display face. My 205 still uses a serial cable interface which are becoming rarer and rarer on laptops these days. Fortunately my work laptop is a dell piece of junk, but hopefully they have gone to USB. Also, they’ve upgraded the training software that comes with the system, I look forward to that. Finally, I am SUPER excited to try the new GPS chip they use in these newer models. People online have claimed to have much faster acquisition time and excellent coverage, even under cover of trees and indoors. This was an inconvenience with my old GPS. Of course, I did like walking for a few minutes to warm up before the GPS found the satellites.

The 301 series supported wireless accessories, like the heart rate strap, which comes with my unit. However, the 305 will support using the EDGE cadence meter so this will be a big boon to my cycling training as I’d rather invest in Garmin and get cadence, speed, coordinates, and heart rate all in one file.

I’ll post a proper review once I get it in the mail.

# Amazon link #