Just when you thought Garmin had cornered the market on powerful, affordable, and effective wrist-mounted GPS devices, here comes the Forerunner 305. The release of this device is a major achievement from a design and technology perspective. This isn’t just marketing-speak; the Forerunner 305 is the most accurate, most reliable wrist-mounted performance and GPS tracking tool we’ve ever tested. Yes, it’s that good. While no device this compact can do everything (yet), the 305 pushes the boundaries of what is possible from something strapped around your wrist. The 305 model includes wireless heartrate monitoring and it can also be connected to Garmin’s wireless bicycle speed and cadence sensor.
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!
Customer feedback:
1. I use mine for cycling and running, the direct link to see your workouts mapped on GOOGLE EARTH is FANTASTIC!!!! (the included software is far more stable than the junk Polar included with their HRM’s. Heart rate strap with replaceable battery is coded and comfortable. It’s better in my opinion than the Polar products (of which I’ve owned three)
This is much better than the Forerunner 201 which I previously owned (locks on satellites 10 times faster) and I’d avoid the 405 unless you really want to use this watch as a normal day to day wristwatch (check out the 405 reviews)
2. I have enjoyed using this product so far. I have not used the heart rate monitor attachment yet. I have found the Garmin to be very easy to use and it seems to be amazingly accurate. The instructions were very easy to follow and implement. I look forward to exploring more of the features as I become more familiar with the Garmin.
The ordering process was very simple and efficient.
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