NaviGadget

GPS enabled tracking for the Mac

Jun 13, 2009 fitness, gps navigation 1 Comment

rubiTrack is a tracking software for Macs that lets you display, analyze and organize your runs, bike rides, walks, hikes, skiing tours and all other outdoor and indoor activities.

rubiTrack can collect data from devices such as the Garmin Forerunner 405, Forerunner 305, Garmin Edge 705 and Edge 305 and many other devices.

rubiTrack can store all of your activities, and display them on a map and analyze crucial details such as how fast, how far, how high you’ve gone. rubiTrack is $39.

Garmin Foretrex 401

Jun 10, 2009 garmin, gps navigation, wrist watch 9 Comments

Apparently Garmin is coming a with new Foretrex called Garmin Foretrex 401. We didn’t think Garmin would continue with this series after coming up with products such Forerunner 405CX and even Forerunner 310XT, but they must have seen the market for it. Specially the DoD market: Militarytimes got their hands on a final prototype and the specs for the new Garmin Foretrex 401 looks quite impressive.

First off Garmin Foretrex 401 is about 20% smaller than the original 201, and 101, but do share the same size (1.4″ x 0.9″) screen. It has a 2-axis digital compass, barometric altimeter, and a USB port to hook up to a computer. It even has some sort of wireless waypoint sharing option.

Up to this point everything is OK. But then you get to some other set of features which makes us think Foretrex 401 was designed for those who regularly jump off planes:

There’s even a “Jumpmaster” function for static, HAHO and HALO jumping that will let you set data points for under-canopy guidance to an LZ. It’s got options for forward throw, windspeeds at altitude and HARP to get you to the right place. Garmin also improved the GPS sensitivity so it will pick up a signal faster once out of the aircraft, but it’s still best as a backup to your backup altimeter.

Garmin Foretrex 401 runs on two AAA batteries which can last up to 24 hours and if you really need this to be with you on a mission you can get the optional pouch that was designed with the help of Navy Seals and will make it easier to mount the 401 to your gear or rifle. Huh.

Really? Did Garmin really design and is about to announce a military grade GPS receiver for only $250? Wow. Expected to release date is June 16th.

Garmin Forerunner 405CX

Apr 3, 2009 fitness, garmin, gps navigation, wrist watch 3 Comments

Garmin Forerunner 405CX was just announced yesterday by Garmin. 405CX is obviously very similar to Forerunner 405 which came out beginning of last year. Improved with the 405CX is the way your heart rate and consumed calories are calculated.

Apparently people at Garmin spent some time with exercise scientists (Firstbeat of Finland) and pro athletes to come up with the algorithms which use the micro changes in a your heart rate to better calculate the number of calories burned during aerobic activity.

Garmin Forerunner 405CX weighs only 60 grams and has some features that let you track speed, distance and location. It has this “bezel” based interface that lets you control this GPS integrated wrist computer by tapping, holding or running a finger along the bezel.

Garmin Forerunner 405CX uses ANT+ technology which sends workout data to a PC or Mac wirelessly so you don’t even need to take off the watch.

Forerunner 405CX will cost $370 when it comes second quarter of this year.

Here is a video showing how easy it is to change wrist bands on the 405CX.

more on forerunner 405

Mar 15, 2008 fitness, garmin, gps navigation, wrist watch 2 Comments

We have a few screen shots from the new Garmin Forerunner 405 that is expected to hit the market soon after April 21st.

This is the training page. You can set up two additional training “pages” and you can scroll through with a tap to the watch bezel. You can also choose up to three data fields to customize each training page. There are over 30 types of data you can display. We’re talking way more than distance, pace, elevation and calories. You can also view GPS accuracy, grade, lap distance, heart rate average, zone, % max and more.

This screen is the virtual partner. It gives you a virtual competitor for every training run. You pick your goal pace, then see how you match up to the virtual partner.

This is the heart rate page. It shows your heart rate and zone numbers as well as a chart that shows your progression at a glance.

The last screen shown here is the navigation page. Since the 405 is GPS-enabled, it has some basic navigation capabilities, including a feature that guides you back to your starting point. Nice for when you strike out on a run in a new city or if you like to “run outside the lines” once in awhile. Read More …

Forerunner 405

Jan 3, 2008 fitness, garmin, gps navigation, wrist watch 34 Comments

Garmin today announced a GPS watch that actually is the size of a watch. Called Forerunner 405 this GPS watch is really not that bad looking meaning you can almost wear all day every day – something impossible to do with the older 305 and 205.

Expected to cost about $300, the Forerunner 405 can track your speed, distance, heart rate and location. The new user interface is a touch bezel on the face of the watch which makes navigating the menus easier. The bezel responds to tapping, holding or running a finger along it.

Like previous models Forerunner 405 also features the Virtual Partner whose pace you can adjust as you wish – which may defeat the purpose of a challenge for some people.

The watch itself does not come with a heart rate monitor but supports it, in addition to an optional speed/cadence bike sensor which can help cyclists monitor their pedaling cadence and wheel speed.

Another nice feature of Forerunner 405 is the connectivity:

Using ANT+Sport technology, the Forerunner 405 sends workout data to the user’s computer via automatic wireless data transfer… the computer automatically syncs with the Forerunner 405 as soon as the user enters the room… Runners, joggers, cyclists and hikers can send courses, goals and workouts to their Forerunner 405 before they begin, and then the data gets sent back to the user’s computer when the workout is over. Athletes can log their workouts, track their totals, set goals, share workouts with coaches, friends and family and participate in an online fitness community at Garmin’s online training site at connect.garmin.com

Continue to Read More …