Posts Tagged ‘sports gps’

Magellan Switch and Switch Up GPS watch

Jan 9, 2012 , , ,


Magellan is entering the fitness world with two brand new GPS watches. Let’s keep this short:

Magellan Switch:

  • fitness training device w/ 9 customizable sport profiles
  • high resolution display
  • 8 hours of battery life
  • high sensitivity GPS receiver
  • 50 meter water resistance
  • works with ANT+™ sensors

Magellan Switch Up has all of the above plus:

  • barometric altimeter for elevation data
  • thermometer
  • vibration alerts
  • quick release mount to easily transition between sports

Other features, etc

  • Battery Pack Extender w/ 16 hours of extra life (24 total)
  • available Spring 2012
  • Magellan Switch: $250 ($300 with Heart Rate Monitor)
  • Magellan Switch Up with a Multisport Mounting Kit $300, +$50 with HRM

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Polar RCX5 Heart Rate Monitor watch with GPS

Nov 22, 2011 , ,


Polar RCX5 is one of the latest from the company. It’s not too out of the ordinary when it comes to sports watches with its monochrome display but it can report on the status of your heart while talking to a GPS that attaches to your arm so you know exactly how serious your workout is and where.

RCX5 can also talk to various other stride and cadence sensors, mostly for runners and cyclists.

The nice thing with these design is each different sensor have their own battery so they’re not hogging the juice out of your watch. Just make sure to charge the piece you’re going to use. It’s already on sale at Amazon for $450.

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Garmin Fit App nad ANT+ Adapter

Oct 27, 2011 , ,


Garmin just announced Garmin Fit for iPhone and Android. It’s an app we’ve been waiting from the company. This first release keeps track of speed, pace, distance, time, calories and can potentially display if you have the right add-ons. Of course it works with Garmin Connect to upload your workouts. Another news from the company is the ANT+ adapter for iPhone allowing users to use their Garmin ANT+ accessories with their iPhone.

With Garmin Fit you’ll at least have a way to track your workout even if you forget to charge your Forerunner and forget to take it with you. You can control the music from within the app and manage calls and text messages without interrupting Garmin Fit – which will cost $1.

Garmin ANT+ adapter for iPhone is already available for $50 and this tool lets you monitor and record heart rate and cadence directly on your phone. You’ll need the footpod sensor for example which works great if you’re working indoors.

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Garmin Forerunner 910XT

Oct 5, 2011 , ,


Garmin today announced Forerunner 910XT – a GPS-enabled watch that can give you swim metrics and tracks distance, speed/pace, elevation and heart rate for running and cycling. It has a slim profile to not interfere with you wetsuits (you realize this is designed for triathletes?) and comes with on-board barometric altimeter for precise elevation data. As for as swim metrics 910XT can provide swim distance, stroke count, stroke rate and stroke identification. It also calculates your swolf score:

30 seconds plus 15 strokes equals a swolf score of 45. Swolf is a measurement of swimming efficiency and, like golf, lower is better.

Software on Forerunner 910XT is also aware that you are training for a triathlon. It categorizes each sports activity and can log the transition time in the process. Oh and did you say ultra marathon? 910XT has a up to 20 hours of battery life.

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kayak thief caught with GPS tracking device

Sep 7, 2011 , ,


More than a dozen kayaks were stolen over the last few weeks from a small business owner at Hopkinton State Park. The owner decided to setup a trap and bought GPS tracking devices and hid them inside the kayaks. In the end GPS devices led to the arrest of a 33 year old man with two kayaks still on top of his vehicle.

The owner setup the device so that he would get email alerts when the GPS tracking device was moved. He sure got an email Monday night and reported the theft to the police. Police staked out where the vehicle was parked, waited for him to get into his vehicle and arrested him minutes later.

The thief, Alexander, had about 15 more kayaks in his possession and had a sign up offering them for sale…

Read the rest of this entry »

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Garmin Edge 200 for cyclists

Aug 26, 2011 , , ,


Last week Garmin introduced a budget friendly version of Edge 500 bike GPS computer. Edge 500 is currently listed at $250 but the new model, Garmin Edge 200 will be listed at $150.

Edge 200 is completely GPS based so it requires no calibration, and it is good whatever weather you can throw at it. Edge 200 can store 130 hours of cycling data, lasts up to 14 hours, and offers a USB interface for easy data transfer.

Garmin Edge 200 weighs about 2 ounces, uses HotFix satellite prediction, and allows you to set alarms for distance, time, and even calories. Wait until the third quarter of this year to get your hands on the Edge 200.

Here is a demo video:

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GPS computer coupon – QSTARZ SR-Q2100

Jul 12, 2011 , , , ,


We got a coupon code (NAVI10SALE) for those of you who are interested in a GPS computer. QSTARZ SR-Q2100 is mostly designed for cyclists in mind but you can pretty much use it to track any kind of workout. The software even lets you download your workouts and put them in a calendar for you so you know how your performance is changing over time.

Once again, the code is NAVI10SALE and you can get it from here.

Here are some of the other features:

  • Track recorder
  • Cycle Computer
  • Location Finder
  • 8-directional digital compass
  • Route Guider
  • IPX-7 waterproof
  • E-Temperature
  • Large 1.8″ LCD display with backlight support
  • Route Plan mode can support 1 route with 99 turn points, which can guide remaining distance/direction/time to target point
  • Support pre-loading 4 Location Back points and pre-planning 99 turn points of route
  • Utilizes latest high sensitivity -159dBm GPS chipset
  • Smart power saving and support 25 hours usage (22hrs with backlight)
  • Waterproof design with IPX-7 class
  • Download data via mini USB interface

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HOLUX GPSport 260 Pro second review

Jun 25, 2011 , , ,


Like the first review, I did my first ride as a mountain ride with the HOLUX GPSport 260 Pro. I had some kinks to work out as I had not previously tested my mounting method. I did have issues as I mounted the unit on the bar, and not the stem. The GPS unit kept sliding around my bar every time I hit a bump. This was due to user error I must admit. At the time I did not realize the bracket was adaptable to both the bars and stem. Once I had remounted the GPS unit to the stem, I had no further problems regarding the mounting of the unit, or with the unit not staying put.

I tested HOLUX GPSport 260 Pro on some sections of tough singletrack trail in Sedona, Arizona. Aside from some user error from learning on the go, the unit did pretty well once I got the hang of the user interface. During this ride, I tried to use the unit with the speed sensor. Unfortunately, my bike’s chain stays are located too far from the wheel’s spokes to pick up the magnet and register the speed. However, I found the unit’s internal tracking to be sufficient and fairly accurate. If I had more time, I would have experimented to see if mounting the sensor on the front fork would have been sufficiently close to pick up the magnet. This is where I have mounted previous speed sensors before. The directions could be more informative in the mounting procedure regarding different bike types.

I also tested the heart rate monitor during my initial ride. The monitor worked quite well, but I found it to be quite hot after a couple of hours riding in the Arizona sun, and I shed it mid-ride. This isn’t unlike any other heart rate monitor I have worn before; it was just a warm day to have something around my chest. I felt that the unit worked well, and I was satisfied it was reporting accurately.

I wouldn’t recommend mounting the cadence sensor on a mountain bike, as the other reviewer stated. It is in a vulnerable spot on a mountain bike, the chainstay with the magnet on the crank arm. However, unless you are a road rider or serious cross country mountain bike racer, chances are that you don’t need to know your cadence. I think this position would be fine on a road bike, and the unit would be well-suited for the role.

I was surprised by the level of functionality of the unit. While riding, I used the unit in both plot and sport modes. I did find switching between the modes difficult to do while riding due to the sensitivity of the toggle button. Despite this however, the unit is quite capable. I was pleased to see how it plotted my track over the course of the 12 mile ride. When I compared it to Google Maps, which the software lets you do easily, the track was fairly accurate. Most of the error was induced by its point tracking every 6 seconds or so, and this was only noticed on switch backs or tight turns where the unit wasn’t tracking every data point. This is an acceptable error of course. I was quite pleased to see my plots of heart rate, elevation gain, distance, etc.

Overall, I found the software interface to be intuitive and functional. I liked how the tracks could be viewed easily in Google Earth. Since I lack any other GPS or GIS software on my computer, Google Earth is my primary tool.

In summary, HOLUX GPSport 260 Pro seems to be a good bang for the buck.

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Nike+ Sportwatch GPS needs improvement

May 21, 2011 , ,


Hey are you considering getting yourself the Nike+ Sportwatch with GPS? Take a second to read this review first. And of course check out the screen shot above. See how off this thing is? My Galaxy S phone combined with Google My Tracks does a lot better than that.

The nice thing about this GPS watch – if everything worked smoothly of course – is the way it combines data from both the Nike+ shoe sensor and GPS data. Shoe sensor gets the job done on the treadmill and the GPS receiver is a lot more accurate outdoor over longer distances.

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GPS X Guider back in stock

Feb 4, 2011 , ,


The popular GPS back tracking device, GPS X Guider is now back in stock. They ran out out of stock a few weeks ago with very high demand and now they’re replenished and wanted us to let you guys know. You can check out the features but summarize here are some highlights:

  • Mark points, and navigate back to them
  • Plan trips online, transfer to device which makes it suitable for geocaching
  • Display speed, altitude, calories, avg speed
  • Use as a GPS logger to record your trips
  • E-compass, and an always accurate satellite watch

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