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Record open-water swim distance, average speed with Forerunner 310XT

Garmin — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 22:22:35 +0000

The award-winning Forerunner 310XT has already established itself as a firm favorite among triathletes, by offering the most comprehensive and accurate training and racing data available. All in a wrist-mounted, swim-proof computer, the Forerunner 310XT uses high sensitivity GPS to seamlessly record the time, speed, distance and elevation profile for the bike, run and transition sections of the race, and, when used in conjunction with the relevant sensors, gives heartrate, cadence, and even power data too. And now, the Forerunner 310XT uses GPS to add one further dimension: the ability to record open-water swim distance and average speed.

The triathlete simply enables the swim mode, and presses start as they begin their swim. When they finish the swim they press the lap button and the Forerunner 310XT automatically processes a combination of the time and GPS data to give them the distance covered and average speed. This means that, for the very first time, a triathlete can record the vital metrics for every aspect of their race, from the moment they enter the water to the moment they cross the finish line at the end of the run. All of this data can then be uploaded to Garmin Connect for in-depth analysis and review after the race.

Making this good news even better for new and current 310XT owners is that this free software update is currently available, and it's quick and easy to download from Garmin.com. For an in-depth look at the new swim feature, check out DC Rainmaker's thorough review, and visit garmin.com/intosports for more information about Forerunner 310XT and Garmin's other fitness favorites.

Peg’s Posts: Running at Red Rock with Forerunner 110

Garmin — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 14:28:33 +0000

During Deena Kastor’s recent visit to Garmin HQ, she talked about a less-than-enjoyable run in Las Vegas. The paved streets, fumes and buzzing lights were a far cry from her usual workout regime: crisp runs along mountaintop trails in Mammoth Lakes. Rather than leave the desert city with a bad taste in her mouth, Deena turned to a resource I’ve used myself on many an out-of-town trip: the Explore feature in Garmin Connect. “With one click of the mouse, I found a run in Red Rock Canyon, and that run absolutely changed my Las Vegas experience.” Who knows? Maybe the very activity she found in Garmin Connect was my own Red Rock Canyon run from a visit there in March. One of my favorite things about “running away from home” is having the Garmin Connect data as a travel log to relive whenever I wish.

And here’s the rest of the story of my brief visit to the desert:
A couple weeks before the official launch of the Forerunner 110, I took my eager new training partner on a little spring break vaca with my teenage daughter. Our destination: Vegas, baby. Odd pick for a mother/teen daughter trip perhaps, but we had a higher purpose than that of the zillions who spin through Sin City. Namely, restoring our vitamin D levels while visiting my sister and her family. Their party of five includes two rambunctious boys who can be anywhere and everywhere in 6 secs flat and a cherub-cheeked angel girl who’ll be busting out of that stroller any day and giving her brothers a run for the money. And she might be wearing boots and nothing else while doing so, but that’s another story entirely.

Day one of our stay included a family-friendly hike at Red Rock Canyon. Though I didn’t have my Forerunner 110 with me that day to record our trek, we took plenty of photos to chronicle our outing. My brother-in-law told us about some of the other trails and piqued our interest in one called Icebox Canyon. It was labeled as “moderate” in the trail guide and would be roughly a 2-hour journey. My daughter’s intrigue grew and we determined we must fit it in during our short stay.

Day two involved play time with the kids followed by an evening out for my daughter and me — dinner and a Cirque Soleil show. The show was exceptional and as for the dining, it was possibly the only time I’ve come close to earning/eating a fair value at a food buffet. Comes with the territory when you’re in peak mileage for marathon training (I was a month out from Boston Marathon at the time). Thanks to nüvi’s diligent directions, we made it to the big city and back to the ‘burbs without a hitch.

Day three was my time to overdose on the outdoors. I drove out to Red Rock Canyon as the sun was first rising, begging me to come out and play. Play I did. With Forerunner 110 ready to track every mile and minute, I set out for a 14-mile run on the Scenic Loop. One of the things I most love about the 110 is that it’s so fuss-free. Records the data I need — distance, pace and heart rate — and I can upload later to Garmin Connect for more detail. Like elevation. It wouldn’t be the scenery alone taking my breath away on this run. Less than two miles into my run, I was panting and Forerunner showed my heart rate was elevated.

I started taking in the terrain and landmarks and had instant recall of biking this loop a few years ago at the Interbike show. I was grateful to be powering up these climbs on my legs vs. a demo bike that wasn’t exactly a perfect fit for an XS female. I also recalled how the 14-mile loop included killer long climbs on the front end and some drastic, brake-burning drops on the backside. I soon decided that running this as an out-and-back would save me from a lot of extra pounding. So once Forerunner heralded my halfway point, I circled back and enjoyed some downhill coasting. Check out my run in the map player function of Garmin Connect.

But, my day of ODing in the desert was far from over. My sister drove my daughter out to join me for a twosome trek to Icebox Canyon. Though my sister was never a scout of any sort, she came with a day’s worth of food & drink rations for us plus a huge ice pack to take the heat off my chronic “pain in the foot. Medical training, she does have. And the worrying traits of our mother. After resting, replenishing and resetting my Forerunner, my daughter and I set off on our hike. As we scrambled over boulders and walk-jogged the craggy pathways, there was a sense of adventure and teamwork that doesn’t seem to surface when dealing with geometry homework or chores.

I was grateful that this was how she chose to round out our last full day in the desert vs strolling through shopping malls. Roundtrip, the hike took us a little over an hour. While making it up to see the waterfalls tucked deep in that canyon proved more challenging than the “moderate” rating in the trail guide suggested, we loved every minute of it. And, we ended up with more stories to tell, including a chance to relive every step in Garmin Connect. Like a travel log complete with map, notes and stats.

Garmin GPSMAP 62 series

Administrator — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 06:05:33 +0000

The Garmin GPSMAP 62 series we mentioned couple of weeks ago was just made official by the company. Their website does not reveal shipping date just yet but all the specs are there including prices. You can even do side by side comparison of all the models in the 62 series which range from $350 to $550.

All models have a 2.6″ sunlight readable screen, up to 20 hours of battery life on 2 AA’s, IPX7 waterproof, have 1.7GB internal memory, and of course support geocaching.

Garmin GPSMAP 62: base model
Garmin GPSMAP 62s: add microSD card slot, electronic compass, barometric altimeter, wireless data sharing, high speed USB
Garmin GPSMAP 62st:preloaded 100K topographic maps for the entire US

Brought to you by your GPS navigation site NaviGadget.

Garmin GPSMAP 62 series

US and Russia join forces for satellite navigation

Administrator — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 10:56:19 +0000

Trimble of U.S. and Russian Space Systems are joining forces to create Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) which will utilize and commercialize GLONASS – which is the Russian version of U.S.’ GPS.

The new venture will be called Rusnavgeoset and both side will have 50% stake. It will be responsible for selling commercial geodetic network infrastructure systems localized for Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).

Rusnavgeoset – which was announced on June 1st – will be based in Moscow and start operating soon after.

Brought to you by your GPS navigation site NaviGadget.

US and Russia join forces for satellite navigation

Jake’s Journal: Garmin Connect offers fun walk (or run) down memory lane

Garmin — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 21:37:00 +0000

So I was sitting here thinking that I haven't been getting my miles in, simply because I've been a stranger to the treadmill and having to skip our daily lunch runs more than usual. But then I looked at my Garmin Connect data and realized that I haven't lost interest in running - rather I've found ways to make runs more interesting.

For example, tomorrow's Hospital Hill half-marathon will be more about enjoying the day with a 1:40 pace group led by and made up of friends from Garmin. And with 90 colleagues doing either the 5K, 10K or half, familiar faces will be easy to find. So using Garmin Connect links as my scrapbook, here's a look at the last few weeks, starting with a 12K event that will be tough to top:

May 16 - Bay to Breakers: With a bedazzled jumpsuit thrown together from an old Evel Knievel costume (thanks, Ryan) with a hand-drawn firebird (thanks, TK) and far too much poofy hair and argyle trim, I joined my buddy Mat as the fastest Elvii in San Francisco's version of Marathon-meets-Mardi-Gras (unconfirmed reports have surfaced about a pompadoured ringer, but we're sticking to our story). Later that day - after cameos on TV's live coverage and Examiner.com - I cheered Team Garmin at the finish of the Tour of California's opening stage.

Here's a quick glance at some other notable workouts in May (and another pre-race shot of my Bay to Breakers costume):

May 4 - Hospital Hill Training Clinic: Garmin hosted a great group of runners and walkers, teaching them how to get the most out of their Forerunners while training for this weekend's races and then putting the devices through the paces in a nice 3-miler.

May 8 - Corporate Challenge 5K: Running with Garmin speedster Justin, I saved enough fuel for the uphill finish and scored some points for our team.

May 11 - Hill workout with Peg: Good conversation helps flatten hills. And if not, don't tell me otherwise.

May 17 - Sonoma hike: Waking up early before Stage 2 of ToC allowed time for a scenic walk up, around and down the hills of wine country.

May 22 - Girls on the Run 5K: While I didn't actually run on this day, I loved meeting founder Molly Barker (above) and cheering these great kids and their supporters through to the finish. I was positioned before the final loop around the parking lot and assured everyone that they "get a victory lap even before the finish line!"

May 25 - 6 miles with Deena Kastor: If you want to shatter the monotony of midweek exercise on your typical trails, join an Olympian and record-holder for an insightful glimpse into the life of one of the world's best distance runners. It's much better if they slow down for you.

May 31 - Amy Thompson Run: This 8K is one of my local favorites as it winds through some of Kansas City's nicest neighborhoods, and this year's event marked a couple great occasions. Not only was it a great way to start my wife's birthday, but it served as a sendoff to my buddy getting married tomorrow. He wanted to break 40, and we worked together to do just that. I'm hoping my witty banter doubles as a wedding gift.

Good luck to everyone running a hot and humid Hospital Hill tomorrow. Be safe and have fun. Because having a good time doesn't mean you can't have a good time.

Holux GPSport 260 handheld GPS receiver

Tim Robbins — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 08:12:22 +0000

Holux has a brand new handheld GPS receiver which they just announced at CompuTex 2010. It is called GPSport 260 and it looks quite stylish compared their older GPSport 245 which we reviewed a while ago and liked quite a bit.

The new Holux GPSport 260 has a 1.5″ screen and can act a GPS data logger that can store up to 160K waypoints. The screen will show you real time statistics about your activity which can be stored and viewed in plot or track view.

There’s even the Follow Course feature which lets you plan a trip before you get on your way and can be reversed for the route back to your tent.

Definitely a spanking new feature with Holux GPSport 260 is the ability to create QR code image for coordinates which helps you share waypoints in a whole different way.

Some other features include 3D compass, barometric altimeter, pedometer, 1050mAh rechargeable that can last up to 20 hours. GPSport 260 is IPX 7 waterproof which means it can be under water for up to 30 minutes at one meter depth.

We look forward to reviewing this handheld GPS receiver from Holux.

Brought to you by your GPS navigation site NaviGadget.

Holux GPSport 260 handheld GPS receiver

GPS for military went down

Dave Rubert — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 07:27:52 +0000

According to Associated Press a lot of US military GPS receivers were useless for days because of a software compatibility issue. News report that the affected 10,000 receivers were not tested with this new software.

One program still in development was interrupted but no weapon systems already in use were grounded as a result of the problem, the Air Force said. The Air Force said some applications with the balky receivers suffered no problems from the temporary GPS loss.

All the receivers that were affected were made by Trimble according to military – but Trimble says they tested to software according to specs.

This happened back in January and all is well right now… via

Brought to you by your GPS navigation site NaviGadget.

GPS for military went down

GPS Tracking Cuts Joyriding Short

Justin — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 00:14:17 +0000

Vehicle theft used to be pretty simple. Break in, hotwire the engine, and joyride out of town. Keep the vehicle or sell it to make some quick cash. These days, however, would-be thieves may be in for a surprise if the vehicle they’ve stolen has a GPS vehicle tracking device installed.

Both large companies and individuals have wised up to the fact that GPS tracking can be the best possible investment when trying to protect vehicles from theft or misuse. By sending a signal from the GPS transmitter inside the vehicle to a home or office computer, the device provides constant monitoring capabilities and gives owners the knowledge they need to protect their fleet vehicles or privately owned cars and trucks.

How effective is GPS vehicle tracking for the average business? Take the case of Texas company Airtronics Air Conditioning and Heating. When a company vehicle turned up missing, employees simply had to follow the trail provided by the Rocky Mountain Tracking GPS vehicle tracking device installed earlier to lead authorities straight to the thief. The surprised driver was taken into custody and the $20,000 vehicle returned to Airtronics.

If even one $20,000 vehicle theft can be prevented over the course of a year, the investment made into GPS tracking will be well worth it. Even if no one tries to steal an expensive truck, though, GPS vehicle tracking can provide invaluable information such as employee activity on the clock, speed, driving habits such as leaving the car idling over a lunch break, and personal stops made on company time. They can also help businesses determine what routes their drivers take to and from each job with the goal of helping them drive the shortest distance to each job site, effectively saving thousands of dollars in fuel costs over time.

In today’s economy, GPS vehicle tracking can give businesses an edge over competitors by helping them shorten response time and arrive at client locations on time without calling for directions. Customers appreciate knowing that a business takes its responsibility seriously, and the positive experience gained with the help of GPS tracking could be enough to keep that customer for life.

On the other side of the coin, protecting vehicles from theft may be one of the best ways to save money over the long run for budget-conscious companies. Investing time and resources into GPS vehicle tracking capabilities for the company fleet may be the best decision a business can make during a time when economic responsibility must rule the day.

GPS Tracking Cuts Joyriding Short is a post from: GPS Obsessed

Performance of Duty with GPS Tracking

Justin — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 00:10:30 +0000

Day and night, police officers defend the public against threats to order, safety, and decency. Knowing that an officer routinely patrols your neighborhood or the streets around your workplace provides a sense of well-being and an assurance that someone watches and follows up on any suspicious activity taking place. But what if that officer sat in his car all night instead of monitoring his assigned route? What if he reported that he performed his duty, but in fact did not? And what if the body of your loved one went unnoticed and unreported because that police officer failed in the performance of his duty?

That’s exactly what happened to a family in Cleveland. When suspicions were aroused that two officers were not doing the work they reported, their superiors took a look at records from a GPS tracking device installed on their car. The device showed that not only did the officers remain stationary for most of their shift, but also that their response to a report of a body proved unsatisfactory. Their assessment of a woman’s body as a deer left a family without information for longer than necessary.

While most police cars have a GPS tracking device installed, not only departments use the information gained from those devices effectively. With the information received from the device, someone can monitor not only the location but also the speed and direction of each car on the road and can determine whether a car sits idle for too long or does not complete its assigned route. With this knowledge, department personnel can keep officers accountable to their superiors and to the taxpayers for performing the duties expected of them to keep citizens safe.

Many companies install a GPS tracking device in each fleet vehicle so that they can monitor their employees’ movements throughout the day as well as determine whether they operate vehicles efficiently. Idle time, speed and routes can all be monitored by the GPS tracking device and can make a difference in fuel consumption. Smart driving can save a company thousands of dollars each year in fuel costs over less efficient vehicle operation.

While most employees on the police force and in other job situations are honest workers, the few bad apples make GPS tracking a good idea for all employers. Even one mistake like the one made by the Cleveland police officers is cause for concern on the part of superiors and citizens. With GPS tracking, managers can make sure repeat incidents don’t occur and that employees are performing the jobs expected of them.

Performance of Duty with GPS Tracking is a post from: GPS Obsessed

Nikon geotagging with PhotoTrackr GPS

Tim Robbins — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 19:46:23 +0000

We’ve talked about GiSTEQ here before and their “Trackr”s. Well there’s a new one; specially for your Nikon DSLR camera. It is already out and it only costs $180.

The biggest difference from the older GP-1 is that PhotoTrackr does not rely on the hot shoe for power, but uses a rechargeable battery and attaches to the 10-pin connector. So you’re still free to use the hot shoe for a flash. Another advantage is that GiSTEQ’s PhotoTrackr can track 44 satellites at once to get you a position fix. There’s actually a pretty good comparison here.

What you do is connect GPS adapter to the camera and then your Nikon DSLR will receive GPS data from the GPS receiver and embed GPS info into the photo’s EXIF data. This data is transferred wirelessly to the camera via the Bluetooth connection… via

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Nikon geotagging with PhotoTrackr GPS