Garmin's new Fenix 2 GPS Watch

[Good Times]

As a former Garmin "abuser" of their products I have to say I have always been impressed with their ease of use and simplicity on the form factor from watches to mobile gps navigation units. The latest update to their Fenix GPS watch will be hitting the market (march 2014) and I am definitely wow'd by it.

http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/19g8ub0huym3ljpg/ku-xlarge.jpg

Having used the old school Garmin Forerunner while training for those retardedly long runs I was definitely wow'd by all of the features it came with (keep in mind this was years and years ago!). Now Garmin has stepped up and created a "fancy" but robust watch that does it all and then some.

Some notable features that I thought that was cool:


Ability to receive/send text/emails/calls via wireless interface (iPhone or any other smartphone device)
heartrate monitor with all of the latest data points (vo2max, hr, pace, distance etc) - really cool
uploads to garmin connect/basecamp to share location!
the usual gps tech stuff (baro, alt, comp)


Mike I know you have the old Suunto watch which is probably similar to this one but what are you thoughts on this new bad boy? I wouldn't mind a cool watch like this but I already have one (less gps) on a casino pathfinder series watch.

One day.. :)

[4x4mike]

I've got the Suunto Core Black. It's got temp, baro, alt, compass, etc. I like it a lot and it's fun to use.

I've also got a Garmin Edge 305 and an Edge 500. I use the 500 almost everyday. Heck I can't do a hike or even go ice skating with the kids and not fire it up. (Link: http://www.strava.com/activities/95930489 ) If I don't have it I use my Strava app. I use Garmin connect and Strava but prefer Strava. All my friends and racemates use it and it's fun and competitive. I also prefer my Garmins because I use a HR strap, cadence and speed sensor.

The new watch looks really nice. They have worked touch screens and bluetooth into some of their products now which is nice. I imagine the send text thing will be similar to the Spot Connect which works the same way. Time will tell if it actually works worth a darn, if I had to bet I'd say not so much. As it is the Connect gets so-so reviews, sucks battery and it's a dedicated transmitter. My Garmin 305 only has a 10 hour battery which isn't enough for a full day ride. It's battery is also twice the size of the watch above so I'm interested in the the power functions otherwise it won't be very practical.

I use my Garmin primarily on my bikes so a watch wouldn't be very useful. My Garmin has 5 pages of up to 8 functions, each page, and having it all on the bar with easy to use buttons is a plus. I have a wrist band for it and use that for hikes or stuff off the bike. The watch would be perfect for things like a triathon. I know several recent Ironman finishers that swam with their Garmin in a ziplock in their wetsuits.

I expect the price to be high but it probably should be. If you use it a lot I think it would be worth it but like all similar products with daily use you'd have to charge it every couple of days. It's also probably a little bulky and heavier than a regular wrist watch.