Is the Garmin Forerunner 205 a Good Value? Where Can You Get a Great Deal on this GPS Watch?

Forerunner 205 and Forerunner 305 were introduced by Garmin in 2006 as a huge improvement over the Forerunner 201 and Forerunner 301 respectively. Forerunner 205 collects data for speed, distance, time, pace and calories burned during a training session and permit the user to monitor and analyze their training and performance in a very convenient manner. It retains other features such as Auto Lap and Auto Pause of the previous version.

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A major improvement in Forerunner 205 over the Forerunner 201 is that the new design allows the antenna to face the sky while running. Due to this and a much more sensitive SiRFstar III GPS receiver, there is a much improved signal reception from the satellite which enables the GPS to remain locked to the satellites when you are under thick trees or around tall buildings or even indoors.

Forerunner 205 has a much improved overall look and feel. The device is less bulky and more convenient to wear on the wrist. The buttons are placed on the sides and on the face of the watch in a much more convenient manner.

The screen now has a higher resolution and is clearer than its predecessor. Another big improvement is in menu design. The new drop down boxes is more intuitive and easier to access.

The highlight of the Forerunner 205 is actually the variety of data it collects and displays, including lap time, lap distance, average pace, average speed, calories burned, total time spent running etc. You can customize the three main data screens displaying up to twelve different data types virtually the way you want. This allows you to view the desired information on the run. Multi sports capability allows you to transition seamlessly between running, biking and another sport, all in the same workout.

The Virtual Partner feature has been retained from the previous version. A smart addition is the "courses" feature that lets you store your previous runs and compete against them. So now you can run against your best performance of the previous week. It also reflects the change in pace in your real running path because of an uphill or a downhill stretch, instead of using a hard set target of one uniform pace. Multi sports capability allows you to transition seamlessly between running, biking and another sport, all in the same workout.

The workout feature allows you to set a complicated workout program, with different intervals and intensity levels. The Garmin Training Center software, MotionBased.com and TrainingPeaks.com remain there for analysis of data with graphs and charts.

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