Garmin International Inc., a unit of Garmin Ltd., the global leader in satellite navigation, announced the Forerunner 310XT – the waterproof multi-sport solution in Garmin’s popular line of GPS-enabled fitness devices.
Boasting up to 20 hours of battery life and a sleek, comfortable design, the Forerunner 310XT was announced in preparation for world-class marathons in Paris and Boston, where it will be on display at Garmin booths in each location. The Forerunner 310XT will be sold on its own or packaged with a new waterproof, soft-strap heart rate monitor, which will be more comfortable than previous models and is expected to be available during summer 2009.
“The waterproof Forerunner 310XT is the evolution of the iconic Forerunner 305, building off of what users love and introducing key benefits they’ve requested,” said Dan Bartel, Garmin’s vice president of worldwide sales. “By adding unmatched wireless connectivity, up to 20 hours of battery life and a more comfortable build, Forerunner 310XT will bring Garmin’s leading GPS technology to more athletes and events than ever imagined.”
During and after the workout, Forerunner 310XT blends the best wireless connectivity of all of its predecessors in the Garmin fitness family, syncing wirelessly through ANT+™ technology with Garmin heart rate monitors and foot pods, compatible third-party fitness equipment and power meters and the user’s PC or Mac for automatic data download.
The swimmable Forerunner 310XT is waterproof to a depth of 50 meters, so you can wear it in the pool or the lake to time your swim. And its slim design, simple interface and flexible wristband mean Forerunner is easy to wear in any conditions. When you’re ready to jump out of the water and onto the bike, Forerunner 310XT moves easily from wrist to bike with the optional quick release and bike mounts, making the transition between sports effortless. Forerunner 310XT categorizes multisport activities in one workout and can also log transition time in the process, so you can analyze your performance from start to finish. And the extended battery life – up to 20 hours – means that endurance athletes can push themselves farther than ever.
Positioned around the large, vivid display, intuitive buttons provide a simple interface without sacrificing space on the customizable data screens. And even in the loudest gym or largest crowd, users won’t miss their milestones as Forerunner 310XT’s audible signals and/or vibration alerts tell them when they’ve reached integral parts of their race or workout.
Garmin is also announcing a new waterproof, soft-strap heart rate monitor that is streamlined and more comfortable than ever, yet rugged enough to withstand swimming. Though heart rate data does not transmit while underwater, this new waterproof strap means that triathletes can plan ahead by wearing the strap under a wetsuit, shaving crucial seconds off their transition time. The new soft-strap monitor is expected to be available during summer 2009.
For out-of-water activities, Forerunner 310XT tracks speed, distance and location accurately and effortlessly, and users benefit from the precision of heart rate-based calorie computation. Runners and cyclists can adjust the pace and speed of their Virtual Partner without stopping in the middle of a workout, and the Virtual Partner is always on and ready for a challenge.
The waterproof Forerunner 310XT can be used outdoors or indoors (with an optional, streamlined foot pod that can fit on laces or under certain shoes’ insoles), making it the ultimate year-round, all-weather training tool. And the high-sensitivity GPS receiver with HotFix™ quickly acquires and sustains satellite reception, whether you’re tackling a wooded trail or jogging through the urban canyons of skyscrapers. An optional speed/cadence bike sensor helps cyclists monitor their pedaling cadence and wheel speed.
Once the workout is done, the training is far from over. Using ANT+ technology, the Forerunner 310XT sends workout data to the user’s PC or Mac via automatic wireless data transfer. There’s no need to take off the watch or bother with cables as the computer automatically syncs with the Forerunner 310XT once it’s in close proximity. And the data transfer is a two-way street. Runners, joggers, cyclists and hikers can send courses, goals and workouts to their Forerunner 310XT 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 ConnectSM — Garmin’s online training site.
The wireless features of Forerunner 310XT are enabled by ANT+ personal area network technology. ANT+ is a leading wireless interface protocol enabling ultra low power applications like fitness monitors. ANT+ offers all the benefits of digital wireless communications with much lower power consumption than other wireless protocols.
The Forerunner 310XT is the latest breakthrough from Garmin, which has spent 20 years using technology and innovation to enhance users’ lives, making Garmin a household name in the automotive, aviation, marine, wireless, outdoor and fitness industries. To learn more about the Forerunner 310XT and Garmin’s other products and services, go to www.garmin.com and www.garmin.blogs.com.
Specs
Physical & Performance: |
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| Unit dimensions, WxHxD: | 2.1″ x 2.2″ x 0.8″ (5.4 x 5.6 x 1.9 cm) |
| Display size, WxH: | 1.3″ x 0.8″ (3.3 x 2.0 cm) |
| Display resolution, WxH: | 160 x 100 pixels |
| Weight: | 2.5 oz (72 g) |
| Battery: | rechargeable lithium-ion |
| Battery life: | 20 hours, typical |
| Water resistant: | yes (50m) |
| GPS-enabled: | yes |
| High-sensitivity receiver: | yes |
| RoHS version available: | yes |
Maps & Memory: |
|
| Basemap: | no |
| Ability to add maps: | no |
| Accepts data cards: | no |
| Lap history: | 1000 laps |
| Waypoints/favorites/locations: | 100 |
| Routes: | 0 |
Features: |
|
| Heart rate monitor: | yes (optional) |
| Bike speed/cadence sensor: | yes (optional) |
| Foot pod: | yes (optional) |
| Automatic sync (automatically transfers data to your computer): | yes |
| Garmin Connect™ compatible (online community where you analyze, categorize and share data): | yes |
| Garmin Training Center® software compatible: | yes |
| Virtual Partner® (train against a digital person): | yes |
| Courses (compete against previous workouts): | yes |
| Auto Pause® (pauses and resumes timer based on speed): | yes |
| Auto Lap® (automatically starts a new lap): | yes |
| Auto Scroll (cycles through data pages during workout): | yes |
| Multi-sport (changes sport mode with a press of a button): | yes |
| Advanced workouts (create custom, goal-oriented workouts): | yes |
| Simple workouts (input time, distance and calorie goals): | no |
| Pace alert (triggers alarm if you vary from preset pace): | yes |
| Time/distance alert (triggers alarm when you reach goal): | yes |
| Interval training (set up exercise and rest intervals): | yes |
| Heart rate-based calorie computation: | yes |
| Customizable screen(s): | yes |
| Barometric altimeter: | no |
| Unit-to-unit transfer (shares data wirelessly with similar units): | no |
| Power meter compatible (displays power data from compatible 3rd party ANT+™-enabled power meters): | yes |
| Sport watch: | no |
| Additional: | Garmin Connect and Garmin Training Center are compatible with Windows® 2000 or later and Intel-based Mac running OS 10.4 or later with Safari. |
Source: Press Release