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Garmin Forerunner 110
by mcfcdave12
Last year I decided that I needed to get fit. At the time my son was 6 months old and I realised that when the time came and he was older I just wouldn't be able to keep up with him in the state I was. My friend asked me to go running with him. I enjoyed it and decided I wanted something to track my runs. There are a few apps for phones ... that use GPS but I wanted something lightweight rather than carrying my phone around with me.
I did some searching online and found the Garmin Forerunner 110. It was on www.chainreactioncycles.com for £97.99, cheaper than anywhere else. Unfortunately it is now priced £125.99 on the same site so I got a good deal. After ordering my GPS enabled watch arrived in no time.
The watch I ordered is the unisex model. It is mainly black with a grey stripe around the face and down the straps. It comes with an AC wall charger that has a USB lead that can be disconnected and an instruction manual that is very easy to follow.
The first task is to charge the watch. The charger is like a crocodile clip with four prongs on one side. The prongs locate into four contacts on the watch itself. I let mine charge overnight to make sure it was fully charged but the manual doesn't actually set a time limit.
When you come to use the watch for the first time you have to configure it to your personal settings. You can configure your age, height (cm's) and weight (kg's). Pace or speed and if you want your run to be measured in KM or miles. I chose KM because I find it better psychologically.
Once configured you are ready to hit the road. The watch has four button. It has light. Which is very good. It glows blue and is very bright so you can see everything when it is dark. Secondly the page/menu button. When you press this button a message will show on screen saying locating satellites. It shows an empty bar that fills black as they are located. Sometimes this can take a while, especially if you are stood about waiting. It is best to keep moving around as that seems to make it locate quicker. Press this button a second time without it locating and you will be asked 'use indoors'. If you say yes it will operate as a stopwatch alone. Next buttons are self explanatory. Start/stop and lap/reset.
Whilst running the watch will locate you using GPS and track your run. It records the distance covered, time, average pace, elevation (hills) and calories burned. After your run you can upload the data onto Garmin connect, a website especially for recording your runs and looking at other peoples data from all around the world. This was the feature that drew me to the watch in the first place. Here is an example of one of my runs, I love how much detail it provides because it is excellent for recording your progress as a runner. http://connect.garmin.com/activity/27700​6798
Uploading the data is simple. Connect the charger to the watch and plug the USB into your computer. Although the watch charged fine, at first I had trouble getting my computer to locate the watch. The prongs wouldn't locate in the connections at first but after a few attempts you get the knack of it and it is straight forward.
Below is the specifications for the watch itself:
Physical & Performance:
* Unit dimensions, WxHxD: 1.8" x 2.7" x 0.6" (4.5 x 6.9 x 1.4 cm)
* Display size, WxH: 1.0" x 1.0" (2.5 x 2.5 cm) diameter
* Display resolution, WxH: 52 x 30 pixels
* Weight: 1.8 oz (52 g)
* Battery: rechargeable lithium-ion
* Battery life: 3 weeks in power save mode; 8 hours in training mode
* Water resistant: yes (IPX7)
* GPS-enabled: yes
* High-sensitivity receiver: yes
* RoHS version available: yes
I have been exteremely happy with the watch since I've had it and can honestly say it has been money well spent but will finish with one very slight problem I have found. If you are running in the rain the watch seems to get condensation inside the screen. Not a major problem for me because I live in sunny Manchester but if you are checking stats half way around a course you may have trouble seeing it. This problem does seem to stop however if you have a long sleeve top on and make sure your sleeve is pulled down over the watch.
I would definitely recommend this watch to anybody that wants to record their sessions. I find it accurate and reliable. You can also purchase a heart rate monitor to connect with the watch. I have bought one for around £30 that is basically a strap that fits around your rib cage just under your chest. I find it uncomfortable though so don't use it anymore. There was also a couple of occasions when it didn't register which I was disappointed with, although I will point out mine isn't the Garmin monitor you can purchase as a package with the watch.
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TomTom One Europe 22
by topsyturvy
I have been using my friends TomTomOne when I have needed to use a sat nav and have to say, this is a really good model. I used to have a Binatone sat nav but this one is by TomTom which of course are the most well known brand for this type of device. The one I have is the Europe one which suits me fine as I drive abroad sometimes for ... leisure. The device is very easy to use and charges through the cigarette lighter in my car so I don't have to worry about charging it up as it can be plugged in right away. The cable is a good length on it so that you are not struggling about where to stick it on the window.
APPEARANCE
This sat nav is very compact when folded up, the small screen is big enough to see and the TomTom logo is displayed on the front. The model number etc. is one the base and it has a nice silver frame around the front. Now, the power button is on the top which you don't need to press too hard on to get the screen to go on. Once it is on, the colour is very bright on the screen so that you can see what you need, mine has been set with the time so it is always right, the screen is easy to tap though to work out routes and I haven't had any real problems with it, it all folds up easily and you can adjust it to fit onto your window.
TOMTOM ONE EUROPE
So, to begin with once I take this out of the box, I just lift the ring and twist it so the sat nav is in an easy to view position, the suction I just wet slightly so that it sticks on my window properly and then it should all be in place. The suction is great on this and through all of my journeys, I have never had any real problems as it just seems to stick down strong once it is on the window. Once the TomTom is powered up, it usually goes back to where it was last turned off but to get to the main menu is very easy to do. The icons are all straightforward so that you know where to click and I never have any problems.
You can alter routes to make sure it goes where you need it to, you can also search by address and then it narrows down to either by street name, postcode or city centre. You can set your home address to the 'home' location and then help options are available too if you get lost. Preferences: this shows night time screens if you need this or points of interest on the map, you can also turn the sound off and there are safety preferences which are to suggest breaks etc. You can also change the notification sounds, some can be quite loud but volume can be adjusted by touching the screen, also it is easy to see speed limits.
I think this is loud enough when on and the voice is very clear to understand, I have a woman voice on this and it always gives updates before you need to turn off and miles to turn off are all very clearly displayed and the red lines are bold to show you the route so you can see what direction you need to move in. I find it helpful also as when you get to a junction bright green arrows flash up to show you which lanes you need to be in so it really is very good. Another thing I like about this sat nav is the fact that it loads very quickly, unlike some I've had, as soon as I enter a postcode it connects instantly and loads up the street name.
It also keeps a record of recent destinations and favourites and you can zoom in and find alternative routes if you wish to do so and pick the quickest route option. I usually find that it is very accurate with the time it gives for getting to a destination and also how long it will take, it is clear to see how many miles you have left and then it will also say in the top corner what road you will be joining onto. The battery lasts a good while on this but when I'm driving, I constantly have this plugged in anyway so it has never cut out on me. The maps are also easy to view and I like the display on these, colourful but clear.
Overall, I couldn't be more impressed by this TomTom One sat nav, it has gotten me to everywhere I need to be on time and with ease, I have thankfully never had any complications and always find it easy to follow so that I have never made a wrong turn, it works well for me and is much better than others I have used. The cables don't get in the way and it sticks easily to the window and I hardly notice it is there apart from when it mentions a turn off so in that sense it is great. It is a nice size, quite small also so it is really ideal and I will always buy a TomTom now over any other brand.
COST
This sat nav can be purchased from Amazon or eBay where you can get a few deals, Amazon have it on sale for £59 which isn't too bad for quality like this.
The official TomTom website is http://www.tomtom.com/en_gb/.
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TomTom Go 1000 Live
by NotMyToothbrush
I have always considered TomTom Sat Navs as more expensive and luxury products, this particular Sat Nav is no exception. At around £150 this is not a Sat Nav for somebody who will only use it occasionally but you do get a lot of nice additional features over the cheaper brands by paying this.
I bought this online so was ... pleased when it came well packaged inside of its square cardboard box. The box had cardboard inserts to hold everything (The Sat Nav, the charger, the instructions etc...) in place firmly and prevent damage in transit. I only mention this as, when it is not in the car, I have found it very useful to store the Sat Nav in this box with all of this packaging as it helps to keep everything together. I is not the best idea to keep Sat Navs in the car.
My first impressions of the Sat Nav were regarding its size and shape. I was pleasantly surprised with how slim it actually was, at around 2cm thick, it is very sleek and easy to handle. Being slim does not affect the screen size however, at 4.3" this large screen makes using it whilst driving very easy, being widescreen means that more can be on the screen at once without making the interface look cluttered too. When driving, being able to see more surrounding roads because of this large screen can come in very handy, especially around cities. The Sat Nav feels very well made, it feels a little weighty but this isn't necessarily a bad thing - the extra weight makes it feel solid and of high quality. The plastic outer casing is strong and resistant to scratching anyway but if kept in either the box which I mentioned earlier or the case which comes with the Sat Nav, you shouldn't have that trouble ever anyway.
This Sat Nav also seems to like magnets. Attaching the Sat Nav to the windscreen clamp is done magnetically which makes it very easy to attach it after entering destinations. The charging cable also has a magnetic clasp (Much like the Apple 's MagSafe power cables) to make attaching the power cable easier - however to be honest I have never really had trouble doing this magnet-less.
The interface is very similar to many other TomTom Sat Navs. Everything is laid out very well and it takes just a minute or two get have everything input from the moment it is switched on. I found the menus easy to navigate and the suggestions for destinations good. It will automatically fetch the most popular destinations as well as recent destinations in the general area when you search as well as further results - making input very easy. The TomTom also features a voice recognition feature for inputting destinations however I found this very temperamental, it often misheard my voice and it ended up being faster to manually enter destinations so I stopped using it.
The screen is bright, it refreshes frequently and has a good resolution; all of these features makes using it whilst driving very easy and you will rarely have any issues following the directions it gives especially if you enable the voice directions which are loud and clear. My main concern about the driving interface is on motorways; when on a motorway it will merely show an almost static image of the lanes and upcoming junction, this is very useful in knowing where you should be before you turn off or before the motorway ends, however it often doesn't recognise if you have gone onto the slip road and this screen will remain on. I have been in many situations where there is a junction on the slip road a short time after I have entered it but do not have a clue where to go as the Sat Nav is still displaying the lanes for the motorway.
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