Latest Reviews
 |  | | Posted: 26/07/11 | | 'A REASONABLE GPS, HRM AND SPORTS WATCH COMBINED, BUT... ' | | Strengths:
Decent display size and fonts.
Wireless upload to the PC with ANT+.
Less geeky looking than the 305.
Smaller than the forerunner 305.
| | Weaknesses:
Many people on the Garmin forum have reported problems, particularly with the version 2,7 firmware.
No facility to bulk erase workouts. Have to erase them one by one or reset the watch to factory settings .
Possibly shorter battery life than ForeRunner 305. | | Overall:
I got my Forerunner 405 to replace my 305 when the chest strap went belly up.
I found the 405's bezel-based menu system a bit tricky to get used to but then again I also found the multi-button system on the 305 a bit of a faff.
On my first few runs with it I still took the 305 too in case I made a mess of the settings for the new watch.
I'm not always convinced about the accuracy of the GPS on the 405. When I first used it, I'd tend to set off as soon as it switched to the training screen, indicating that it had acquired the satellites. Whenever I did that, the training data would often have quite large positional errors - of the order of tens of metres. I noticed that as my run progressed, these errors wold tend to reduce until they were close to zero as to make no difference. Now, I monitor the satellite display ujntil the device clearly shows an acceptible level of accuracy.
I should also point out that the Garmin forums are alive with people complaining that the v2.7 firmware has screwed their watch. Unfortunately, Garmin have been tight lipped about shipping any upgrade or indeed downgrade. A thing that will no doubt have tarnished their reputation in the eyes of many.
I'm perfectly happy with mine, even with the V2.7 firmware. However, having witnessed Garmin's silence on the issue, I'd have to say that I wouldn't be able to recommend the product until they have laid these these issues to rest.
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| | | | Set-Up | | 80% | | Functionality | | 80% | | Accuracy | | 60% | | Features | | 80% | | Value | | 80% |
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