Īnnounced in May 2016, the Forerunner 735XT is a triathlon-ready Garmin watch with integrated optical heart rate monitor.
Īnnounced in May 2015, the Forerunner 225 is the first Garmin watch with an integrated optical heart rate monitor.
Additionally, battery life over the 910XT was improved, daily activity tracking, GLONASS support and a swim drill mode added, and the 920XT is the first Garmin watch extensible with custom apps built using the Garmin Connect IQ software development kit. The 920XT is the successor of the 910XT, featuring all the capabilities of it (except ANT+ scale and fitness equipment capability) and adding features found in the 620 such as a color screen, Wi-Fi data transfers and running dynamics. The 15 is a development of the 10, adding activity tracking, increased battery life, footpod and heart rate monitor capability. In 2014, the Forerunner 15 and 920XT were introduced. They are also fully waterproof, but do not include any kind of swimming mode. These watches also abandon syncing via the ANT+ protocol in favor of wired (USB) and Wi-Fi (620 only) data transfers.
Ī further addition to the series was the Forerunner 10, a simple watch offering just GPS tracking of activities and run metrics like distance, pace and calories burned.Īt the end of 2013 the Forerunner 220 and 620 were introduced, with color screens, Bluetooth Low energy (BTLE allowing connections to some smartphones), and, for the 620 only, a touchscreen, Wi-Fi (allowing automatic activity download) and enhanced "running dynamics" given by an updated Heart rate monitor. This allowed it to automatically count pool lengths and to recognize swimming styles. New features are the inclusion of the SiRFStar iv chipset, a barometric altimeter, and improved swimming metrics using an accelerometer in the watch. This version was originally supposed to be released in Q4 of 2011, but the November date had slipped and it was eventually released in Q1 of 2012. In 2012 the Forerunner 910XT was introduced, which is a development of the 310XT. It features a touch sensitive screen as well as vibration alerts. The Forerunner 610 was released in the spring of 2011. It was touted as providing "unmatched reliability in sweaty, rainy conditions." The releases included the addition of a touch-sensitive bezel on the 410, presumably, although heavily debated, allowing for easier scrolling and selection of functions. In 2010, the Forerunner 110, 210 and 410 were introduced.
In 2010 a firmware update added vastly improved open-water swimming metrics.
The 310XT was also the first watch of the Forerunner series to be waterproof, thus allowing its use for swimming and on all legs of a Triathlon, also thanks to an extended battery life. The new calorie consumption modeling in these devices was the result of Garmin's first collaboration with Finnish physiological analytics firm Firstbeat. New features included additional battery life and vibration alerts on the 310XT and advanced calorie consumption modeling on all watches. In 2009, Garmin produced three new models: the Forerunner 60 (an evolution of the Forerunner 50), the Forerunner 405CX (405 chassis), and the Forerunner 310XT (an evolution of the 305 chassis). The 405 also featured improved satellite discovery and connection. The Forerunner 405 was introduced in 2008 and is significantly smaller than its predecessors, only slightly outsizing a typical wristwatch. This feature has since become a staple of Garmin's more full-featured sport watches. The Forerunner 50 also came packaged with a USB stick that allowed training data to be transferred wirelessly to one's pc.
As opposed to GPS, this model paired with a foot pod to measure displacement. In late 2007, the Forerunner 50 was introduced. These models are smaller than the first generation and feature a more sensitive SiRFstarIII GPS receiver chip. In 2006, the improved 205 and 305 appeared. Garmin registered the name "Forerunner" with the United States Patent and Trademark Office in August 2001 but released the first watches - the 101, 201, and 301 - in 2003. All models except the 101 include a way to upload training data to a personal computer and training software.