NEW YORK, Feb 21 ― With heart rate monitoring, location tracking and smartphone connectivity, the Fenix 2 might just stand a sporting chance of winning athletes over.
Unlike Garmin’s first attempt at a smart watch, the Fenix, the Fenix 2 is more than simply a glorified GPS tracker.
Like its predecessor, the new timepiece is rugged, water resistant, and aimed at those who are more at home taming the outdoors than an unruly piece of consumer electronics, but it has also taken note of the quickly emerging competition in the wearable technology and quantified-self space and upped its game considerably.
At its heart it is still a location-tracking device, but now its GPS features can be used to monitor distance, time and pace, so great for runners, but it can also measure in three dimensions ― ie, upward and downward movement ― and Garmin has used these abilities to create specific features and modes for skiing, swimming, hiking and climbing too.
To check vitals as well as performance, the watch pairs with an HRM-Run heart-rate monitor (sold separately) which, when connected, enables the watch to also track cadence, vertical oscillation and ground contact time when running, for example.
Other neat touches include being able to program a course ― whether it is for running, hiking, climbing or skiing ― directly via the watch and then use the watch to mark points of interest or base camps and leave a breadcrumb trail of location markers in order to get back safely.
Fenix 2 will be available to purchase in March 2014 with a suggested retail price of US$399.99 (RM1, 316), rising to US$449.99 (RM1, 547) with the HRM-Run heart rate monitor bundled in. ― AFP-Relaxnews
