for running?
GLONASS ~ Russian
version of GPS
If people want to
use it just for hiking, I guess a reasonable battery capacity and built-in
heart rate sensor would be enough. Some
of recent models can support GLONASS, which is Russian version of GPS, other
than GPS. In a reality, as long as a
device supports GPS, then I do not believe we have issues. All GPS devices currently I own, I have never
seen any problem at all. So, in my
opinion, I do not think this is a big factor to select a GPS device. It is just nice to have it.
Other sport usage?
Just thinking
about other sport usage, I guess it might be different selection depending on
people do other sports, especially, if people want to use it for swimming /
triathlon, the selection would be limited from Gamrin product line. Any model does not support the built-in heart
rate sensor during swimming. But those
models which support swimming would be able to monitor the heart rate with a
special chest strap based heart rate sensors.
The models which can support the special heart rate sensor would be
Forerunner 735XT and Fenix 3 HR.
Vivoactive HR also can support swimming, but the function is very
limited. I do not swim much, therefore,
I do not have much idea in detail for swimming.
The other major
sport is running. If people just want
to log where they run, then any model would be all right. There is a nice feature that people can
download a custom training menu from Garmin Connect website in some
models. Also, some of models can
estimate VOmax, Lactic threshold and capture some additional running dynamics
and etc. My current device, which is
Forerunner 910XT, only have a feature to download the custom training
menu. The rest of the advanced features
are not supported.
If people are
interested in following the training plan on Garmin Connect, the feature to
download the menu is really convenient.
The device can provide the instruction and manage the time / heart
rate. Once people get used to do, it is
really nice feature. If people are not
interested in the training plan or put a custom training to the device, it
probably does not really matter.
Forerunner 35 / 235 only can support a simple interval training on the
device. I think it is probably all right
for most of people.
The rest of
features are probably nice to have.
People can estimate VOmax with Cooper testing (12 minutes running). Based on the distance people can run, people
can tell their VOmax value from a chart.
To estimate lactic threshold is a bit harder, people might need to take
a test or guess from their training data.
In my case, I really like to get extra data to analyze them to
understand my fitness in different angles.
For Golf
Fenix 3 HR and
vivoactive HR supports a function for golf.
They can get course data to the device and find out the distance from
the ball location to the green. I do not
play golf a lot and I am not really interested in the feature. But it seems to be a convenient feature for golf
lovers.
For outdoor sports
Fenix 3 HR and
vivoactive HR has many outdoor related features. They are probably nice to have, but I do not
believe they are really necessary. The
pressure based altitude meter and compass are convenient, but I really do not
really care if a devise have a feature or not.
I may carry them independently if I really need. They are just nice to have.
The rest ….
The rest of
features are probably dimension, weight, price and outlook. They are really
depending on each person. Everybody has
different expectation / taste and it is hard to say what would be a good
one. Just a personal opinion, Fenix 3 HR
looks nice like a regular watch. On the
other hand, it is big / bulky and some people feel it might be too big. In my case, I have been using Forerunner
910XT for a while, it is a big and I really do not feel like too big. The other concern could be it is a bit
expensive. Regarding the dimension,
Forerunner 35 is a small one, but the other one could be a similar size
especially the display. Fenix 3 HR is
more than 80g which is almost double of Forerunner 235 / 735XT. It really depends how people think / feel
about the dimension / weight.
For me, I am getting
old and a big display help me that it is easy to read ….. This is another good thing for a big display.
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