When you look at GPS tracking watches it would be hard to miss the Garmin Forerunner 205. That is for good reason, it is a popular choice, functions well and the prices have never been better.
Notable Features:
Unit Size (W x H x D) – 2.1 x 2.7 x .7 inches
Screen Size (W x H) – 1.3 x .8 inches
Weight – 2.7 oz.
Battery type – Rechargeable Lithium- Ion
Battery Life – approx. 10 hours
Water resistant – Yes (IPX7)
Heart rate monitor – No
Lap memory – Yes, 1000 laps
Waypoint memory – Yes, 100
Routes feature – Yes, 50 max
Warranty – One year
Our experience with this GPS tracking watch has been quite good. For starters it usually takes about 1 minute to acquire the satellites and begin operation. We have even found that it does a reasonably good job with satellites when indoors provided the room had windows, not that most would do this often. Outdoors we have found the accuracy to be excellent; the unit detects small movements of just a couple of feet. When the elapsed distance was checked against a known measured mile the accuracy was within about 15 feet.
Perhaps the biggest improvement from the previous 201 model is the size and ease of use. The 205 is a “watch” although it is certainly larger than a typical watch whereas the 201 was a more bulky unit strapped to your wrist, somewhat like an iPod. The wristband is also made of rubber so it should not acquire and retain the foul odor like the Velcro of the 201. In any case the rubber is certainly easier to clean. The navigation buttons are simple and seem intuitive, enough so, that use while running should quickly become almost automatic.
The computer software that you can download your GPS data to is really nice as well. You can display in chart format how fast you were going, position, elevation, etc. and it also can be displayed on a road map. The Forerunner 205 itself doesn’t have any mapping features built in so mapping on the fly is not possible, but being able to “replay” your run or trip is great, not to mention fun.
As with most GPS tracking watches instant readings may be a little slow in updating but this unit has good performance there as well. Obviously when satellites are obstructed by thick overhead trees, roofs, tall buildings etc, the performance will suffer and the signal can be dropped. Having said that, the sensitivity and signal strength of this unit is at least as good as any other GPS tracking watch we’ve used.
All in all most people should be quite satisfied with this unit provided that a heart rate monitor is not desired. With prices frequently discounted well below $200 the Forerunner 205 is a great choice for a GPS tracking watch.
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