Garmin has been at this running - vigil thing for a while . Most recently , the Forerunner 10 was the companionship ’s best attempt at a childlike , easy - to - read picket , but , for all that , it still was n’t as elementary to utilise as it ought to have been . participate the Forerunner 220 . It ’s the 10 ’s young , smarter , better - looking , more sophisticated chum , and it ’s well worth some wrist blank .
What Is It?
It ’s a Global Positioning System - enabled running watch with a lovely , color screen . It can exercise outdoors or inside on a tread-wheel , thanks to the built - in accelerometer . It can also pair with your sound and/or heart rate monitoring gadget ( via Bluetooth and/or ANT+ ) . Again , it ’s a watch made specifically for running play , so if you do n’t run you could pretty much stop read right here .
Why Does It Matter?
track down watches have long been strain to be 1 ) Better - looking , 2 ) Easier to read , and 3 ) Simpler to expend . The Forerunner 220 makes great strides toward all of these goals , but it does n’t skimp on powerful features , such as bass integration with grooming program and tracking your cadence .
Design
Not to be superficial , but just look at that purty face ! The Forerunner 220 ( and its big brother the 620 ) are the first Global Positioning System watch with color screens . Garmin ’s one - in Chroma display — which draw very little power — is extremely sluttish to read in broad day . No , the covert is n’t as sharp as the Galaxy Gear , but that apply a whole dissimilar show technology , and it will only get you a few day on a bursting charge . The 220 will last for weeks in stand - by mode ( i.e. with GPS off ) , and it ’s good - search enough to be your everyday picket .
On the left side of the watch are three buttons . The top flips the backlight on and off . Below it are up and down buttons for scroll through menus . On the upper right side of the watch is the Run button , which essentially unlocks the phone , select menu token , and launches you into your run . Below it is a back clit . The ripe word is that this combination of buttons makes this watch the easiest to sail of any Garmin watch that I ’ve ever used .
On the back of the watch is a stemma of four small , metal dots , which is where the 220 connects with Garmin ’s proprietary ( and slenderly awkward ) charging cable . Yes , we really wish they ’d just move to micro USB , but this is likely how they keep the lookout waterproof to 50 meters . Other than that , the back is flat and quite smooth . The rubber set it come with is thick enough to keep the sentry steady , but it is n’t unsightly , and it ’s nicely vented throughout .
Using It
If you just need to go for a plain old runnel , merely hit the Run release three times , and you ’re off . Super true - forward . planet acquisition is lightning tight — in fact , it ’s faster than any Global Positioning System watch I ’ve ever tested — just a few seconds most of the time . Once you ’re run you’re able to pause , take up , and scroll through two different screens of data . Do n’t see the stat you ’re await for ? Simply go into the setting and decide where you want it to go . For example , your running cadence does n’t expose by default , but it ’s something I care a lot about , so I adjusted my 2nd data point screen so it would display as I go .
In fact , when you dive down into the setting , there are a gross ton of options at your disposal . you may enable auto - break , so when you ’re stopped at in overlap your timer will cease until you summarize ( though this is n’t as important for something that ’s on your wrist and easily accessible ) . you could pair with different center rate monitors . you could even exchange the topic color , if you so desire .
Where the 220 really starts to surpass , though , is when it do to breeding . The watch is nicely set up for interval breeding . you’re able to set the time or distance for each time interval , the amount of rest in between , and how many rep you want to do all from the scout itself . Again , the intuitive button layout really helps to make this process prosperous . But if you require to get more modern , you’re able to signal in at Garmin ’s website , and produce a elaborate training program , including specific exercise routines , and even a calendar feature to help you get ready for a big race . All of this data can then be transfer to the watch , so it ’s easy to select the ordained workout for the day , or just pick an time interval routine you put up in advance . Not only does the watch beep different feeling to permit you fuck what to do , but the watch has a vibrate motor , so even if you have phone on , you ’ll probably feel the buzz when it ’s prison term for your next time interval .
Speaking of the app , because the watch has Bluetooth , you may pair it with your phone to upload your workouts to your Garmin bill right away without need to worry about plugging the watch into your computer . And , if you keep your speech sound on you while you run , you may even let selected friends cut across you during your run . There has been a raft of anger from Android substance abuser , because the watch currently only works with iOS , but right word : Tomorrow , Garmin will be releasing an update Android app which will let for pairing , as long as your phone supports BLE ( Bluetooth 4.0 ’s low-pitched power protocol ) . The watch also sleep with your personal best times , and will update you when you ’ve bust one of your own records ( fastest naut mi , fastest 5 K , etc ) .
Once everything is synchronise up , you could view your runs in great point either in the telephone app or on the website . There are ready to hand graph and leaning of stats that encompass the important hooey and are very loose to understand . If you ’re phone free , you may even view a fair amount of stats on the watch itself , but you wo n’t be getting any pretty chart , etc . If you favor to track your runs through another arrangement such as Endomondo , it ’s loose enough to export your information over to it , though some things can get a little wonky . For object lesson , cadence in Garmin ’s system logs every step , but Endomondo cuts that number in half , so it look every two steps . Not such a big mess .
Like
The screen is extremely comfortable to read . I ’m not sure that the colors really facilitate that much , but it ’s a skillful effect at the very least . The backlighting is perfectly even , making it easy to study at nighttime . The deep integration with the personalized calendars is very nice . The vibrating motor makes separation run direction easier , especially if you care to heed to medicine as you run . Being capable to synchronize with your telephone set to ward off wires as much as possible is very nice . The scout will give you a very solid 10 hours of GPS - tracking / running play metre before it call for a charge , and it will last calendar week on understudy .
It ’s also just a pretty comfortable scout . It does n’t feel bulky or heavy , the shoulder strap breathes pretty well , and it ’s pretty good looking . The buttons are very easy to find oneself , and they have a satisfying click to them . It ’s also rainproof to 50 meters , which is uncommon for a functional watch . Last but not least , the watch is very precise . The GPS racecourse laid down match the actual path I followed almost dead . Also , I lie with that this watch can tail your meter . It ’s such a decisive factor in healthy running , and the watch tracks it very reliably . If you want it to be even more honest you’re able to pair the spotter with a metrical foot pod sensor for even better answer ( but for most of us , the sentry is plenty exact ) . It ’s also nice that the sentry pairs with HRMs , so you’re able to do “ zone training ” based on your effort level , and you get a better estimate of your caloric tan , too .
No Like
While Garmin has undeniably made cracking pace when it comes to intuitiveness , there is still some work go out to be done in term of the UI . For representative , it ’s great that I can create a particular physical exertion online ( where I have the use of my full keyboard ) , with periods of running and retrieval , and put it on my watch . But when you ’re in reality running the platform , some critical information is impart off . The time period of “ interval ” ( when I ’m sprint ) and “ recovery ” ( when I ’m clip ) , both simply appear as “ Run ” on the watch . I was able to keep track because it was a simple routine ( and all of the sprints had an odd number of seconds ) , but if I ’d establish something more complicated , I ’d have been lost .
The proprietary charging / synchronise cable is a bit of a retarding force , especially for those who try on to load down ultralight when they travel . Syncing the watch through the computing machine was from time to time problematical . The background software system can be a bit buggy and it failed to synchronise several times . While the vibration motor is a great feature , I unquestionably missed it a few times toward the end of sprints ( and I was listening to euphony , so I did n’t hear the beep , either ) . plainly , space is limited in a lookout man , but a little more clap for the sawbuck would be nice .
Lastly , we wish this picket would take reward of its lovely CRT screen and its GPS and add a chromosome mapping feature . This could be a such a peachy tool for try on new running routes that you beak out front of time ( or download from the Garmin community ) , or at the very least , it could have some sort of breadcrumb lineament that would at least facilitate you get back to your starting detail . Nobody wants to go for a run and cease up getting lost in a strange vicinity as the sunlight is go down .
Should You Buy It?
Probably : the Forerunner 220 is a great - looking watch that tamp down in some smashing feature of speech and is very well-off to use . That sound out , however , because the sentinel costs $ 250 , there are some thing to regard . For case , while we ’d definitely say this is a better running vigil than theTomTom Runner we reexamine last year , theTomTom MultiSport — which also works for cycling , treadmill running , and even swimming — is a bargain at just $ 200 . It ’s not quite as polished as the 220 , but if you do those other fun it ’s the better bargain .
https://gizmodo.com/tomtom-runner-gps-watch-review-1294927805
Or , if you do n’t mind expend more , there ’s Garmin’sForerunner 620to turn over . It ’s 400 dollar bill , and it ’s still just a running watch , but it has even more advanced features . There ’s built - in Wi - Fi , so as soon as you get home your run will mechanically upload ( and it will update microcode that way , too ) . There ’s also far more detailed depth psychology of running kinetics . In increase to your cadence , it will supervise your ground contact time and erect oscillation ( bounce ) , if you pair it with the Garmin - Run heart rate admonisher ( another $ 50 ) . It also has smarter “ coaching , ” which can apprise you on your recuperation metre , approximate your VO2 Max , and even predict your airstream sentence . Is that worth another $ 150 ? For me , no , but if you ’re super serious and really want all of that specific datum , then maybe .
Ultimately , the Forerunner 220 is a terrific running watch . It ’s simple , it works well , and it bet estimable . If you do n’t mind shake off $ 250 on it , you ’ll probably be very glad with it . [ Garmin Forerunner 220 ]
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