Feature bloat

6 watchers

Muttley 4 Mar 8:55am, 4 Mar 2024 3,009 posts	0 Muttley So Garmin have a new Forerunner out, the 165. This is their new budget range model. My 245 is getting a bit tatty and tired so I suppose I'm half interested in replacing it. I see from the webby site that the 165 has sleep score and blood oxygen saturation and Garmin pay and sunrise/sunset time and relaxation breathing timer and nap detection (??) and weather forecasts and find my phone and find my watch and incoming text messages and move alerts and floors climbed and fish forecast (??) and sun and moon information and umpteen other doodahs. I just want a running watch: hr, how far, how fast (or slow), and where. Maybe how much ascent and descent. Plus the virtual partner for pacing and the run/walk function. And workouts from Garmin Connect. And post-run info about my training and fitness status, out of idle curiosity before ignoring it. Oh, and how many beers I've earned, that's important. I put the watch on to go for a run and then take it off when I'm done. Does anyone actually use all this stuff? Am I a hopelessly behind-the-times technodinosaur? Come back Foreunner 205, all is forgiven.
fetcheveryone 4 Mar 8:58am, 4 Mar 2024 30,231 posts	0 fetcheveryone And what was wrong with the 101 eh?
Ultracat 4 Mar 9:00am, 4 Mar 2024 15,380 posts	0 Ultracat Completing with the iWatch?
Muttley 4 Mar 9:01am, 4 Mar 2024 3,010 posts	0 Muttley If I remember, the 101 had AA batteries? I think I had a 201. Which is another gripe about these fancy new gizmos -- tiny screens are no good for tired old eyes not wearing their specs.
HappyG(rrr) 4 Mar 9:02am, 4 Mar 2024 49,520 posts	0 HappyG(rrr) I like Pay, text alerts on watch etc. because I wear mine as an all day watch. So yes, I think some of the "all day wear" features are useful. G
jda 4 Mar 9:04am, 4 Mar 2024 16,622 posts	0 jda I don’t use or understand all the features on my 255 but some of the additions compared to 235 are interesting, useful, amusing. Eg the notifications via phone have better fonts (emojis etc). I get a morning weather forecast and a warning when my stress level is high. Nothing ground breaking but the watch is also functionally better for running and other exercise (swimming especially improved). It’s my only watch, I wouldn’t want to juggle it with another.
EvilPixie 4 Mar 9:08am, 4 Mar 2024 52,269 posts	0 EvilPixie my garmin is my only watch and as someone who is also half deaf it's my alarm too most of the stats I glance at but don't "use" because I don't necessarily know what to do with them - running is supposed to be a simple sport after all.
jda 4 Mar 9:09am, 4 Mar 2024 16,623 posts	0 jda Oh yeah it took me almost a year to work out it has a fairly basic map/route system that is handy for big bike rides, much easier than getting the phone out to check at junctions. (Handlebar mount for phone would partly solve that but there’s still the battery life and switching on/off issues that the watch doesn’t suffer from.)
Mushroom 4 Mar 9:32am, 4 Mar 2024 3,047 posts	0 Mushroom Garmin are still selling the cheaper Forerunner 55 - which is more than sufficient for me. GPS records, running / walking times, heart rate, steps. I'm not really bothered about much else. To me, the downside of having the notifications to the phone is that your phone needs to be on bluetooth all the time, and it needs to be with you anyway. If your phone is with you, then why do I need something else..!?
Mushroom 4 Mar 9:33am, 4 Mar 2024 3,048 posts	0 Mushroom This was up to date in January: techradar.com