At last week’s Consumer Electronics Show in Vegas, Garmin announced the Forerunner 405, our newest GPS-enabled sport watch. Interest in the 405 has been high … for good reason. Besides the sleek new styling, the 405 offers features that on-the-go folks will love: automatic wireless updates to your computer (your data is transferred from watch to computer automatically, thanks to ANT+Sport technology) and a touch bezel that lets you change screens and select features by moving your finger around the watch bezel. We’ve had a ton of comments and questions on the 405, so I’ll address some of them here in a Q&A format. Have more questions? Post them as a comment and we’ll address those as well.

Q. When can I get my hands on the new 405?
A. Popular question. We are projecting to have the 405 available in stores by the end of February. we’ll keep you updated here on the Garmin blog. Look for it at your specialty running stores.

Q. The touch bezel seems cool, but does it work with gloves and will it keep getting pressed if I’m wearing long sleeves?
A.  It’s a touch-sensitive bezel, so it works even when you’re wearing gloves. In fact, most of my runs with the 405 so far have been with gloves on and though it’s slightly easier to operate with a bare finger, it still responds when wearing gloves. It also has a bezel lock feature (press the start/stop button along with the lap/reset button on the side of the unit). This will prevent accidental touches of the bezel. Unlock it by pressing the same two buttons at once. 

Q. Does the 405 work with other heart rate monitor straps?
A. If the heart rate monitor (HRM) is ANT+Sport-enabled, the 405 can “pair” with the monitor to read the data. You can buy the 405 with a heart rate monitor or without. In fact, for customers who already have a Forerunner 305 and want to step up to the 405, they can purchase the model without the included HRM and then use their existing monitor. Pairing the HRM with the 405 is a simple menu operation.

Q. Can the 405 display calories burned?
A. Yep. And it also knows if you went for the brownie sundae for dessert. Okay, maybe not.

Q. What is the battery life?
A. Battery life is 8 hours with GPS on and two weeks in power save mode (just showing the time of day on the screen). We expect that the battery will typically last 1 week with normal use.

Q. What kind of battery?
A. Rechargeable lithium-ion battery. You charge it through an AC adapter or through your computer’s USB port using the provided charge clip.

Q. Can it display my position as a breadcrumb trail like the 305?
A. No, there is not a map screen on the 405. However, there is still a “back to start” feature that allows you to navigate back to your starting point. In this mode, you’ll see a navigation page with a pointer arrow directing you back to your starting position.

Q. Does it keep track of your trail so it can be uploaded and shown on a PC as an overlay on a map like the 305 could do?
A. Yes. The 405 will interface with our new Garmin Connect site, which will similar functionality as MotionBased plus more. You’ll be able to store and analyze your data as well as share routes with a worldwide community of fitness fanatics and outdoor folks.

Q. Why no pace alert or time/distance alert like previous models had?
A. The Virtual Partner feature is now available all the time, rather than just during workouts and courses. You can set the pace at any point before or during your run. This will provide an easy way to see if you are ahead or behind your target pace. You can also set up a workout with a target pace so that you will get an alert if you are going too fast or too slow. Regarding the time/distance alert, the 405 has an auto lap setting that allows you to specify a distance. The 405 will automatically lap at that distance and beep each time. You can also set up a workout with time or distance steps.

Q. Will you be adding an altimeter to future models?
A. We’re always looking for ways to improve our products, so I can pass along that suggestion to our engineering team. While the 405 does not have an altimeter, it does record GPS-derived elevation, which can be displayed on the watch and tracked in Garmin Connect.

Q. What’s the waterproof rating of the 405?
A. Our specs state that the 405 is IPX7, which means it’s water resistant in 1 meter of water for 30 minutes. This is slightly different from a true “waterproof” rating, which would make the watch safe for surface swimming. Like previous Forerunner models, the 405 can handle rain and sweat, but it’s not designed for triathletes who want to use it to track their swims.

Q. Does it have a multisport mode?

A. No. You can switch to biking mode so that your activity will be tagged as biking when you upload to the computer, but you cannot link running and biking activities together, such as when multisport athletes do back-to-back “brick” workouts. The 405 will have an optional bike mount and can be paired with a speed/cadence sensor for use on the bike. However, the 305 will remain as our true multisport training device because it’s optimized for a quick-release mount from wrist strap to bike mount.

Q. How many data fields can be shown?
A. You can show 3 data fields on a page. You can also configure up to three training pages plus a heart rate page that shows up when you are wearing a heart rate monitor.

Q. The 405 is considerably smaller than the 205/305 — will that affect the accuracy?
A. The accuracy is very similar to that of the 305. There may be a slight difference due to the size, but it shouldn’t be noticeable.

Comments

[Peg]

Hi Dan. Yes--you can customize any of the three training screens to show up to three data fields such as pace, cadence and heart rate.

[Dan Shelby]

Is the 405 able to display heart rate or cadence on any of the 3 data screens? I'd like to be able to see heartrate, cadence (with footpod), and pace on one screen.

[jon]

Forerunner 405 now available at REI

[Peg]

Hi Tom. Yes, you will be able to export your recorded activities as a GPX file in Garmin Connect, our new online training community. Garmin Connect is based on our current online analysis program, MotionBased, which allows you to export as GPX, HST or CRS files.

[Tom]

Hi, will it be possible to output the route information to software other than the GTC? For example I directly import the forerunner 205 data into memory map which is much better than the primitive street maps in GTC or even google earth.

If not possible directly, are there plans to include a GPX export functionality from either GTC or Garmin connect?

Seems like this would give us flexibility to use the data as we see fit.

[Peg]

Hi Mattia. I learned yesterday that the Forerunner 405 will be available in Italy by the end of March 2008--just in time for spring training! U.S. availability is now scheduled for March as well. For more screen shots and information on the 405 (available with or without heart rate monitor), check out the 405 product page at www.garmin.com

[mattia]

A simple question for you: February is the planned date for US only or worldwide? (I live in Italy :))

Also is it possible to see some screenshots of the 405 with the various layouts? Just to understand the difference between this new Forerunner and the 305 :)

thx in advance