Dr Gadget - Gadget Shop - Garmin Forerunner 201 Wrist-Mounted GPS Personal Training Device

	List Price: Our Price: £72.99 Your Save: £ ( % ) Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours Manufacturer: Garmin
Average Customer Rating:
Batteries Included: 0 Binding: Electronics Brand: Garmin EAN: 0753759044107 Feature: Factory Refurbished by Garmin to Like 'New' Condition Is Autographed: 0 Is Fragile: 0 Is Memorabilia: 0 Label: Garmin Manufacturer: Garmin Model: 010-00328-01 Number Of Items: 1 Publisher: Garmin Release Date: 2005-02-24 Studio: Garmin
Features Factory Refurbished by Garmin to Like 'New' Condition 12 months warranty All standard accessories
Accessories Garmin Bike mount (201 only)
Related Items Garmin Bike mount (201 only) Garmin PC Cable (Forerunner 201 & Foretrex 201) Garmin Foretrex 201 Wearable Personal Navigator Garmin Forerunner 101 Wrist-Mounted GPS Personal Training Device Garmin Forerunner 305 Wrist Worn GPS Personal Training Device (With Heart Rate Monitor)
Spotlight customer reviews: Customer Rating: Summary: Best Gadget Ever... Comment: I have had my Garmin Forerunner 201 for about 4 years now and have to say that it is simply the best gadget i have ever bought and i have bought a few! It is consistently accurate, very easy to use and lightweight. It picks up the signal very quickly and i have had no problems with the signal dropping. I am looking to upgrade to the 305 with heart rate monitor. That is the only thing i can imagine would improve an already fantastic gadget! Customer Rating: Summary: Loss of signal very annoying. Comment: I have to agree with some of the other negative comments written. I've had mine for about 9 months now and while it does give an indication of the distance covered, the constant loss of signal while running in a wooded or built up area is very annoying and gives doubts as to the accuracy displayed. The speeds it has displayed have been somewhat dubious at times as well. I can be running at a constant 7 - 7.30 minute per mile pace and the display will suddenly change to a 14 minute pace and stay there for a while. Another gripe I have, although minor, is the textile strap. Constant use means the strap collects a lot of sweat. After a while the strap smells like sheeps testicals (so I'm told) and cannot be easily removed to wash. I can confirm however that the unit is waterproof. An excursion into the washing maschine convinced me of that after I forgot that I had wrapped it in my shorts for protecion after showering at the gym. The strap smelt rather pleasantly of Lenor Sleep Sensation for a couple of runs before the farmyard smell returned. Currently considering the Forerunner 205. Customer Rating: Summary: Great...but not brilliant Comment: I got the Garmin 201 in October and have been using it regularly. As in previous comments the GPS receiver is a little on the delicate side and when passing through/under/around tall buildings it does blimp out. But when it does work then it's very precise and a fantastic tool for keeping track of lap times, avg speeds, times etc. And of course you can go back and look at each run separately. I would recommend that people living in crowded, built up cities or those in wooded/forest areas think twice about buying it. For those who can find routes to run that are in the open, then this is a great watch to have. Customer Rating: Summary: Good while it's working Comment: Brought one of these in June 2005. For the first few months worked really well, did loose the signal in wooded areas etc. but generally speaking was good. At the beginning of Mar 2006 the reciever just stopped working, since then have been trying to get in contact with Garmin, sent several e-mails to the customer support (a complete misnomer) with no replies. Cannot send the device to be repaired as require a RMA number which you get from customer support and the only phone number is one in the US. Bottom line if you are prepared to pay ~£100 for a few months then this is the devise for you, If however it breaks which appears to be a frequent occurance then you might as well just bin it as you ain't going to get any help from Garmin. Customer Rating: Summary: A bit of a chocolate teapot .... Comment: This could have been brilliant, but the whole point of such a GPS device (aimed at sports people, for their training sessions) is completely undermined if the receiver isn't up to scratch and the underlying software isn't clever. Put simply, it suffers badly from having a very poor GPS receiver, exacerbated by mediocre software. It is easily confused by the merest hint of tree coverings or high buildings and has poor acquisition and re-acquisition times. Admittedly, when it does work, it works great and is capable of excellent distance accuracy but relies heavily on a VERY CLEAR signal, so if you don't happen to live or exercise in a very flat, open area, free of buildings and woods etc (that's most of us, I guess) then forget it - or else wait for the latest versions that are out in February (205 and 305 models) which have a much better GPS receiver (SiRFstarIII based) and much improved interfaces - though yes they will cost a lot more. The current model, while cheap, is virtually useless in the real world conditions that most athletes face. I rarely manage a training run without losing the signal at some point, and it's ability to fill in the missing bits is poor. It's current pace calculations are nothing short of laughable - I've done everything from 2 minute mile pace (no I'm not that fast!) to twenty minute mile pace (I'm not that slow either!). My car GPS (which cost me less money than this device) very rarely loses a signal even in heavy tree covering or in town, and when it does it predictive ability is surprisingly good. More Reviews
Editorial Reviews: The Forerunner 201 offers athletes an easy-to-read display, ergonomic wristband, and integrated GPS sensor that provides precise speed, distance, and pace data. It's a compact, lightweight, accurate training assistant with performance tracking, auto-lap, auto-pause and more. The Forerunner 201 is easy to use right out of the box and delivers the benefits of GPS technology at an affordable price. Working out with the Forerunner 201 means you're never alone in your personal training, because the unit provides a Virtual Partner™. This unique feature allows you to set your training goal by configuring your Virtual Partner's pace and workout distance. You'll get a graphic perspective of your performance by viewing your pace in relation to your Virtual Partner's pace, so you can always see at a glance if you're keeping up or falling behind.