Garmin 210 vs 610 (Read 178 times)

I have the 210 which works great if you just want basic GPS functions on top of a sportswatch. I didn't really have a desire to program in workouts, so I decided not to spend the extra money on a 610 and I'm a small person and was really attracted to the compact design of the 210 over the 310XT.

 

So far the main issue I have had with the 210 is the connector, I usually have to d*ck around with it for at least 5 minutes to get my computer and watch to establish a connection because it has the clip-style charger/connector.

Yeah, WTF??

I have had my 210 since Xmas, I also picked it for the relative compact design & simplicity, as I really just want it to track my runs. I loved it & the connector worked fine till a couple weeks ago, now it is a total crapshoot whether the computer recognizes it at all. With sufficient jiggling I can get it connected so it charges, but it shows on my computer as "unrecognized USB device", so can't upload the data. At this point if I achieved it in your 5 minutes, it would be a major improvement.

Any ideas whether there is a solution? Not sure cleaning the contacts has anything to do with it, If it is charging I assume the contacts are fine. I have downloaded the drivers & plugins, tried shutdown/restart of watch & computer, nothing works.  If/when it gets recognized, it is totally random. Have not yet called support, I assume they are going to want to walk me through all the stuff I have already tried. Maybe it just needs to get replaced, but worried this is a chronic 210 issue.

I had a 210 for less than a year and went to the 610.  I liked to be able to switch screens with a tap of the finger.  I had to use the reset function numerous times on the 210 for the same reason (not syncing correctly).  The battery life seems longer on the 610 also.

I was going back and forth also, when I was able to pickup a used 610 off craigslist for $200, score! I thought I would use more of the features (custom workouts). but really, I don't..the 210 would have been sufficient for me. The touch screen is nice to be able to swap screens easily. It also finds the signal pretty fast (not sure if the 210 does that same). The 305 I had previously would take half my run before it finally found the signal..frustrating.