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Garmin Forerunner 110 review (Read 3696 times)

eric :)


    I bought the Garmin Forerunner 110 several months ago so I can add support for it on RA.  I didn’t want to buy another GPS device because I was happy with my 305.  Programmatically, the 110 is completely different from its predecessors and I didn’t want to borrow my friend’s 110 for more than a few nights.   This is your donations at work so thank you to all who made financial contributions to RA!  Below are my thoughts about it as compared to the 205/305.

     

    The Forerunner 110 is about the size of a wrist watch.  It is thicker than a normal watch but not too noticeable.  You can actually use it as a regular watch because it is always on and it displays the time of day by default.  You can force it to turn off if you hold on to the light button.  One nice feature is it sets the time of day automatically.  When I turned it on for the first time, it was able to deduce my time zone from its position and use the GPS data to set the time of day.  I have flown across time zones with it.  When I land, I just switch to run mode, which triggers a satellite search and the time is updated.

     

     It is more comfortable than the 305.  The common complaint about the 205/305 is they are not very comfortable.  I ran with a 305 in a marathon last year and it chafed off a layer of skin on my ulna, that’s the little round thing that sticks out of your wrist.  The 110’s strap is made of a softer rubber so it fits around my wrist better.

     

    The 110 has fewer features than the Forerunner 205 and 305, although it costs almost twice as much as the 305.  As far as I know, this is all the watch provides:

    • Time of day
    • Total distance
    • Total duration
    • Average pace (of last mile?)
    • Auto new lap (the only time you can see your last mile pace is when it starts a new lap)
    • Heart rate (if you get the heart rate monitor option)
    • Review of recorded workouts distance, duration and caloric data

    Its screen is not big enough for multiple displays, although it collects the same data (latitude/longitude, timestamp, heart rate, etc) as the other Forerunners.   You may choose amongst the following display configurations:

    • Time of day
    • Total Distance, duration, pace
    • Total Distance, heart rate, pace (if you have the heart rate monitor option)

    The 110’s buttons are on the side like the old school wrist watches.  It took a little getting used to when starting stopping the timer and setting new intervals.  I was accustomed to the buttons on the face of the watch on the 305.

     

    The 110 boasts a new GPS signal chip.  I don’t have the specifics but I can attest that it picks up the satellite signals quicker than the 205/305.  According to the documentation, the battery life is about 8 hours of continuous recording.  You can use it as a watch for over a week between recharging.

     

    You recharge the 110 using a wired clip.  The clip has 4 pins that make contact with the contacts on the back of the watch.  I find myself having to jiggle the clip until the pins snap into place.  It’s definitely not as easy as the cradle system but I think Garmin switched to the clip because the watch has no chance of coming loose after the clip snaps into place.

     

    When you connect it to the computer, Windows detects the watch as a removable drive.  It has about 5 mb of disk space.  If Garmin provided more memory, it would be the perfect memory stick because it (being a watch) will be with me all the time.  It is water resistant and does not add any bulk to my key chain.  The workouts are stored as FIT files.  FIT files are binary and are not human readable.  You can copy them from the watch onto your computer, or you can just let RA take care of everything.

     

    Of the few months I’ve been using it, it malfunctioned twice.  The first time, the watch froze when I tried to import the workouts to RA.  I resorted to doing a hard reset, which deleted all the workouts and my preferences.  The second time it happened, it went into what seemed to be a diagnostic mode.  I don’t know how it got there.  One interesting thing I found while in this mode was the display of temperature!  The 110 has a built-in temperature sensor although it does not currently record temperature.  I don’t know what Garmin has planned for this.  It would be nice if they enable it in the future with a firmware upgrade.

     

    All in all, I’m happy with the Forerunner 110.  It is comfortable around my wrist and does all I need from a GPS.  However, it is too expensive for the functionalities it provides.  Of course, Garmin thinks it’s a good price point so who am I to say it costs too much?  If you want instant feedback during the run, then the 205/305 will serve you better.  In my opinion, the only reason anyone should get the 110 is comfort.


    ultramarathon/triathlete

      Have you noticed the watch loses signal if you're standing around for a while?  I bought the watch for my wife and while we were waiting for the start of the NYC Marathon, standing on the VZ Bridge, it apparently lost signal about 1 minute before the cannon went off.  Annoying and we weren't even stating that THAT long.

       

      Oh, great review btw!

      HTFU?  Why not!

      USATF Coach

      Empire Tri Club Coach
      Gatorade Endurance Team

      eric :)


        kosherdave,

        The GPS doesn't lose the signal.  Rather, it turns off the GPS receiver after a couple minutes of inactivity.  30 seconds before it does that, it puts up a message telling you that.  If you press any button, then it will delay the shutdown for a couple of more minutes.  If you're lining up for a race, you'll have to check the watch frequently to make sure it's not shutting down.  Somewhat annoying.

         

        Since the initial report, I experienced several more malfunctions.  It cannot be turned on after I disconnected it from the computer.  I suspect that it was caused by the watch had zero charge.  This is confirmed when I reconnected it back to the computer and the charge icon came back on.  After several hours of charging, I can then use it again.  I'm not sure why it depleted the charge even though it was connected to the computer.  I don't mind the other problems but this is a major concern because it might happen on the day of a race as I'm heading out the door.

        runnerclay


        Consistently Slow

          kosherdave,

          The GPS doesn't lose the signal.  Rather, it turns off the GPS receiver after a couple minutes of inactivity.  30 seconds before it does that, it puts up a message telling you that.  If you press any button, then it will delay the shutdown for a couple of more minutes.  If you're lining up for a race, you'll have to check the watch frequently to make sure it's not shutting down.  Somewhat annoying.

           

          Since the initial report, I experienced several more malfunctions.  It cannot be turned on after I disconnected it from the computer.  I suspect that it was caused by the watch had zero charge.  This is confirmed when I reconnected it back to the computer and the charge icon came back on.  After several hours of charging, I can then use it again.  I'm not sure why it depleted the charge even though it was connected to the computer.  I don't mind the other problems but this is a major concern because it might happen on the day of a race as I'm heading out the door.

          Thanks  for the review. No 110 for me. The 305 will sometimes turn on when you disconnected from charging. I have got up for a morning run to a dead watch. Now ,I double check after disconnecting.

          Run until the trail runs out.

           SCHEDULE 2016--

           The pain that hurts the worse is the imagined pain. One of the most difficult arts of racing is learning to ignore the imagined pain and just live with the present pain (which is always bearable.) - Jeff

          unsolicited chatter

          http://bkclay.blogspot.com/

          kcam


              One interesting thing I found while in this mode was the display of temperature!  The 110 has a built-in temperature sensor although it does not currently record temperature.  I don’t know what Garmin has planned for this.  It would be nice if they enable it in the future with a firmware upgrade.

             

             

             

            Thanks for that review.

            The 305 has a temp sensor as well.  If I remember correctly you can access it, from the unpowered state, by hitting the Power and Enter buttons simultaneously.  It pops up an info screen that also gives you the state of battery charge in terms of voltage.


            ultramarathon/triathlete

              kosherdave,

              The GPS doesn't lose the signal.  Rather, it turns off the GPS receiver after a couple minutes of inactivity.  30 seconds before it does that, it puts up a message telling you that.  If you press any button, then it will delay the shutdown for a couple of more minutes.  If you're lining up for a race, you'll have to check the watch frequently to make sure it's not shutting down.  Somewhat annoying.

               

               

               

              Thanks for the advice, good to know.  This confirms my suspisions that the watch is basically useless for a triathlon tho.  If you have it on in the transition area, but the time you get to it the signal would be turned off.  That totally blows.

              HTFU?  Why not!

              USATF Coach

              Empire Tri Club Coach
              Gatorade Endurance Team

              zoom-zoom


              rectumdamnnearkilledem

                 

                Thanks for that review.

                The 305 has a temp sensor as well.  If I remember correctly you can access it, from the unpowered state, by hitting the Power and Enter buttons simultaneously.  It pops up an info screen that also gives you the state of battery charge in terms of voltage.

                 

                Huh...neat.  3 years later and I am STILL learning new things about my 305.  Though the temp appears to be in ºC and is a bit off.  It's claiming that it's about 26º in here when it's actually 21º.

                Getting the wind knocked out of you is the only way to

                remind your lungs how much they like the taste of air.    

                     ~ Sarah Kay

                runnerclay


                Consistently Slow

                   

                  Huh...neat.  3 years later and I am STILL learning new things about my 305.  Though the temp appears to be in ºC and is a bit off.  It's claiming that it's about 26º in here when it's actually 21º.

                  +1

                  It appears to be associated with the foot pad.

                  Run until the trail runs out.

                   SCHEDULE 2016--

                   The pain that hurts the worse is the imagined pain. One of the most difficult arts of racing is learning to ignore the imagined pain and just live with the present pain (which is always bearable.) - Jeff

                  unsolicited chatter

                  http://bkclay.blogspot.com/

                  kcam


                    I just took mine off the charging cradle and it's reading 28 C.  It's def not 82 F in here but the actual watch may be at that temp internally while the battery is being charged.  Sometimes they put a temp sensor on the battery to insure it doesn't get overcharged - maybe that is what this sensor is reading - battery temp?

                    jayvee33


                      I just took mine off the charging cradle and it's reading 28 C.  It's def not 82 F in here but the actual watch may be at that temp internally while the battery is being charged.  Sometimes they put a temp sensor on the battery to insure it doesn't get overcharged - maybe that is what this sensor is reading - battery temp?

                       

                      +1

                      My phone has an internal battery temperature that can be displayed with the battery charge % that is used to prevent overcharging/overheating.

                       

                      A temperature sensor on something attached to my sweaty wrist and underneath clothing in the winter would probably not be very accurate to track air temperature anyway.

                      zoom-zoom


                      rectumdamnnearkilledem

                        I just took mine off the charging cradle and it's reading 28 C.  It's def not 82 F in here but the actual watch may be at that temp internally while the battery is being charged.  Sometimes they put a temp sensor on the battery to insure it doesn't get overcharged - maybe that is what this sensor is reading - battery temp?

                         

                        Ahhh...I did just take mine off the charger to play with that function.  I'll bet you're right.

                        Getting the wind knocked out of you is the only way to

                        remind your lungs how much they like the taste of air.    

                             ~ Sarah Kay


                        Maggie & Molly

                          I know this is an old thread but I'm hoping it is seen.  Question.  Does the 110 show you your pace per mile once it is downloaded?  I know you can't see it on the watch itself. 

                           "It does not matter how slow you go so long as you do not stop."
                          Wisdom of Confucius

                          HF 4363

                            Yes. When the runs are uploaded onto your log, it gives you all your splits. Provided you were hitting the splits manually, or using Auto Lap. When using Garmin Connect, it also give you the satellite map, elevation, and split information just like any other Forerunner watch.

                            eric :)


                              Yes. When the runs are uploaded onto your log, it gives you all your splits. Provided you were hitting the splits manually, or using Auto Lap. When using Garmin Connect RunningAHEAD, it also give you the satellite map, elevation, and split information just like any other Forerunner watch.

                               

                              FIFY

                              eric :)


                                I know this is an old thread but I'm hoping it is seen.  Question.  Does the 110 show you your pace per mile once it is downloaded?  I know you can't see it on the watch itself. 

                                 

                                The 110 collects the same information as other Forerunners.  You just can't see it directly through the watch itself.  The only way to visualize all the data is by uploading to sites like RA.

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