Garmin fenix 2 New Version

[JW]

Did anyone spot the new Garmin fenix 2 GPS watch that popped up on their site? Looks like a nice redesign. Avail in March.

Product Page: Garmin fenix 2

Garmin Blog Post

[Eric Blumensaadt]

Hmmm, looks interesting but I'd want user feedback on battery life.

Also impressions on ease of use would e helpful. C'mon "First Adopters", get out there and consume a few.

[JW]

Eric, we'll have to wait until March when they become avail. The fenix 2 is essentially the same as the fenix 1 hardware and software wise, so unless the negative display changes battery usage, I'd say we can expect the same results as the fenix 1 which has already been given the beta firmware for the fenix 2.

The similarities, make scooping up a price dropped fenix 1 pretty tempting. I do like the negative display on the fenix 2, but is $100 extra worth it? DC Rainmaker has a review up of a fenix 1 running fenix 2 beta firmware and the new features look great.

[FACUNDO GALLEGO HEGUILEN]

As allways a fantastic review from dc rainmaker
http://www.dcrainmaker.com/2014/02/garmin-fenix2-multisport-triathlon.html

[Dave Marcus]

DC Rainmaker does phenomenal reviews.

I have a first generation Ambit. Except for one hiccup (fixed with a battery reset and software update) battery life is as advertised. I can charge it directly off a GoalZero Nomad 7.

I went through about 4 different GPS/HR watches before I snagged the Ambit at an REI garage sale. They all had terrible battery life and horrific user interfaces. The Ambit and Fenix cured all of the problems with the old watches.

Between the two, while I own the Ambit, I like the Fenix better. There's nothing particularly wrong with the Ambit. I think Garmin executes a bit better on the concept. I also like Garmin Connect much better than Suunto's Moveslink/Movescount platform.

Despite a perfectly functioning Ambit, I'm considering picking up a Fenix 2 for the Bluetooth LE if for nothing else.

[JW]

Arrived yesterday. Looks very cool. Got the tempe temperature unit too. Going out again this weekend, so I'll have a chance to put it through some paces!

Garmin fenix 2 Performance Bundle:

Lots of goodies inside the bundle, but the heart rate monitor is the main item the makes the "bundle".

[Lapsley Hope]

Why the interest in the Fenix rather than the Tactix?

[Chris Benson]

With the price drop of the Fenix now that the 2 is out, it's quite a bit cheaper than the Tactix. That might be one reason to consider it over the Tactix. I don't know if the Tactix has been gettng the same software and firmware updates. If not, that might be another reason.

I have the original Fenix. When I first got it, I was not impressed, but the updates have really helped. One thing I really wanted to see with an updated version was more map space. Unfortunately, the Fenix 2 still only has 2mb of storage. I love being able to load maps on the device, but the limited storage has me swapping maps quite a bit to accommodate just my local area I hit on weekends and weekdays.

[Peter Williams]

Just curious. Thinking about picking up the Fenix 2 to play with and would like to hear any feedback. I use a HRM when working out, but I'm really curious about the GPS and the ability to upload third party maps or create tail maps to use when I'm hiking in new areas.
Thanks.
Pete

[hwc 1954]

The fenix 2 is an awesome hiking/fitness/GPS/heart rate monitor watch. By far the best for hiking of the three Garmin fitness GPS watches I've used, if only because of the extended battery life.

I would not think using a watch size GPS for loading maps is very useful. Just not enough screen real estate. Not enough storage. The mapping capabilities are very limited. If you want mapping, get one of the Garmin mapping GPS units. The Oregon and Montana have color touch screen displays and can take Garmin or other downloaded maps. They also will sync to any ANT+ heart rate monitor and record that data along with your GPS track, just like the fenix 2.

For anything but mapping, I'd wear the fenix 2 before carrying the handheld. It covers all the activities: workouts, running, hiking, biking, etc. integrating GPS tracking with heart rate monitoring.

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