Electronics, Lighting, & Gadgets - Quick poll Garmin 705

Quick poll. No explanations needed.....

If you own a 705. Would you recommend it to a friend?

Today I will go with maybe.

If it did not freeze up I would recommend it to anyone. I am optimistic that Garmin will get this worked out, hopefully it will be soon.

In general the unit is awsome. The fact that you can use it in your car or on foot really makes it attractive for me. I had marked some way points for morel mushrooms last year. The unit led me right to them, even utilizing dirt roads.

I used the 305 edge all last year and this is the logical progession. It was an easy transition for me.

This is directed to the people at Garmin. Why can't you make changes to the unit on your home computer and then load them up to the unit? I would like to set up a ride on my home PC then load it to the unit so it is ready to go. This would make mine and a lot of other peopls lives much easier.

Whether I recommended it or not would depend on whether I thought who I was recommending it to would have a problem with the lock-up issue or not. For anyone that I did recommend it for, I would tell them about the issue and how to avoid it.

I might suggest the 605 over the 705 since it seems like the 605 might have fewer bugs along with its fewer features. The built in altimeter appears to be useless as the results from gps alone seem to be at least as accurate as with the altimeter.

I have been able to create routes on my computer, however it was a chore just finding the software. The routing software for the Mac is buried away on some page the main website doesn't appear to obviously link to because it is in beta.

I might suggest the 605 over the 705 since it seems like the 605 might have fewer bugs along with its fewer features.

No heart rate is kind of a deal killer for me.

What features does it really have over the 305 that justify the extra price?

-R.

My question is, does either the 605 or 705 come with the City Navigator software, or is it strictly optional? Garmin's site is quite vague on this point. Both units come with a "basemap" but what exactly is that? City Navigator is nice (I have it on an automotive GPS), but it's an extra $100 if it's not included.

for me the maps make it the best cycling related item i bought in a long time. i like downloading GPS tracks from mapmyride (http://www.mapmyride.com/) or motionbased (http://trail.motionbased.com/). the large screen with detailed maps let me follow the course without paper maps and cue sheets. i used to ride mostly routes i know well. since i got the 705 i ride mostly where i never went before. i ride a lot more because seeing new areas of NYC gets me on the bike every chance i get.

I'm trying to decide which one to buy - Garmin 705 vs. 305. I'm particularly interested in using it for hiking as well as biking. Does the 705 have features which make it more likely that I can hike with it? Is there some sort of wrist strap that comes with it?

Thanks!

Maybe - Depends on various factors. Sure hate to have a friend go through the early adopter software hiccups or a dead screen (as mine has) at the wrong time. The benefits that it does deliver, when it's working right, are great. You just need to be willing to live through the trials and tribulations of being on the bleeding edge in the process. If a friend can afford 2 units (I'm buying a backup 305 myself), then he'll probably do OK.

The recent firmware update has really improved things. The most serious bug has been fixed (locking on map screen) and the only bugs that remain seem to be with the accuracy of some of the data recorded with the unit. I have the 605, however if I had the 705 the problem with the auto setting of wheel size, it wouldn't bother me all that much. It's just to easy to get an accurate number to use doing a roll-out test. As for calories, I'm not even sure what people use that for. I know how tracking your heart rate can help with training and can also be an indicator of over training, I can see how a power meter would be very useful as well. Is the measurement ever very accurate? I know Garmin is way above other manufacturers in their calorie estimates, but I doubt any of them can be all that accurate since they use age as part of the equation.

I'm not sure if the elevation is as bad as it is on mine because I don't have an actual altimeter or whether it is a bug common to both the 605 and 705. I'm fairly sure that my altitude gain and loss should be better considering how accurate the actual altitude is. I am sure I would be more annoyed with this had I owned another altimeter cyclocomputer prior to the Garmin or if that had been a primary reason for purchasing the Garmin.

I'm sure Garmin will eventually fix the remaining problems however I'd definitely recommend either the 605 or the 705, but with a warning about what I still know is wrong with them.