Same question back at ya... I'm curious.


The 820 has a $100 cheaper list price and seems like the least expensive route to get structured workouts which the V650 does not do.

I like the smaller form factor and incident/emergency detection is mildly interesting.

Simplified interface appeals to me. I work with technology all day have have little tolerance for highly complex menu systems and such things. I tend to set these types of devices once and never change the settings. I'm not saying that the 1000 interface is complex, just that given the choice, I'd go for the simpler interface over the more complex one.

Another question for you guys; does the Edge 820 pair with a phone for text/call notification? I understand it uses the phone for audio prompts for directions but my Edge 25 would light up when my daughter texts me or work calls. I'm often on call for work - it is very lucrative for me and I need to be able to see when someone calls me. That would be a nice feature.


-tim-

The 820 has phone notifications. The older 810 does too. (So does the 1000.)

In terms of features, it appears the 820 does everything the 1000 does and more but the 1000 has the bigger/more-detailed screen.

dcrainmaker is a good source for information about the units (but he hasn't done the in-depth review of the 820 yet).

https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2016/07/...-edge-820.html

The interface of the 1000 isn't really more complex. The big advantage of the 1000 is the bigger screen (which has more pixels), which is useful when using maps.

(Sometimes, Garmin makes things less complicated by removing useful options.)

The 820 gives you text/call/calendar/missed call/other notifications.

The 800 was the last 8xx computer that didn't. I can't say how they work on an 820 but on a 1000 a message shows up at the bottom of the screen that says "Text from Beth" or something; if you touch it, the text will display, if you touch outside of it or wait long enough it will go away. I assume emails will show the "preview" version of the message that's displayed in your phone's notification area. Haven't seen calendar alerts on the Edge yet so I can't comment on them. You can allow or block alerts from Facebook or Uber or anything else on your phone.

I'm the same way about setting the device up once and leaving it that way. I copied the data pages over from my 800. I didn't have a chance to compare the UIs so I assumed I could make either one work. Form factor wasn't really an issue for me; the 1000 is big, but within reason.

For me, the better screen was the deciding feature. The 1000 was on sale when I bought it and the price was essentially the same.

I don't know if the 820 offers "round trip routing" or not, it's an interesting feature. The 800 I'm used to didn't have that. Sometimes I'd drive my bike somewhere, follow my whim for a while, then have the device route me back to my car, which was my way of getting the same feature.

I have an 800, should be the same as 820 (guessing). I use RideWithGPS for all routing as I find their route builder works best for me. I usually have my 800 USB connected/charging while I plan, then download either the gpx or tcx file to my Garmin "new" folder. AFAIK when you power up the Garmin it will take any files found in the folder, convert to binary as necessary and resave them. For 800 I think you can use gpx and have the Garmin generate turn anticipation for you, with tcx you also get turn alerting from the "route sheet" waypoints (so tcx works with GPS units without on-board routing). I think you have to have a paid RwGPS account to edit the "route sheet" (haven't done a route in a while), but that's never been a need for me.

I know the 820 is bit different from the 800/810 but hopefully the above applies.

scott s.
.

I've read the DC Rainmaker 820 article and I missed mention of phone/text notifications. Thanks for the confirmation.


-Tim-

Interesting. I don't know which I would choose given the same price. Aappreciate the feedback.

I really, really, really don't want to see email. Really.

FWIW, the Polar V650 has a "Return to Start" on screen function.

I don't know if Edges have a "return to start" feature or not? My watch has two versions of that (back the way we came, or take the shortest line) but I've never looked for it on the Edge. I've just used the map - you touch a place and a "go" button appears.

You can turn any kind of notification on or off, so yes text no email yes call. You can allow (or block) notifications from any app you have on your phone.

I'm not finding any screenshots of notifications on an 820 but this turned up:

It's easy enough to have a return to start (making it odd to not have one).

With the Garmins, one can drop a pin (location) at the start (somewhat weak because you have to remember to do that). You can also scroll the map to your start and drop a pin.

The Garmins (with maps) can calculate routes to locations.

There should be an option to calculate a reverse course.

One can always follow the cyan line (your recorded track) back to the start.

Keep in mind that these are just txt xml files. You can read them. They will make some sense to any somewhat technical person. (Looking at the files for a short route might be better.)

"As one who supports highly complex technology solutions", you should (reading them would confirm that there are no waypoints in the gpx track files).