new Garmin watch

I just came across this, it looks like something that could work, but not enough information.  Waypoints while walking and data format, like UTM.

https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?pID=107272

Cool idea, but the map looks small, it's black and white, and the waypoint and other features seem cumbersome to use, for me not worth the $399, I just hope Garmin keeps improving on it!

Next thing I will be wearing a microscope

just another gadget to spend 400 bucks on, looks like the navigation is a pita to use. Ill keep my etrex.

Yeah, I'll I'll keep my 550t.  :-)

Neat but not my cup o' tea. My Magellan eXplorist 610 w/touch screen is less expensive than the watch. Still a neat idea.

If they increase the resolution(like ALOT), screen slighly larger but not too much, make a color display, drop the price to somewhere around $199, maybe make it touchscreen to type easier, then I would gladly buy one, but if you look at youtube videos of people using the thing, it looks pretty garbage to me and highly overpriced!

I feel this would be a good item for an ultralight person, but I have been using the etrex Vista h for a long time.  I have a blackberry free from work, and use a app., and hate to say it works better then the vista, and it will email my tracks while walking to other persons, it records all my tracks which I can set distance.  It will send email with a link to google for location.  The batteries are always a problem but it will last 5 to 6 hours.  I also like the use of waypoints for setting my compass to trail heads or other locations.

maxx said:

If they increase the resolution(like ALOT),

At least it is not a negative black display which can be hard to make out at a glance(although I like negative black displays many don't.) 

Maybe it has a contrast adjustment on it?

screen slighly larger but not too much, make a color display, drop the price to somewhere around $199,

So it would be in the range(slightly cheaper) of the Suunto Core? Have you seen the price of the Ambit(msrp $500) or the Elementum Terra(msrp $900?)

Is it really that expensive?

maybe make it touchscreen to type easier,

Easier? How so?

The display would have to be pretty "big/bulky" to make it user friendly if you take into consideration how big ones finger tips are. I know many a person who whines about the touch screens on their phones.

Could you imagine the feedback a touch sensitive display on a watch would get?

I am willing to say that "utterly useless" would pop up quite a bit. :)

I think there is a reason companies have stayed away from touch screen tech on smaller(wrist top sized) displays.

Push button offers less headaches for a smaller unit. 

but if you look at youtube videos of people using the thing, it looks pretty garbage to me and highly overpriced!

It is quite hard to say what something is when one hasn't actually had the actual unit in one's hands. This would be the equivalent of me writing a gear review for a product that I read about in a magazine article. 

I actually find the Fenix quite interesting. 

I am in the process of purchasing a new "wrist gizmo." I typically do not purchase anything until it has been on the market for awhile but if this unit receives favorable feedback it may very well end up on my wrist.

Also, I am curious Maxx, when you say "it looks pretty garbage" what are you comparing it too?

To me judging a product based on looks alone could very well be the same as shooting yourself short when it comes to viable options.

There are a lot of "ugly" products out there that perform admirably.

Looks are the last thing that is on my mind when making a gear purchase.

Looks won't save your tail, but a product that functions well will. 

(Jmo)

Alright, I had a few GPS devices, and I scuba dive so I have experience with fully functional dive computer watches such as the Oceanic VT 4.1.  I can see how someone would think of merging both together, but I don't think this would be the final product.

Touch screen on watch? Can it be done? Yes it can! Overly bulky? I would say that I rather have something a little more bulky that I can read from than this!

You could be right, maybe I'm judging the watch a little too soon, but maybe when a guy that is trying to sell the watch to you on a video on youtube says something negative about it, here is the video jump to 50 sec mark, should raise a few flags on ppls radars. Maybe a selector wheel around the watch like the old school ipod would solve that problem? Doesn't need to be digital, it can be analog for the touch screen haters.  If I can't easily maneuver, change screens and options, or even just easily use the device all together, it would be more of a burden on my hike than anything. And if a device is a burden to me, then it's definitely going in my garbage, or on a for sale ad, that's why I said it looks pretty garbage to me! Not because it looks ugly, but because it looks cumbersome. 

Also, if a close up image of the map looks like this, imagine trying to figure it out on the trail, and I'm not writing a gear review on the product at any post, I'm estimating its worth based on videos and pictures of other people using it. And I didn't say its ugly btw, 

On my first post here, I happily said I hope they keep improving on it.  Maybe if you get yours you can write a nice review and prove me wrong, that will make me consider getting a gps watch even more, so far I will stick with the handheld units, bulky, heavy, ugly, touch screen, very user friendly, very efficient.

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