Has anyone tried out the Garmin 310XT? Feedback on its performance would be appreciated.
I just received a tester from Garmin this morning, will be testing it starting tomorrow (gotta work today) when I get to Sea Otter.
Three things out the gate;
The buttons are a lighter action that on the Forerunner 205 or 305, which feel nice with a nice, solid little “click.” The buttons are rubber-covered, keeping it watertight.
Upon exploring the features, the multisport mode has a box you can tick that gives you choice of including or not including your transition time.It’s slightly smaller/less chunky than I initially thought it would be. The thickness is what I thought, but the body is smaller than I envisioned (thought the screen is plenty large), which is awesome.
Will have more soon at my blog as testing goes live. But from first blush, it’s great. Won’t be able to open-water swim test it till I get back from Otter, though… that’s the test I’m really looking forward to.
I would really like something to pace me in the water. A strong vibration on my arm at my 50m pace would really help me make sure I am not going out to hard.
how do you become a tester?
Work for Triathlete Magazine. 
Upon exploring the features, the multisport mode has a box you can tick that gives you choice of including or not including your transition time.
Is there some quick and easy way of going from race segment to segment (i.e., swim to T1 to bike, etc.)? Is this anything more than a button push?
Thanks,
Chris
Where is the GPS transistor? Is it in the band like the 305 or is it in the watch face like the 405?
Probably the same as the 305. It’s just hitting the lap button to go from one to
the other.
-Jot
There’s nothing in the band, all receivers, etc. are in the watch body. They’ve got the receiver hidden in there well.
As for utility, I’ll let you know as I get it to use, just got some deadline stuff to contend with now, and I’ll be doing tons of press events and hopefully interviews with athletes at Sea Otter (I know Steve Larsen and Conrad Stoltz, and am fairly certain Mel McQuaid will be racing this weekend up there, so will just be toying with the 310XT while up there.
Indeed, being a gear tester for Triathlete has its perks, and this is one of 'em that I dig.
When is it going to be available for purchase?
The statement released by Garmin said mid May. Some retailers are allowing you to reserve one now.
May 15ish for the unit w/out the new HR strap.
July 30ish fro the one WITH the new HR strap.
Garmin’s current HR strap is compatible with the 310.
Is there a specific benefit to getting the new HR strap? The old version seems fine to me with my 305.
it is billed as waterproof, but I never had any problems with the old strap.
it is also supposed to be more comfortable. the rumors I’ve heard are that it is more along the lines of polar’s wearlink strap, a lot more flexible and more likely to stay in place when running for prolonged periods of time.
what are the major changes for the 310? that I can see
- more battery life
- waterproof
- new chest strap
is that it? to me it doesn’t seem enough to justify the price premium on the 305… (unless the 305 is getting discontinued to avoid competing with the 310)
It’s also ant+, so it can get power data from a comparably equipped power meter.
also records powermeter data.
but yeah if you have a 305 and aren’t planning on getting a powermeter any time soon, I’m not sure I’d switch out.
I’ve got mine on order and will compare it to my buddy’s 305 to see if the design is any more user friendly.
but yeah if you have a 305 and aren’t planning on getting a powermeter any time soon, I’m not sure I’d switch out.
I don’t have a 305, I was looking into getting a gps-enabled watch and $180 for the 305 seems a lot more palatable than 399 for the 310 considering the list of improvements…
what are the major changes for the 310? that I can see
- more battery life
- waterproof
- new chest strap
is that it? to me it doesn’t seem enough to justify the price premium on the 305… (unless the 305 is getting discontinued to avoid competing with the 310)
“Is that it” may not seem like much… but those features plus ANT+ for power meter compatibility and a slightly smaller package is really all that was missing from the 305. Sure, I wouldn’t mind it to be a little smaller still… but not at the cost of battery live or usability (ref: 405). I think it’s well worth it for me to upgrade!
If you don’t plan on doing an IM and don’t care about having to put it on in T1 or leave it on your bike… then yeah, pick up a 305 before they go out of stock because I bet the 310 will be a big seller as the retail price quickly drops below the MSRP.
A question about recharging the unit. Given the GPS enabled feature only allows 20hrs of battery life, what recharging options are there? If planning on doing events that take you away from mains power supply for a number of days, how best to recharge the watch?
Also, under the specs listed on the Garmin site, it says “No” for ‘sport watch function’. Any idea what that actually means?