With the new Fenix, Garmin has packed all of their handheld GPS functionality into a small watch design. Enabling you to venture out handsfree, the outdoor watch comes with a complete set of navigation and tracking tools that will guide you along your adventures off the beaten path.
With a built-in GPS and comprehensive navigational functionality, the Fenix enables you to plan trips and create routes or record waypoints such as campsites or points of interest. A navigation arrow provides clear directional guidance towards selected coordinates, along a track or route, towards waypoints, geocaches, or along any other selected bearing.
The Fenix also enables you to create GPS bread crumb trails or tracklogs along your route. If you happen to get lost or slightly off track, simply enter the TracBack function and the watch will guide you back to your previous recorded tracklog.
The Fenix includes built-in altimeter, barometer, and compass sensors to provide you with real-time information on heading, elevation, and weather changes. Utilizing the GPS receiver, the outdoor watch can auto-calibrate the sensors and also auto sets the time based on location. For an extremely accurate temperature reading, the Fenix can be paired with Garmin’s new external temperature sensor, the Tempe.
The Garmin Fenix is both ANT and Bluetooth compatible, allowing you to connect with other Garmin sensors, such as heart rate monitor and speed/cadence sensors, to record real-time performance data like distance, pace, and calories. Bluetooth lets you share tracks, waypoints, and routes with other Garmin devices or with your smartphone for viewing on a more detailed map and larger screen.
Garmin’s outdoor watch is waterproof to 50 meters, while the rechargeable Li-ion battery will last up to 50 hours in GPS mode or up to 6 weeks in watch mode. Basic watch functions include alarms, tones, vibration alerts, timer, stopwatch, and world clock with the ability to display several times zones at once.
The Garmin Fenix is expected to be ready for fall 2012, retailing at $400. The Tempe temperature sensor accessory retails for $30.