Garmin Announces A New Running Watch, The Super Smart Forerunner 920XT

Running watches can either be dead simple – see Timex’s Ironman line – or complex. Garmin usually errs on the side of complex. Their latest running watch, the 920XT, will be available before the holiday and promises enough bells and training whistles to help you go from couch to (probably not) a 100 miler in a few weeks.

The new Forerunner looks similar to the previous models – large screen, big body, comfortable strap – but is waterproof and allows you to track bicycle rides and pool laps. It also connects to your cellphone allowing you to pick up reminders, text messages, and notifications right on your watch. It also includes WiFi so you can upload stats directly without a cable. The watch costs $449 without a heart rate monitor and $499 with.

Some features include:

The Forerunner 920XT’s sleek design is 15 percent lighter and 18 percent thinner than its predecessor, and features flexible, hinged watch bands for a more comfortable fit. Its high-resolution color display features a watch mode, and daily activity tracking features including steps, distance, calories, countdown to a personalized daily goal, audible move alert after one hour of inactivity, and sleep tracking. It also keeps users connected with smart notifications of incoming text, email, call, calendar reminders and more when in range of a paired Bluetooth device.

I’ve been running with Garmin for years – the Fenix 2 is my current favorite – and it’s been fascinating to see the evolution of these pieces from the hotel-soap-sized 305 to is bright and beastly watch. We’ll have a hands-on test over the next few weeks but until then you can check it out here.