Garmin's Foot Pod monitors athletes speed and distance

Compatible with the Forerunner 305, Foot Pod frees users from needing a GPS signal

10 August 2006 15:15 GMT / By Amber Maitland

Garmin has added an accessory to the Forerunner 305 GPS training device, in the form of the Foot Pod.

The Forerunner 305 Foot Pod lets athletes monitor their activity when out of range of a GPS.

The shoe-mounted device wirelessly communicates with the Forerunner 305 to provide speed and distance information, which is then displayed on the wrist-mounted Forerunner.

The Foot Pod runs on a single AAA battery, which yields about 70 hours of use.

The Forerunner is a customisable trainer that lets users measure, calculate, and analyse lap times with Auto Lap and Auto Pause; it also features Virtual Partner, which lets users race against themselves by displaying the goal pace and speed compared to the actual pace and speed.

The devices are also compatible with two pieces of software that help users tailor and monitor workouts: Garmin’s Training Center, and web-based MotionBased.com.

The Foot Pod is available from October for around $100. See Garmin’s website for more.