Garmin Forerunner 405cx

The first thing that one will notice about the 405cx is its size. It is impossibly small, considering all that it does. While the watch is just a little larger than your typical watch, it is by no means cumbersome. There are only 2 tactile buttons on the watch itself, Start/Stop and Lap/Reset. The other functions are controlled by touch sensitive buttons around the perimeter of the watch. The navigation took some time to get used to.

Setting up the device was easy. The quick start guide supplied with the device was simple and easy to understand. Before using the heart rate function it is necessary to pair the device with the supplied heart rate monitor. Once that is paired you will then need to pair it with the wireless antenna. The wireless antenna actually allows the user to transfer all his/her workout data wirelessly to the computer by simply bringing the watch within 3m of the USB antenna.

Charging the device is accomplished by using the supplied USB cable charger. The charge simply clips onto the side of the watch to charge. The screen will display how much battery life remains using a percentage. The battery actually charges quit quickly. Our demo unit charged in about an hour to full capacity.

Using the device was simple enough, although it did take some time to figure out the menu and navigation using the quirky touch sensitive bezel. Once you have the device configured the operation is pretty simple, much like many of Garmin’s other products. If you have used any of Garmin’s other fitness devices (such as their Edge series cycling computers) you should have no trouble getting the hang of this device.

The main screen can be setup to display as much or as little information as you would like. Of course there is only so much information that can be displayed on a screen the size of a quarter. The user can customize the fields to have, say, heart rate always visible. Or change it to have distance and heart rate displayed together. There are actually quite a few fields that you can choose from letting the user really customize his/her device.

Perhaps the only complaint I have with this device is the touch bezel interface. While I did eventually get used to it, it would constantly rub against my wrist or sleeve, changing the mode I was in. After becoming familiar with the device I found that you can lock the bezel, eliminating this problem. I think it would have been nice to have the bezel lock itself after a minute or so. This is only a minor complaint and certainly nothing that would keep me from purchasing the device.