As all of us who've ever been tempted by the idea of hiring a personal trainer know only too well, these specialists tend to have some pretty high fees, so, in certain situations, it's perhaps for the best to try and replace them with one of the many electronic trainers available on the market. And since most people are less and less willing to spend extra cash on such “frivolities,” Garmin has decided to bank on this trend and launched a new model in its Forerunner line of GPS-enabled fitness devices, namely the 310XT model.

The waterproof Forerunner 310XT can be used outdoors or indoors (with an optional, streamlined foot pod that can fit on laces or under certain shoes’ insoles), with the high-sensitivity GPS receiver with HotFix being capable of quickly acquiring and sustaining satellite reception. An optional speed/cadence bike sensor helps cyclists monitor their pedaling cadence and wheel speed.

Forerunner 310XT can track speed, distance and location accurately and effortlessly, and users benefit from the precision of heart rate-based calorie computation. Runners and cyclists can adjust the pace and speed of their Virtual Partner without stopping in the middle of a workout, and the Virtual Partner is always on and ready for a challenge.

Another very important feature provided by the new fitness device from Garmin is the fact that it is waterproof to a depth of 50 meters, which means that users will be able to take it for a swim without having to worry about it getting damaged.

The device offers a very impressive battery life, up to 20 hours, which makes it a very good solution for endurance athletes as well. Plus, it's very easy to control via the intuitive buttons placed around the large, vivid display.

The Forerunner 310XT is slated to become available officially at some point over the course of summer 2009, but, for the time being, no pricing information has been provided by Garmin.


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