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If you happen to be a professional athlete, you will definitely want to own the Garmin Forerunner GPS 201 watch. It has a huge selection of functions for the sports nut. It includes a GPS sensor, an electronic map, session change and reversal options, calorie tracker, lap details and data, performance archives, auto stopwatch with auto-lap and auto pause features, lap timer, pace alert, distance alert, free Training Center software, a bendy wristwatch strap, and an A/C desktop charging unit with a serial port.

The GPS 201 is suited for a professional as well as a less-involved athlete. It mostly takes care of the speed and tracking aspects. This device provides a lot of plus points, but its main design error is that it does not work predictably. This is the only reason you would not consider it perfect. Its dimensions of 3.3 ? 1.7 ? 0.7 make it appear more bulky than a regular fitness watch; it is actually lighter than it looks, weighing in at only 2.8 ounces. The watch is safe for use in water and therefore may be employed by swimmers or by sports participants in rainy or wet weather conditions.

The Garmin Forerunner Fitness 201 watch can keep a lap history of up to 5000 laps and offers many more options that you can adjust to fit your own demands and specific requirements. Among the most useful features the watch provides is the Training Center Software. This is an apt feature for you to use to save your performance statistics and can also let you see how they have varied along your path, especially if done some exercise at different elevations. The Virtual Partner component helps you set standards that you want to reach. You just have to compare your actual performance with that of your exercise buddy.

The GPS connectivity of this 201 model is disliked by a number of buyers because the signal can be fickle sometimes. In addition to that, consumers also dislike the discrepancies in functions like altitude and pace readings. This unit does not have a heart rate monitor. Nowadays, when many of the computer interfaces are USB compatible, this model falls to the back of the pack with a serial port facility.

The wristband of the Forerunner 201 GPS is of flexible dimensions, allowing you to wear the watch around your wrist or your upper arm as you wish. Its LCD display screen is a joy to view in brightly lit areas as well as in the shadows. The rechargeable lithium alloy battery can hold a charge for 14 hours at a stretch. It seems to be quite alright for runners, but may not be quite adequate for bicycling, etc.

Taken as a whole, the Garmin Forerunner 201 GPS is a watch with a lot of virtues. The training Center software and the Virtual partner features merit special mention. Unfortunately, its patchy GPS signaling is its only drawback.