All articles tagged with #garmin
ZDNET’s Prime Day 4 coverage shows the top 10 reader purchases as the event wraps at 11:59 a.m. PDT, led by the Bose SoundLink Plus, with other popular picks including the AAWireless Two Plus, Garmin Fenix 8 Pro, Heat It Bug Bite Healer, Garmin Epix Pro Gen 2 Sapphire Edition, AirFly Pro 2, Garmin Instinct 3 Solar, Soundcore Boom 2, and JBL Charge 6, most still on sale in the final hours.
Amazon has cut $350 off Garmin's Fenix 8 Pro Sapphire AMOLED with inReach, pushing the 51mm watch to a record low of $949 on Amazon ahead of the summer outdoor season; the device features built-in Iridium satellite connectivity for two-way messaging and SOS, LTE calling when available, and a full multisport suite with topo maps and offline storage, while Garmin still lists it at $1,299 on its own site.
Amazon has kicked off early Prime Day Garmin deals with up to 50% off models like Venu 4, Forerunner 165, epix Pro Gen 2, Fenix 8, and Instinct 3 Solar ahead of Prime Day (June 23–26). Prime membership is largely required to access these discounts (30-day free trial available). The Venu 4 is highlighted as the best overall Garmin watch, with the Fenix 8 favored for serious athletes, and multiple other Garmin wearables receive price cuts that will be updated through the event.
Garmin smartwatch users can log alcoholic drinks with the Alcogram app, which estimates blood alcohol content and shows a BAC trajectory on-device; it uses the user’s Garmin profile (gender, height, age, weight) to improve the estimates and keeps a drinking history, though BAC figures are approximate and should not be used for safety decisions like driving or cycling.
The Verge highlights 40 deals from REI’s big Anniversary Sale, covering everything from Garmin watches and satellite messengers to tents, sleeping pads, lighting, water filters, stoves, and more. The sale runs through May 25, with REI member savings (ANNIV26) giving 20% off one full-price or outlet item. Notable highlights include Garmin inReach Mini 2 for $249.99 (subscription needed for Iridium features), Half Dome 2 Tent with footprint for about $197.39, BioLite Site Lights for $74.89, LifeStraw Peak Series Straw for $18.69, and the JetBoil MiniMo Cooking System for $107.93, among others across camping gear, headlamps, portable speakers, and wearable tech. The roundup also points shoppers to affiliate links for potential savings at partners like Amazon and REI.
Garmin’s Forerunner 70 is a feature-dense upgrade to the budget line, bringing a 1.2” AMOLED display in a 43mm case, touchscreen, upgraded HR sensor, a revamped UI, Training Readiness and Training Status, expanded health metrics, an on-device Quick Workout Creator, and 60+ sport profiles—all for around $249. It undercuts competitors with a rich feature set while omitting offline maps and some high-end extras; the related Forerunner 170 adds open-water swimming and meditation, while the 70 forgoes those features.
The Amazon Spring Sale is discounting Garmin GPS bike computers across the range, with notable deals like the Edge Explore 2 at $229 (down from $299), the Edge 1040 Solar at about 20% off to $599.99, and the Edge MTB at $299.99 (save $100). Other Garmin models are on sale too (e.g., Edge 1050 at $699.99, Edge 850 at $523.99, Edge 550 at $499.99), as the sale runs toward a March 31 US end date. Cyclingnews highlights Garmin as a top choice, noting the Edge 1050 as the best overall, while some models like Edge 130 aren’t discounted.
Engadget reports that Meta has released an official WhatsApp app for select Garmin smartwatches via the Connect IQ Store, letting users read and reply to messages, send emojis, view chat history, and accept/decline calls — all with end-to-end encryption. Availability is model-specific (Forerunner, Venu, Vivoactive, and Fenix devices), and compatibility must be checked in Garmin Connect IQ Store; this follows a WhatsApp app launch on Apple Watch last year.
Garmin is developing a third‑party Garmin Chat Connector to link Garmin Connect data with AI assistants such as ChatGPT and Claude, enabling natural‑language questions about sleep, workouts, and recovery. The system, a cloud‑hosted MCP server, securely connects data via a token‑based URL and exposes 16 data tools across five categories; it is not an official Garmin product and is nearing completion as part of a broader move toward conversational health analytics.
Suunto filed a September lawsuit against Garmin over five patents (antenna design, respiration-rate sensing, golf-shot detection, etc.). Garmin responded in December with a 218-page countersuit accusing Suunto and its Dongguan Liesheng parent of infringing five different patents and arguing Suunto copied Garmin/Firstbeat tech. The filings hinge on hardware patents like antenna design and GPS-related tech, plus a controversial ‘flashlight in a watch’ patent used as leverage. The piece portrays the case as a legal circus rather than a straightforward tech fight, noting Suunto’s products have improved but predicting the dispute could become mutual patent warfare rather than yielding a clear winner.
Garmin has unveiled the Varia RearVue 820, the brand’s brightest rear radar bike light to date, delivering up to 2km visibility and a 60° radar view with detection out to 175m. It includes advanced vehicle tracking that assesses vehicle size and lateral movement, categorizes threat levels, and supports Same Speed Tracking with smartwatch voice alerts. The unit can function as a brake light, offers customizable patterns via the Varia app, and displays radar data on compatible bike computers. It connects by USB-C and comes with a new seatpost mount, with four light modes (Solid, Peloton, Night Flash, Day Flash) plus a radar-only option. Battery life ranges from 10 hours (Solid) to 24 hours (Day Flash), and up to 30 hours in radar-only mode. Price is £259.99 / $299.99 / €299.99.
The article highlights Garmin shortcuts—formerly known as hot keys—as a hidden feature that lets you customize button presses to quickly access your most-used tools. By configuring shortcuts in the Settings (often under System), you can assign actions like launching the music player, starting timers, saving a location, or opening alarms. On five-button Garmins you can set up to seven shortcuts, enabling a clutter-free watch face while providing rapid access to frequent functions, a daily time-saver the author personally relies on.
Strava’s Instant Workouts aims to deliver five weekly workouts across four categories with auto route suggestions, leveraging Runna data and subscription access. In practice, the feature is hampered by wonky pace estimates (often based on outdated data), impractical route ideas (such as looping around a block), and a lack of push-to-device support, with Garmin/Apple integration promised but uncertain. It has real potential to differentiate Strava if it fixes routing accuracy and adds seamless device syncing.
Garmin has updated its Connect app to include a nutrition tracking feature that allows users to log food intake, monitor macros, and receive personalized insights, but it's only available for Garmin Connect+ subscribers, with compatibility across various Garmin smartwatches.
Garmin announced at CES 2026 that it is adding a food and calorie tracking feature to its Connect app, utilizing AI image recognition and a food database, allowing users to monitor nutrition and calories seamlessly, especially when used with compatible Garmin wearables, available to Connect+ subscribers.