Garmin's Got Two New Edges over the Competition

The people over at Garmin have launched quite an extensive line-up of GPS-related devices over time, including a special line-up of products aimed especially at recreational and advanced cyclists, dubbed Edge. And in order to complete said line-up, the company has just announced two new models, the Edge 705 and Edge 605, which provide mapping capabilities, street navigation and a 2.2-inch color display in addition to tracking vertical profiles, climb and descent, altitude, speed, distance and time.

According to the company, the 705 brings about several important technological breakthroughs in cycling technology, including here power compatibility and wireless unit-to-unit connectivity. The device allows users to monitor GPS position, power, heart rate, speed, cadence, altitude and gradient on the same display. Moreover, users will be able to share their information, including here saved rides, waypoints and workouts, with each other through ANT+Sport wireless technology. This innovative new technology allows the Edge to interface wirelessly with other fitness devices such as a heart rate monitor, cadence sensor or other Edge units.

Moreover, the mapping capabilities on the Edge 705 and Edge 605 allow cyclists to easily find their way even in unfamiliar areas. Thus, the routes can be adapted to revisit previous rides, personalized shortcuts or new destinations. Both units come with built-in basemaps and optional detailed street or topo maps are available on preloaded data cards.

As mentioned earlier, the two devices also provide certain extra-features as well. Thus, the altitude is recorded using a barometric altimeter for the Edge 705, which makes it much easier for cyclists to match their altitude profile with their speed, cadence and heart rate during post-ride analysis. The Edge 605 is also capable of measuring the altitude, but it employs GPS positioning in order to do so.

"The Edge 705 gives cyclists the most effective tools they need to train efficiently and share data easily," said Dan Bartel, Garmin's vice president of worldwide sales, "and these new products are further proof of how innovative technology can enrich people's lives and help them better enjoy their exercise and recreational activities."

Both devices are expected to ship in December 2007, but they won't be cheap. Thus, the Edge 705 with Heart Rate Monitor will have an estimated retail price of around $499.99 and added Speed/Cadence Sensor will up its price to $549.99, while the bundle version (with all possible accessories) will retail for around $649.99. On the other hand, the Edge 605 will be considerably cheaper, at it will retail for around $399.99.

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