Garmin International has announced key alliances in the fitness industry designed to revolutionize the way users work out.
“Fitness enthusiasts everywhere will benefit from the rapid adoption of ANT+ technology by the biggest names in exercise,” said Dan Bartel, Garmin’s vice president of worldwide sales. “Wireless monitoring and data transfer makes every step easier before, during and after workouts.”
A key component in Garmin’s new FR60 fitness watch, ANT+ is a leading wireless interface protocol enabling ultra low power applications such as fitness monitors. ANT+ offers all the benefits of digital wireless communications with much lower power consumption than other wireless protocols. At home or the gym, fitness equipment with the ANT+ LINK HERE logo will connect wirelessly with the FR60.
Tanita is launching the BC-1000 Body Composition monitor with ANT+ wireless technology incorporated into their design (planned for early summer release). The monitor measures weight, body fat, body water, and six other parameters, and specific data will be sent directly to the FR60. Tanita will release two packages, one of which will be bundled with the FR60 and USB ANTStick. Users can then send their body information to their computer on Garmin ConnectSM to keep track of their progress.
When used with Garmin Connect -” Garmin’s online training site -” the FR60’s benefits continue long after the workout. By pairing the FR60 with Garmin Connect, users can automatically log their workouts, track their totals, share workouts with coaches, friends and family and participate in an online fitness community with similar interests.
Available in men’s and women’s versions, Garmin’s FR60 comes with a wireless USB ANT Stick that plugs into the user’s PC or Mac and automatically downloads workout data stored on the watch to a personal computer. No cables are necessary as the FR60 quickly synchronizes with the computer once it is in close proximity. While the FR60 processes much of the same data as its GPS-enabled predecessors, those functions are packaged in a compact device the size of a typical fitness watch. The FR60, which is not GPS-enabled, can track and record up to 15 hours and 100 laps of detailed exercise data. Available in three colors -“ red, lilac and black -“ the streamlined FR60 comes packaged with a heart rate monitor, and the foot pod is available in select FR60 bundles.
The FR60 is the latest breakthrough from Garmin, which has spent 20 years using technology and innovation to enhance users’ lives, making Garmin a household name in the automotive, aviation, marine, wireless, outdoor and fitness industries. To learn more about the FR60 and Garmin’s other products and services, go to www.garmin.com and www.garmin.blogs.com.
