Garmin Forerunner 50 announced

This morning, Garmin announced the Garmin Forerunner 50 at the Outdoor Retailer trade show in Salt Lake City. The Forerunner 50 appears to be more watch-like than the bulky Forerunners of the past, is less expensive and it wirelessly downloads data to your computer. The system includes a wireless USB ANT(TM) Stick that plugs into the user's PC and automatically downloads workout data.   

EDIT: It turns out that this is not a GPS receiver. The specs tab on the Forerunner 50 web page says that the watch is not GPS-enabled and that it cannot accommodate waypoints or routes. It is a non-GPS sports watch. That helps explain the price!

The Forerunner 50 and USB ANT(TM) Stick with Heart Rate Monitor will retail for approximately $99. The Forerunner 50 with Foot Pod has an estimated retail price of $149, while the combination Forerunner 50 with Foot Pod and Heart Rate Monitor is expected to retail for $199. All three packages are anticipated to become available in October.

Finally, here's a Forerunner 50 mini site and today's press release.

Comments

[Mark Denovich]

They don't come out and say it (unless I missed it), but it doesn't look like it uses GPS at all... it's like the Nike+iPod pedometer. If the watch had GPS, why would it need a pod clipped to your shoe?

[Rich Owings]

Mark, I think you're right. The specs tab on the garmin Forerunner 50 page says the watch is not GPS enabled and that it cannot hold waypoints or routes. I'll edit the post.