Whether you're looking to get your beach bod ready for the summer or just want to track your health and fitness, smartwatches are a fantastic way to monitor your progress and enhance your results. Even better, Amazon is running a sale on wearable tech right now, so you can snag a smartwatch at an even smarter price.

These handy (or should that be wristy?) devices can track your heart rate, calories burned, distance traveled, steps taken, and more, with fancier models even having modes for specific types of exercise. Beyond fitness goals, most smartwatches these days offer plenty of health and wellness benefits, including sleep tracking, heart rhythm notifications, and menstrual health tracking.

Beyond the health benefits, smartwatches are just amazingly useful pieces of tech that let you check messages, answer calls, get notifications, control your music playlists, and more. Take the Apple Watch Series 10, for example; the quintessential "do everything" smartwatch, and right now, it's down to just $299, a full $100 off the MSRP.

Our top pick for a fitness-first device has to be the Fitbit Charge 6, which is currently $40 off, down to just $119. It's the ultimate fitness tracker at an incredibly affordable price, and that's why we gave it our editor's choice award in our Fitbit Charge 6 review. It has great features, excellent battery life, and, most importantly, it's intuitive to use.

We've got a good mixture of fitness trackers and smartwatches below, so whatever your needs and price range, we're sure you'll find something to suit you.

Smartwatch and fitness tracker deals at Amazon

• Amazfit Bip 5 - 46mm - GPS: was $89 now $59 at Amazon
• Amazfit GTR Mini - 43mm: was $99 now $69 at Amazon
• Fitbit Inspire 3: was $99 now $78 at Amazon
• Fitbit Charge 6: was $159 now $119 at Amazon
• Amazfit Balance - 46mm - GPS: was $199 now $149 at Amazon
• Apple Watch Series SE - 40mm - GPS: was $249 now $169 at Amazon
• Samsung Galaxy Watch 7: was $299 now $195 at Amazon
• Fitbit Sense 2 - GPS: was $249 now $199 at Amazon
• Samsung Galaxy Watch FE 40mm LTE: was $249 now $199 at Amazon
• Garmin Forerunner 165: was $249 now $199 at Amazon
• Garmin vívoactive 5: was $299 now $238 at Amazon
• Apple Watch Series 10 - 42mm - GPS: was $399 now $299 at Amazon
• Garmin Forerunner 265S: was $449 now $349 at Amazon
• Garmin Venu 3S : was $449 now $349 at Amazon
• Apple Watch Ultra 2 - 49mm - GPS + Cellular: was $799 now $729 at Amazon

Whether you're cruising a reef at 30 feet or penetrating a wreck at 30 meters, you want gear that won't quit.

I'm a dive instructor, wreck enthusiast, and professional reviewer so I tend to be difficult to please when it comes to my personal tech purchases. And that's no different whether it's a laptop, gaming PC build, or scuba-friendly smartwatch.

So while we've been tracking the best Cyber Monday laptop deals, I've also had my eye on the best smartwatch/dive computer deals.

In fact, I always dive with the smaller version of the Garmin Descent MK 2, which is 18% off at Amazon. And I'm eyeing this Apple Watch deal to upgrade my usual pool fitness tracker since Amazon has shaved 10% off the Apple Watch Ultra 2.

Out of all the rugged smartwatches and watch-style dive computers, these are the three I'm eyeing for my own Amazon cart.

Today's best rugged smartwatch deals

Other options to consider

If you want that old, school scuba brand name recognition with a more budget-friendly watch-style computer, the Scuba Pro G3 will set you back $800 full price.

If you're not as married to the watch form factor and want a great, reliable dive computer, I keep the original Shearwater Research Perdix next to my Garmin Descent MK 2S on my left wrist on every open water dive. You can get the updated Shearwater Perdix 2 Ti for $1,140. Or you can opt for the more wallet-friendly Peregrine, which is on sale for $550 for Cyber Monday.

While you can take other Apple Watches in the water, only the Apple Watch Ultra and Apple Watch Ultra 2 can take advantage of the Oceanic+ App to work as dive computers.

Today is a day of tech deal choices, but whatever decision you make, dive safe.

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The best Prime Day October deals are now live through October 11. And we're seeing huge deals for Amazon Prime Big Deal Days, so if you're in need of a smartwatch or fitness watch with GPS capability and health monitoring, plenty of Garmin-branded products have gone on sale.

Prices start at $170 with the Garmin Vivoactive 45, dropping it down by $160 from its original price. But for those willing to go the extra mile for a more expensive product, the $400 for the Garmin Edge 1030 Plus features a GPS for cycling or climbing with a strap and additional protective elements. 

To get access to Prime Day deals, you'll need to join Amazon Prime. Not only is it free for the first 30 days, but you can cancel or pause your membership any time. 

Best Prime Day Garmin deals

During Amazon Prime Day deals, you can find great savings and discounts on all your back-to-school and early holiday shopping needs. These Smartwatches from Garmin cover all your health, fitness, and performance monitoring needs. Garmin also brings a watch to fit every budget this Amazon Prime Day.  

From rugged to elegant, Garmin has a smartwatch to fit your needs, and every one comes with apps that will track your health and fitness. Garmin is known for its world-class GPS tracking, and it shows as each watch allows you to backtrack and find your way home. 

From stylish to Mil-Spec certified, these smartwatches from Garmin have you covered this Amazon Prime Day. 

Garmin Prime Day Watch Deals

The Garmin Instinct Solar is a popular smartwatch seeing a huge discount, making Prime Day 2023 look like a sorry excuse for wearable deals season. With solar charging capabilities, wellness monitoring, and smart features, the Garmin Instinct Solar smartwatch is currently $150 off.

You can get your hands on the Garmin Instinct Solar for $199 at Best Buy, meaning it's seeing a steep 43% discount. Considering the Apple Watch Series 8 starts at $399, and even the "affordable" Apple Watch SE starts at $249, this is a massive steal for those needing a smartwatch without spending all that extra cash. This makes it one of the best Prime Day deals you can get.

The Garmin Instinct Solar is an excellent choice for health-conscious individuals who need to keep track of their heart rate, stress levels and receive sleep estimates. Alongside this, users can analyze their pulse and monitor their health for exceedingly long periods due to its built-in solar charging, with one Best Buy user review claiming that the "battery life lasts for weeks."

This is obviously a rugged watch, which means it's meant for outdoorsy individuals who want a one-stop-all smartwatch that will give them information on key details about their body and activities like running, biking, swimming and more. Smart notifications are also available, but they're not built-in and need to first be connected to a smartphone.

It also features an in-depth power manager that displays analysis on what is consuming the most battery life, allowing the user to make detailed shifts to increase longevity. 

Alongside the built-in barometric altimeter, 3-axis compass, and navigation systems through GPS, GLONASS and Galileo, it serves tons of unique purposes. It also features a 100-meter water rating and fulfills the U.S. military standard 810 in thermal, shock and water protection.

Looking for more phenomenal Prime Day deals? We've got you covered! Visit our Prime Day deals hub for the best summer discounts.

The Apple Watch Series 8 appears to one of the most highly sought after deals for Prime Day 2023, but what if I told you that you should consider an alternative? The Series 8 is $279 on Amazon — and that's its discounted price. The Fitbit Sense 2 is $50 cheaper (and has much better battery life.)

Snatch the Fitbit Sense 2 for just $229 on Amazon, which is nearly 25% off its original listing price of $300. Packed with all-day stress detection with cEDA, an ECG app for atrial fibrillation analysis, irregular heart rhythm notifications, spO2, and more, the Fitbit Sense 2 is an excellent Apple Watch alternative for both fitness and health-focused fanatics alike.

Check out our 3 smartwatches that are a better value than the Apple Watch Series 8 piece. The best alternative to the Apple Watch Series 8, in my opinion, is the Garmin Venu 2S, which is discounted to $249 in a Prime Exclusive Lightning deal.

The next best alternative is definitely the Fitbit Sense 2, which dropped to $229 for Prime Day. Why? The Apple Watch Series 8 is known for not having the best battery life, only delivering a runtime of about a day and a half. The FitBit Sense 2 can last up to six days on a single charge, which means you don't have to worry about charging your smartwatch every night. Even if you forget to juice it up, the Fitbit Sense 2 should still have enough power to be your companion for the day.

Similar to the Apple Watch Series 8, the Fitbit Sense 2 has the following features:

-on-board GPS (great for tracking your outdoor adventures)

-an accelerometer to track your steps

-an oxygen saturation (SpO2) reader

-an FDA-approved ECG sensor for checking atrial fibrillation

-a heart-rate sensor

-sleep tracking.

Like the Apple Watch Series 8, the Fitbit Sense 2 has skin temperature sensors, but they're used differently. Apple's model uses it to keep an eye on the wearer's ovulation and menstrual cycles. The Fitbit Sense 2, on the other hand, uses it to track electrodermal activity.

Looking for more Prime Day Apple Watch deals? We've got you covered. 

Cyber Monday deals are rolling in hot on today's top fitness tracking gear, such as Garmin's line of Smartwatches. The Fenix, in particular is a great Apple Watch alternative.

If hiking is your poison of choice, you'll find the Garmin Fenix to be the perfect travel companion. With a scratch-resistant Power Sapphire lens, enjoy extended solar-powered charge time for whatever your adventure brings you. Right now the Garmin Fenix is on sale for $799. That's $100 of it's original $899 price! Not bad for a newly-released watch.

But that's not all! You'll also find the Garmin Forerunner 735XT on sale for $126; its 31mm diameter makes it ideal for runners. Stay tuned, because there's more smart deals where these came from.

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Available in four gorgeous colors, the Garmin Fenix is as stylish as it is practical. The 1.2-inch display may seem large, but the 14-day battery life thanks to the solar charging panel inside makes it all worth it. 

Constructed from Power Sapphire, the lens is inherently scratch resistant, and the titanium bezel gives extra protection. It's also built to U.S. military standards for thermal, shock, and water resistance for whatever your adventure throws at you.

Whether you're using your smartwatch to monitor your heart rate during a given workout, your sleeping patterns during a given season, or trying to track your way through a forest (during a given season), the Garmin Fenix has you covered completely. Plus, with Garmin pay you can feel reassured when you leave your wallet at home. 

Cyber Monday is on November 28th and we're expecting to see weeklong savings on today's most coveted gadgets. Check out our Cyber Monday deals hub for the best discounts happening now.

The Garmin Vivoactive 4 and Vivoactive 4S are essentially the same smartwatch, with the former model featuring a 45mm diameter, and the latter a 40mm diameter. Both  fitness wearables are solid contenders against the Apple Watch Series 7, not to mention the Galaxy Watch 4 Smartwatch. 

Whether you'd prefer the larger or smaller version for tracking those athletic activities of choice, you can pick up the Garmin Vivoactive 4 for $188  or Garmin Vivoactive 4S for $188 on Amazon right now. These smartwatches usually cost $330 each, but Jeff is slashing the price nearly in half for Prime Day, saving you $142 in the long run. (Or power-walk.) 

But that's not all! You'll also find the Garmin Forerunner 735XT on sale for $170; its 31mm diameter is pretty darn ideal for runners. With smartwatch deals like this, it might be dumb to pass them up. 

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Available in five distinguished color schemes, the Garmin Vivoactive 4 and Vivoactive 4S are essentially the same smartwatch, with the latter having a slightly smaller screen and diameter (1.1 inches, 40mm versus 1.3 inches, 45mm).  They're both easy to personalize with thousands of free watch faces, apps, and widgets available from the Connect IQ store. 

Whether you're using either smartwatch to monitor your heart rate during a given workout or your sleeping patterns during a given season, the Vivoactive 4 and Vivoactive 4S have you covered. And not for nothing, but with 9,000+ five-star ratings on Amazon, it must be popular for a reason. (Or two.) 

Constructed from Corning Gorilla Glass 3, stainless steel, fiber-reinforced polymer and strapped to your wrist via silicone strip, you can expect plenty of durability for the open road (or trail), and about a week's worth of battery life in smartwatch mode. Bonus: with Garmin Pay, you can even leave your wallet at home.  

The Garmin Forerunner 735XT running watch is also on sale for Prime Day, and it provides advanced dynamics for running, cycling and swimming, including ground contact time balance, stride length, vertical ratio and more  —  all from its capable 1.2-inch display. It's another excellent fitness tool for hybrid athletes of all ages, no matter what your fitness goals are. 

Long-story-long, Garmin belongs on your smartwatch shortlist, along with the Samsung Watch 4 and Apple Watch Series 7. See you on the trail! 

Garmin wants you to stay connected behind the wheel without having to sacrifice safety with its new interactive head-up display (HUD). The HUD projects important driving information directly onto a vehicle’s windshield just below the driver’s line of sight.

To keep distractions to a minimum, the HUD has two use modes, passive and interactive. In passive mode, the HUD provides basic information including customizable audio, navigation and communication content. Garmin says navigation data would include things such as junction views, lane guidance, speed limit and safety warnings.

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 To activate interactive mode, drivers pass their hands over a steering wheel-mounted proximity sensor. From here users can select navigation routes, view traffic data, change radio stations and make phone calls. 

Garmin’s HUD isn’t the first of its kind. Automakers including General Motors have been using such systems in their vehicles for several years. The inclusion of a proximity sensor on the steering wheel, however, is a wholly new concept.

If you’re not in the market for a new vehicle, but still want the benefits of a HUD, you can instead opt for Garmin’s new portable Head-up Display Plus (HUD+). Available in February for $179, the accessory offers similar functionality to the company’s interactive HUD, with the added benefit of being able to bring it with you into any car you use.

To use the device, drivers simply download the companion app for iOS, Android or Windows Phone and pair their handset with HUD+ via Bluetooth. Once connected, your phone will send relevant navigation and road guidance data to HUD+, which will display the information on your windshield.

We’ll be sure to bring you our hands-on impressions with both Garmin’s interactive HUD and HUD+ live from CES 2014 in the coming days.

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Garmin is bringing a new form of dash cam to market designed to emphasize safe, responsible driving. Dubbed the Garmin Dash Cam, the fully-automated camera, which goes on sale next month for $219, suctions directly to your car's windshield. Start your car’s engine, and the camera automatically begins recording, only switching off when your turn off your car.

The goal of the Dash Cam is to record any incidents that occur during your drive including heavy braking or a collision. When the Dash Cam’s built-in G-Sensor detects such a incident, it signals the camera to begin saving the current, last and next recording to provide drivers with a complete record of the situation.

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Footage can be saved in 1080p, 720p or WVGA and is stored on the Dash Cam’s built-in 4GB microSD card. If you want to save more video, you can install up to a 32GB card. Opt for the GPS-enabled version of the Dash Cam for $249, and in addition to being time stamped, your footage will also be marked with location data including altitude, date, time, speed and your direction of travel. 

An integrated microphone also lets you record any sound from inside your vehicle prior to, during and after an incident. A 2.3-inch color display helps you setup the Dash Cam for the best viewing angle in your car, and a suction cup lets you mount it to your windshield.

Check out more of our auto tech coverage live from CES 2014 in the coming week.

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Have you been putting off getting into running? Garmin's new running watches may inspire you to start. The Forerunner 620 and Forerunner 220, available for $399 and $249, respectively, provide users with advanced features that Garmin says can all but replace your running coach. The standout of the two watches is the 620, which sports a Chroma color touch screen display and features including a recovery advisor, race predictor and VO2 max estimator.

When used in conjunction with the optional $89 HRM-Run monitor, the 620 can be used to advise users of how long they should take off between heavy workouts in order to full recover. The VO2 max estimator, which is the maximum volume of oxygen that can be used per minute, per kilogram of body weight, gauges your performance against other runners of your gender and age range. The VO2 max estimator can also be used to determine how a runner would perform in their next race.

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The HRM-Run Monitor, which wraps around your chest, can be used to determine your cadence, vertical oscillation and ground contact time. The cadence metric helps provide you with your total number of steps per minute, while vertical oscillation informs you of the bounce in your run motion. Ground contact time tells you how many milliseconds your feet spend on the ground with each step you take. Less time on the ground, means a faster run time.

Users can connect both the Forerunner 620 and 220 directly to their iPhone or Android smartphones to upload their running data to the Garmin Connect Web page through the Garmin Connect Mobile app. From there, you can see how you stack up against other runners, as well as view your friends' real-time running performance. Plus, both smartwatches tell the time. Both Forerunners are water-resistant up to 50 meters. The 620's touch screen can also be used with gloves, while the 220 uses physical buttons.

If you're looking to grab the Forerunner 620 with the available HRM-Run monitor, you can pick them up as a bundle for $449. The Forerunner 220, meanwhile, can be had with a premium heart rate monitor for $299.

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We're heading into the final hours of CES 2013, and the product announcements and hands-on demos are still coming fast and furious. Read on for a wrap-up of the hottest news from the show floor.

We got a firsthand look at the Surface Tablet Pro in all of its more muscular glory, and we enjoyed the device’s quick-footed navigation, support for Windows apps and capable collection of new bonus features–especially considering it costs $400 more than the $499 Surface RT.

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One of the unsung features of the iPad mini is that the software is smart enough to know whether you’re holding the tablet or trying to tap the screen. That’s how Apple can get away with such a narrow bezel. Synaptics believes it has a better solution with its grip sensing technology, which it demonstrated here at CES 2013 using the company’s Sensa tablet concept.

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How low can hi-res go? Less than a year after Apple introduced the 3rd-gen iPad and its eye-searing Retina display, the Google Nexus 10 tablet is already delivering a comparable level of eye-candy for $100 less than Apple’s flagship slate, and at CES 2013, Archos is primed to take pixel-packed displays to the masses. The company’s new Archos 97 Titanium sports a display that shamelessly apes the iPad’s, from its 9.7-inch screen size to its 2048 x 1536-pixel screen resolution—and manages to do so for just $249, or half the cost of its inspiration.

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When we first heard about Harman’s Interactive Heads-Up Display infotainment system, we weren’t quite sure if the company’s ambitious platform would be too intimidating for the average driver. But after spending some time with the platform, which includes a touch-screen display, a digital instrument cluster, gesture controls and a heads-up display, it looks as though Harman has everything under control.

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Streaming movies, playing online games and downloading large files can all slow your network, and the more devices you bring into your home, the more your network speeds will suffer. But Qualcomm may have the answer for your slow network blues with its new StreamBoost router technology.

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2013 is shaping up to be a great year for Android gaming fans. Archos debuted its new GamePad tablet at CES 2013, hoping to win over the early adopter crowd. In order to stand out from the crowd, Archos is offering its latest tablet at a wallet-friendly $169. But will that be enough to score with gamers?

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The last time we met with Wysips back in 2011, we were blown away by the company’s photovoltaic film prototype. The idea: Let phones sip power from the sun or any ambient light source via the screen. This week at CES 2013, the company showed us an iPhone retro-fitted with its Wysips Crystal component to demonstrate how much closer it is to rocking the wireless world.

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Garmin is expanding its portfolio beyond in-car GPS devices and looking to take over your entire dashboard. The company debuted its new K2 infotainment platform, and we got behind the wheel of a Dodge Journey with a built-in concept version of Garmin’s system to see if the company is on the right track.

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With more than 3,000 exhibitors at CES 2013, there were bound to be some gadgets that were outside the mold. Here are our picks for the weirdest, wildest and wackiest gadgets of CES 2013.

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Cloud gaming services like Onlive will soon have some foreign competition here in the States. We spoke with Israeli-based firm Playcast, which is operating its self-titled cloud gaming service in France, Portugal and Korea with plans to launch the service here in the U.S. by the third quarter of this year.

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Garmin is expanding its portfolio beyond in-car GPS devices and looking to take over your entire dashboard. The company is here at CES 2013 to debut its new K2 infotainment platform, and we got behind the wheel of a Dodge Journey with a built-in concept version of Garmin's system to see if the company is on the right track.

Garmin's system features a 10-inch touch screen and a 12-inch configurable instrument cluster that users can control via a series of steering wheel-mounted buttons. The touch-screen display is large and easy to read, which makes navigating its various menus and features a snap.

Garmin demoed a version of its 3D navigation software, which rendered a map of downtown Chicago in real-time. The software is still an early model, but displayed large 3D versions of buildings as well as the famous elevated train line.

In addition to its navigation function, Garmin reps demonstrated K2's in-car smartphone connectivity. When a user connects their smartphone, Garmin's system allows users to listen to incoming email and text messages, and will eventually be able to dictate them as well.

In a shout-out to the the film "Lincoln," the Garmin crew set up a Samsung Galaxy S III to simulate what Honest Abe's smartphone would be like, complete with relevant contacts. Seeing Mary Todd Lincoln's various emails was a bit jarring, but helped give us a good idea of what users could expect when using K2.

The system's user interface is very attractive and can be separated into three different columns displaying items such as contacts, messages and more. Weather reports and forecasts, as well as sports scores and schedules, are also available to users. We're not sure, however, if automakers would be comfortable providing users with so much information on their in-car display at one time. 

A to-do list feature will allow users to create location-based reminders for chores, which K2 can automatically bring to your attention when you approach a relevant location. If you make a to-do list reminder to pick up groceries, for example, the K2 system will automatically alert you when you drive near a grocery store.

As of yet, Garmin hasn't announced any OEM partners for the K2 system. However, it's not out of the realm of possibility to think that the company could announce a partner in the near future. 

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Garmin's been on a roll at CES 2013. In addition to its Edge 810 and Edge 510 dedicated biking devices, the company is also showing off its new 2013 nüvi model dedicated GPS units. The systems, which we were fortunate enough to get hands-on time with prior to the show, include voice activated controls, Garmin Real Directions and the company's new Active Lane Guidance feature.

The models range from the king-of-the-hill 5-inch nüvi 3597 Prestige series to the 4.3-inch Essential series. The nüvi 3597 is an exceptionally attractive device with its large display, thin profile and brushed-metal chassis.

Unlike those ancient GPS units you used to have to lug around, the 3597 is incredibly light and, quite frankly, feels more like a smartphone than a GPS unit. In addition to its handsome design, the nüvi 3597 features a magnetic mount that allows users to quickly snap the device into and out of its holder.

While its elegant design is noteworthy, the nüvi 3597's main draw is its Real Directions and Active Lane Guidance features. Real Directions helps users better understand their route by providing them with navigation tips based on landmarks rather than simple street names.

Garmin says the device will be able to tell users to "turn right after the Starbucks," rather than "Turn right on Maple Street." A spokesperson for Garmin explained that the company reps had to physically drive through areas that activate the Real Directions feature in order to make sure the landmarks the system uses are easily visible to drivers.

Garmin's Active Lane Guidance helps make driving through interchanges and reaching highway off ramps easier by splitting the display in half, with one side offering a magnified view of the intersection to help ensure that users are in the correct lane when taking an exit. 

Other enhancements to the Garmin line include Garmin Express, which helps make updating your GPS unit easier, a much needed improvement, and Up Ahead, which gives users quick access to nearby points-of-interest, speed limits and other warnings.

Overall, we found the nüvi 3597 to be a welcome change to the GPS formula. Whether or not users will abandon their smartphone GPS for the device remains to be seen.

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Users may no longer depend on Garmin's dedicated GPS devices now that smartphones have built-in navigation software, but that doesn't mean the company is abandoning the automotive space. In fact, Garmin is looking to make an even bigger impact on your dashboard with the debut of its new K2 infotainment platform at CES 2013.

Garmin drew influence for the new system from its existing marine and avionics system, and says that it is seeking to turn the standard auto dashboard into a digital cockpit. The platform includes a large 10-inch touch screen, a digital and reconfigurable 12-inch instrument cluster situated behind the steering wheel, voice control, infrared sensors similar to those found in Cadillac's CUE system and smartphone integration.

Drawing its power from TI's ARM Cortex A-15 processor, K2 is capable of rendering 3D cities and buildings in real-time when the navigation feature is active. The navigation function also provides users with real-time traffic, weather, fuel prices, the location of nearby traffic cameras and parking conditions.

Garmin says the system is so advanced that it will automatically locate the nearest gas station when it detects your vehicle is low on fuel and display directions to the station on the 10-inch display. A handy to-do list feature lets users create location-based reminders for things such as a grocery lists that K2 will automatically pull up when you are near a grocery store.

Beyond the usual speedometer and tachometer, K2's 12-inch instrument cluster display provides users with navigation, phone, audio and vehicle data. If you receive an email or text while your phone is connected to the system, for example, Garmin says its K2 will read you the message and allow you to dictate a response. Ford's Sync system offers a similar feature, so this isn't exactly groundbreaking stuff, but it will still prove useful for many drivers.

Like Cadillac's CUE system, K2's 10-inch touch-screen display gives drivers basic navigation, audio and other information. Draw your hand close to the screen, however, and its built-in infrared sensors will detect your movement and instantly provide you with more detailed information such as a calendar and messaging center, which will be accessible when the car is stationary.

One of K2's more intriguing features is its planed passenger detection system. This function, Garmin says, will allow K2 determine when a front seat passenger is attempting to use the touch screen and offer them more advanced functionality including Web and social media access.

Garmin's OEM partners include BMW, Chrysler, Honda and Toyota, although the company isn't saying which automakers are working with K2 yet. Stay tuned for our complete hands-on with K2 live from CES 2013.

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Want to track your biking performance but don't want to risk dropping your smartphone? Garmin might have the answer. The company today announced its new dedicated biking devices, the Edge 510 ($329) and Edge 810 ($499), and we got to go hands-on with both at CES 2013.

Garmin says the waterproof devices are meant to be strapped to your bicycle's handlebars and can track information ranging from elevation and speed to the number of calories you've burned during your ride and the exact route you took.

The Edge 810,the larger of the two gadgets, features a 2.6-inch color touch screen and packs upward of 17 hours of battery life. While thick, the device has the look and feel of a small feature phone. The touch screen was both responsive and bright, making it ideal for direct sunlight.

The 810 provides users with topographical, or TOPOS, maps and BirdsEye Satellite Imagery, so you can see exactly where you're riding at all times. The GPS-enabled device's Active Routing Maps feature gives riders the ability to set skill- and bike-specific routing preferences, so you'll never feel overwhelmed by an unexpectedly tough route again. 

The Edge 510 offers a 2.2-inch color touch screen and is roughly the size of an egg. It features many of the same capabilities of the larger Edge 810, including both GPS and GLONASS satellite tracking. The 510 lacks the 810's topographical mapping and Active Routing Maps options. That said, Garmin notes that the 510 offers 3 more hours of battery life than its larger brother.

Garmin says both devices include speed, elevation, positioning and climb rate monitors, as well as a barometric altimeter. Using the altimeter, the company says the Edge 510 and Edge 810 can provide users with live local weather updates when paired to a compatible smartphone. Beyond that, the devices have been outfitted with Garmin's LiveTrack, which allows users to offer friends and family the ability to track their exact location via their smartphones, tablets or notebooks.

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Today's drivers want their cars to be as connected as they are. But giving drivers access to their smartphones, apps and the web from behind the wheel can lead to unnecessary distractions.

Garmin, however, thinks they've figured out a way to give drivers what they want without adding to driver distraction. The company today announced its new multi-sensor controller concept for use with vehicle's infotainment systems.

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The controller concept consists of a controller knob with built-in infrared proximity sensors, a touchpad and menu buttons that Garmin says will allow drivers to control their vehicles' infotainment systems without having to look away from the road.

The controller system ties into an infotainment display that Garmin has pushed up higher on the dashboard, to keep drivers from having to look away from the road. While driving, the display only provides users with the important information including maps, directions and radio stations.

But when you bring your hand close to the controller knob, its proximity sensors will detect your presence and automatically bring up an previously hidden options menu on the system's display. Four buttons, which also include proximity sensors, surround the controller knob and allow you to switch between various menus.

Garmin didn't mention any specific use for the system's included touchpad, although Audi has been using a similar setup in its MMI telematics system.

This isn't the first time proximity sensing technology has been used as a way to hide unnecessary menus in a vehicle's telematics system. Cadillac's new CUE system features proximity sensors in its 8-inch capacitive touch screen that automatically bring up additional menus and options when you move your hand close to the display.

While Garmin's system is still in its concept stages, and still lacks an official name, we're looking forward to seeing it in action.

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Just ahead of this week’s New York International Auto Show, Garmin has announced that it will begin providing factory-installed infotainment systems for most of Japanese automaker Suzuki’s 2013 U.S. vehicle lineup. The new system, which will be on display at the auto show, includes a 6.1-inch high resolution touch screen, complete with smartphone integration, multi-media playback and, of course, Garmin’s navigation system.

Garmin is also bringing its Garmin Smartphone Link app to Suzuki’s vehicles. The feature connects users’ Android smartphones to the infotainment system via its Bluetooth connection and offers real-time traffic and weather information and fuel prices.

Multi-media functionality ranges from the usual AM/FM radio and CD player, as well as a USB port and AUX jack, SD card slot and the aforementioned Bluetooth connectivity. Garmin is also bringing Pandora to Suzuki’s lineup via users’ iOS devices.

The system will also include Garmin’s navigation system, which features spoken turn-by-turn directions and street names, traffic updates, speed limits and current speed. Garmin wisely chose to give users the option to continue viewing route info at the top of the display, even when you navigate away from the nav menu.

Garmin says its infotainment units will include full voice control and allow users to make phone calls, control the navigation and media systems. And if talking to your car isn’t exactly your thing (or you have some rowdy kids in the backseat) certain Suzuki models will allow you to control the infotainment system via steering wheel mounted buttons.

Stay tuned for our full hands-on with Suzuki’s system from the floor of the New York International Auto Show later this week.

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Now that pretty much every Android phone includes free turn-by-turn spoken directions, one that specializes in navigation seems like a tough sell. But the Garminfone, as the second device to hit the U.S. from Garmin-ASUS, has the goods for those who spend a lot of time in the car, offering a friendly interface, real-time traffic, and an included windshield mount. And although the Garminfone runs a dated version of Android (1.6), it integrates GPS more deeply than its competitors. You can even record your own voice (or someone else's) to personalize the navigation experience. Yes, the Garminfone is better than its poor Linux-based predecessor, the Nuvifone G60 for AT&T. But is this niche handset worth $199 when you can get a faster Android device running the latest version of the OS for the same price?

Design

The Garminfone feels solid and well made. At 0.5 inches thick and 4.9 ounces, this device is a tenth of an ounce heavier than the iPhone 3GS but has nicely rounded edges with a soft-touch back. The bright and decently sized 3.5-inch capacitive display (480 x 320 pixels) dominates the front of the device. Beneath the screen is a D-pad along with four backlit LED buttons that vibrate when pressed: Back, Call, Menu, and Home. The brushed metal strip on the back of the phone with the Garmin ASUS logo adds a touch of class, and we appreciate the matching dark chrome-like accents on the top, bottom, and side of the device.

On top of the Garminfone is the power button, and the right side of the handset houses two narrow volume buttons along with a camera launch/shutter button. On the left you'll find a car dock connector. The bottom of the device has a mini-USB jack; this is used for both charging the device and attaching the included headphone adapter. That's right, there's no 3.5mm jack, which is pretty much unforgiveable in 2010. Well, at least the adapter has an in-line volume control and playback buttons.

Interface

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For better or worse, the Garminfone looks like a GPS navigator with an Android smart phone tacked on. It sports a Breeze user interface with three large icons front and center: Call, Where To?, and View Map. Interestingly, the phone switches from day to night mode at sunset, adding a darker background color not just to your driving experience but also to the home screen.

Call and View Map are self-explanatory, but Where To has a lot of goodies inside. Touching this icon launches a menu of options that let you search near you current location in multiple ways. Choices include Points of Interest Google, Address (which you manually enter), Points of Interest (Food, Lodging, Shopping, etc.), Gas Prices, and Upcoming Events.

To the right of these large icons is a sidebar of apps you can scroll through vertically, including Contacts, Messaging, Browser, and Widgets, although you can easily move items on and off this list. How? Just slide the little tab you see to the left to reveal all the other included apps. Just like other Android phones, pressing and holding an icon lets you position it wherever you like. Well, almost everywhere: the three main icons on the Home menu cannot be changed.

Unlike other Android phones, you don't get more than one home screen. Only once you select Widgets do you get five screens to play with. Thankfully, Garmin-ASUS kept the top notification drawer intact. Just slide your finger down from the top of the screen at any time to see your notifications. The pinch-to-zoom gesture works in the browser and photos, as well as Garmin's map program, but not in Google's Map app.

Overall, the UI on the Garminfone is straightforward, but it may be too simple for some users.

Click to enlargeKeyboard

Usually smart phones that provide haptic feedback have trouble keeping up with our pecks, but the Garminfone's portrait and landscape keyboards did a respectable job when we practiced typing text messages as top speed. However, we recommend landscape mode for better accuracy. We also like how the keyboard pops up a bigger blue version of the letter you're attempting to type, similar to the iPhone.

Specs and Performance

The Garminfone runs Android 1.6, an older version of the OS that doesn't include new features such as voice-to-text or the improved photo gallery. That also means you can't run apps that are designed to run on Android 2.1 devices, such as the new Twitter app. These trade-offs are not deal-breakers by any stretch, but this is the price you pay for using a phone that's as heavily skinned as this one.

Equipped with a 600-MHz Qualcomm MSM7227 processor and a mere 256MB of RAM (compared to 512MB for the Droid Incredible), the Garminfone gets the job done but just doesn't feel as snappy as some of the latest Android phones that rock a 1-GHz Snapdragon CPU. We especially noticed a delay with the accelerometer. In most cases, the screen goes fuzzy for a second before changing orientation, which is meant to be a transition effect but only serves as a reminder that this device doesn't have the most cutting edge hardware.

We also noticed some sluggishness with multiple programs running. For instance, maps were slow to render when we had Pandora streaming in the background. Still, the Garminfone was quick to get us back to the home screen in most cases (usually 1 second or less) and do things like launch the camera (2 seconds).Pinch-to-zoom also worked fairly smoothly, both in the browser and the photo gallery app.

The Garminfone comes with 4GB of onboard memory, but you can expand that via microSD Cards.

GPS and Navigation

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Although the free Google Maps Navigation does a good enough job for most users, we prefer the Garmin navigation experience on this phone to the Motorola Droid. For starters, T-Mobile includes a dashboard mount that was easy to set up (Verizon charges an extra $30 for the Droid's window mount.) We also found the GPS reception to be stronger. The device comes loaded with North American Maps, and the look and feel of the interface when driving is pretty much identical to a dedicated in-car unit. We especially like how large the type was for the distance to the next turn, and that the Garminfone displayed a realistic-looking highway N.J. Turnpike sign just before we were supposed to turn right onto its entrance ramp.

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Our only major beef with the Garminfone's navigation is that you have to separately enter the street number, the street, and then the city, just like a typical GPS device (pictured below, rightside). Since this is a smart phone, you should be able to enter all of that information in one string, just like you can in Google.

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Another perk is address recognition. The Garminfone recognizes street addresses in text messages, calendar items, and contacts, and just a touch will let you navigate to that location. This feature worked, but only when we sent a text to the phone that separated the street address, city, and state with a return. If you use the dash mount, the device will also remember where you parked and direct you back to spot later.

One of our favorite features is Garmin Voice Studio, which enables users to record and also share custom voice directions. Although we found the process of recording 65 phrases tedious ("Left," "Right," "Board ferry," etc.), you can spice things up with the five seconds you're given for each phrase. For instance, instead of just recording "Recalculating," we said in a sarcastic tone "Recalculating...way to go").

Lastly, the Garminfone lets you answer calls when the device is docked in the dash mount. All you have to do is tap the Answer button and the phone will enter speaker mode for hands-free gabbing.

In general, the Garminfone was accurate and recalculated routes quickly. However, during a traffic jam outside of New York's Lincoln Tunnel, the device underestimated the length of our delay. The good news is that it provided a brief detour that helped shave a few minutes off our morning commute, and that the directions were clear and loud (and slightly less tinny than the Droid's free solution).

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When it comes to local search, you can choose Garmin's 6 million-plus points of interest or you can pull up Google Maps. In both cases you'll see a helpful cursor pointing in the direction you're facing. Anyone who owns an iPhone 3GS knows that having a digital compass can be a godsend.

Web Browsing

If you've seen one Android browser you've seen them all, right? Unfortunately not. The Garminfone needlessly wastes precious screen real estate with a bar of icons you can't move. These options include back, forward, a star for marking a site as a favorite, a favorites folder, and a shortcut that lets you see up to four pages at once. Annoyingly, you can't move this bar or make it disappear.

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On the plus side, browsing was fast over T-Mobile's 3G network: CNN.com loaded in 5 seconds, NYTimes.com in 4 seconds, and ESPN in 6 seconds. Then again, the Garminfone kind of cheats; the browser loads mobile versions of sites by default, which you can't change. Laptopmag.com, which doesn't have a mobile version, took 14 seconds, which is good. Still, we would recommend downloading an alternative browser like Dolphin.

E-mail and Messaging

Business users will appreciate that the Garminfone has Microsoft Exchange support via Exchange ActiveSync. All you need to enter the first time you log in is your corporate e-mail address, password, domain, and server, and you should be good to go. We used the Gmail option for a Google Apps account, which was a cinch to set up.

The text messaging app is pretty straightforward and sent and received messages quickly during our tests with a Verizon Wireless BlackBerry Curve. The only real stand-out feature here is the ability of the Garminfone to recognize complete addresses for one-touch routing.

Camera and Camcorder

These days a 3-megapixel camera on a $199 smart phone is far from the cutting edge. For example, the similarly priced Droid Incredible includes a 5-MP camera, and the upcoming Evo 4G features an 8-MP camera. You also don't get a flash, so expect low-light shots to come out fuzzy. Still, color saturation was good outdoors, and the shutter delay with autofocus enabled was tolerable. The level of on-screen detail was fair but suffered when we viewed images on the desktop, which means you'll be sharing but not printing these pics.

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Speaking of sharing, the Garminfone geotags images so you can share the location of your shots. Would we share the low-resolution (320 x 240 pixels) videos this device captures? Nope. At full screen, playback looked pixelated and blurry, especially on the desktop. For this price we would expect at least VGA quality.

Apps

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With more than 38,000 apps at your disposal in the Android Market, the Garminfone has access to everything from Pandora and NYTimes to Foursquare and Google Googles (pictured above). Garmin-ASUS preloads the device with YouTube, Facebook, Flight Status, Movie Times, and Ciao (Garmin's location-based social network). We like that the Garmin weather app automatically delivers the five-day forecast based on where you are.

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You also get Garmin's Where Am I? (to view your location and nearby gas stations, police stations, hospitals, and more) and Where To? (for searching 6 million nearby points of interest, as well as programming a home address and navigating back to recent locations). The included Panoramio app lets you navigate to nearby geo-tagged images of tourist attractions by foot or car.

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Music and Video

Like most Android phones, the Garminfone has direct access to the Amazon MP3 store for music downloads--but not movies or TV shows. The music player is pretty bare-bones but worked fine. We dragged and dropped a few tracks from Windows and they played back with album art displayed to the right. Transferred videos wind up in the Gallery app, and our 720p MPEG-4 clip recorded with a Sanyo camcorder played without a hitch.

Call Quality and Battery Life

Over T-Mobile's network, calls made in New York and Jersey with the Garminfone came through quite clear on both ends of the line. We experienced one dropped call in midtown Manhattan, but it was in an area where many T-Mobile handsets have trouble.

It's a good thing the Garminfone comes with a car charger. We rarely made it through the early evening after starting the day with the battery at 100 percent. Talk time is also relatively short at just 4 hours.

Verdict

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While other GPS device makers are battling obsolescence by rolling out apps for the major smart phone platforms, Garmin continues to tackle the issue head on by creating its own handsets. And the Garminfone certainly provides a satisfying and integrated location experience. On the other hand, this device isn't as fast as other Android phones in its price range, and it's equipped with a smaller and lower-res screen than the Nexus One, Droid Incredible, and Evo 4G. The Garminfone also lacks a 3.5mm headphone jack, and its camcorder and camera are underwhelming. Bottom line: if you want a high-quality GPS phone that runs Android apps, the Garminfone is worth a look. But at $199 there are many more well-rounded options available.

Too little too late? Yeah, we think so, too. It's not that the Garmin Nuvifone G60 ($99.99 through Amazon, $199 through AT&T) is a bad idea, a bad GPS device, or a bad phone, because it isn't. It's perfectly capable, and if it had been available when it was first announced--way back in January of 2008--the tech world would have sat up and listened. But now turn-by-turn navigation is a standard smart phone feature, the iPhone offers a bevy of good GPS navigation apps, and Google provides free GPS on Android phones like the Motorola Droid. A precipitous price drop within just a few weeks of launch makes the Nuviphone more affordable than some competing touchscreen phones, but this device still isn't a good deal.

Design

The Nuvifone is attractively compact. It feels solid and has a bit of heft to it (weighing 4.8 ounces and measuring 4.4 x 2.3 x 0.6 inches). Its smooth, soft texture feels good in the hand. The front of the G60 is dominated by the 3.5-inch touchscreen. The front also carries a little branding, but no controls. The power button is on the top, and once you've tapped it you'll need to double-tap the screen to unlock the phone.

The left side holds the mini-USB port and microSD Card slot; the right side holds the volume and camera buttons; and the back holds the 3-megapixel camera lens. We weren't crazy about the touchscreen, as it didn't recognize our inputs accurately; we often clicked an icon when we were trying to scroll.

Garmin has created a custom operating system for the Nuvifone. The start screen shows two columns, one with big icons labeled Call, Search, and View Map, and another with smaller icons labeled Calendar, Camera, Ciao (a social networking feature), Contacts, E-mail, Music Player, Settings, Text Messages, Tools, Weather, and Web Browser.

Interface

The Nuvifone doesn't just have GPS navigation software grafted on; it's woven into the operating system. A small satellite icon on the start screen shows your GPS reception right next to the battery level. Photos are automatically geotagged, and the included social networking program Ciao lets you share your location with friends.

It's easy to jump into the navigation features, since they're prominent on the G60's start screen. The Search button lets you look up a destination, and View Map lets you see exactly where you are. Since the phone constantly monitors geolocation satellites, maps showed us our position in seconds. The map works in portrait or landscape mode, although the included window mount is meant for the latter orientation.

Click to enlargeThere are two options for destination searching on the G60: checking the preloaded 6 million points-of-interest (POI) database or running a live Yellowpages.com search. Both offer the same categories and the same experience. The results are similar, although Yellowpages.com has ratings for some entries. We were also able to enter an address, navigate to a stored contact, and pull up a list of recently found destinations.

Many options in the search category are behind a paid wall. Calling up gas prices, local events, movie times, traffic alerts, and white pages listings requires a premium subscription of $5.99 per month. (New users are entitled to 30 days of free service.) It feels like a mistake that Garmin didn't include some live info with the cost of the G60.

Navigation Performance

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As a navigator, the G60 is as satisfactory as a typical Garmin device, which is to say that it's quite good. Maps are simple and colorful, and staying on course was never a problem in our testing; they even displayed new roads in our area, which we didn't expect. Next turn and arrival information is clearly visible. The one concession to the smaller screen size is that the name of the current street isn't displayed--just the name of the next street. We were surprised that changing the map settings to show more detail didn't seem to change anything on the map.

The navigation software pronounces street names, which is a must. Numerous voices are available to users, who can chose from both male and female dictation. The female voice we selected sounded fairly natural and loud. Rerouting took about 10 seconds, which is a little slow. We were happy to see that the G60 features multipoint routing (unlike the beta of Google Maps Navigation for Android) and a pedestrian mode, and that it remembers your position when you remove it from the car's window mount.

While navigation was usually simple in our testing, we had a few small concerns. The standard setting has the screen dim after a minute; the screen will eventually shut off completely in the map view, but will continue giving directions. We don't think the screen should dim while people are navigating, but a settings change corrected the problem. Also, there were a few instances in which we started up the navigator and it told us to drive to the highlighted route, but didn't give directions from our current position. Since the software didn't update as we drove, we had to call up our destination again and create a new route. Lastly, GPS reception is spotty around tall buildings. The map view jerked around a bit when we drove next to skyscrapers.

Lack of Extras

The biggest question facing the Nuvifone is how it stacks up to GPS apps on the iPhone. In our previous tests, we found that apps from AT&T, Navigon, and TomTom provide excellent directions. The search and driving experience is much the same, although each offers extras not found here. AT&T requires a monthly charge, but that includes live services such as traffic and gas station locations; Navigon costs a flat fee and offers lane assistance features; and TomTom offers four different voices (although none pronounce street names).

While iPhone navigation apps don't offer all the info that the Nuvifone's premium service does, other apps--many of them free--do. It's easy on the iPhone to call up movie times, gas station prices, and local events using free apps. It's surprising that both the Nuvifone and iPhone 3GS (16GB) cost $199 with a two-year commitment, at least through AT&T, but keep in mind that navigation apps are extra on the iPhone (Navigon, our favorite, costs $89.99). The fact that the Nuvifone comes with a window mount is a plus; TomTom's mount costs an extra $99.99.

Web Browsing, Call Quality, and Battery Life

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While Web pages using the Nuviphone's browser looked good, they were excruciatingly slow to load. With a three-bar 3G connection, it took ESPN.com 1 minute and 45 seconds to open, and the New York Times' home page took 1:25 to load. As the phone doesn't support multitouch gestures, you have to use zoom buttons to resize the page.

In general, calls made over AT&T's network from the Nuviphone were very good; callers could hear us clearly.

After navigating with the iPhone 3GS for an hour, our battery was nearly tapped. On the Nuvifone, an hour's driving barely made a dent. That's good, because the the device lacks a car charger. One should be included, but it costs an extra $24.99.

Verdict

The Nuvifone G60 offers a very good navigation experience--and even works well as a phone--but we suspect that won't matter all that much to shoppers. Even though the device's price has dropped to just $99.99 (through Amazon), people willing to pay a little more for a premium smart phone can get a rich app experience, a faster browser, and more features. As a specialized phone, the G60 is worth a look, but you can get a lot more for your money elsewhere.