Support road.cc

Like this site? Help us to make it better.

TECH NEWS

Garmin reveal Edge 810 and 510 GPS computers +video

Two new GPS models for 2013 - Live tracking, social media sharing and weather updates

Garmin have launched two brand new GPS computers today, the Edge 810 and 510 GPS computers, which feature  smartphone connectivity, live tracking and weather updates and easy social media sharing.

Externally, the 810 is virtually identical to the previous 800. The same dimensions and colour touchscreen, with no improvement in the resolution. The 510 meanwhile has a larger form factor, and gets a full colour screen and improved interface over the current 500.

The Edge 810 has a 2.6in colour screen with a 17 hour battery life and is compatible with optional detailed street or TOPO maps including BirdsEye Satellite Imagery. The Edge 510 has a new larger 2.2in colour touchscreen display and is compatible with both GPS and GLONASS satellites for faster satellite acquisition and improved signal lock. The 510 offers the promise of a 20 hour battery life.

We expected there might be a big update for the popular Edge series in our 2013 predictions and trends article, but it’s clear from the name this is a smaller update than we might have expected. There’s a lot more functionality packed inside both new computers however, and both now boast  the ability to connect to your smartphone so you can do cool things like live tracking and easier sharing of your ride data through various social media networks. Perhaps most useful of all to us UK cyclists is the live weather mode. The Edge 510 does everything the 810 does bar the navigational stuff.

The new Garmin Connect Mobile app (runs on iOS and Android) hooks up to the new Edge via Bluetooth so you can post details of your ride straight to Facebook or Twitter the moment you step of the bike at the end of a ride. No waiting to plug the Edge into a computer before you can share. In a world where more and more people are using smartphones and tablets, this is a smart move by Garmin.

Live tracking means family and friends can follow your ride from the comfort of the sofa. This will be of limited interest to many people, but for big races and challenge rides it is a good way of letting anyone interested track your progress live.

Perhaps more useful is the real-time weather forecasts and alerts the Edge 810 can serve up when paired with your smartphone. Now you could adjust your ride accordingly if there is a storm approaching. I wonder if it would be possible to ensure you always finish a ride with a tailwind?

The new Garmin Connect Mobile app will also make it easier to download routes and activities to your Garmin. Simply choose a route you want to follow and send it from your smartphone to the Edge computer.

The Edge 810 now does mutliple bikes and activities more easily, which those people who use their current Garmin on different bikes will appreciate. So you can easily swap it from your mountain bike to your road bike and back to your cyclocross bike. You can adjust the displayed data for each activity, so you could display a power based output on the road bike and switch to heart rate data on the cyclocross bike.

“With these new connected Edge devices, riders can continue to expect robust data, industry leading accuracy and durability that cyclists have come to know from Garmin,” said Dan Bartel, Garmin’s vice president of worldwide sales. “Using the connectivity through smartphones, we will enable cyclists to take advantage of features such as real-time tracking and instant uploads, while keeping their phones safe in their saddle bags and relying on the power of the Edge on their handlebars, to provide accurate data in all conditions.”

The aftermarket silicone protective cases are now available in some bright colours to complement the colour of your bike.

More info at www.garmin.com

Mat has been in cycling media since 1996, on titles including BikeRadar, Total Bike, Total Mountain Bike, What Mountain Bike and Mountain Biking UK, and he has been editor of 220 Triathlon and Cycling Plus. Mat has been road.cc technical editor for over a decade, testing bikes, fettling the latest kit, and trying out the most up-to-the-minute clothing. He has won his category in Ironman UK 70.3 and finished on the podium in both marathons he has run. Mat is a Cambridge graduate who did a post-grad in magazine journalism, and he is a winner of the Cycling Media Award for Specialist Online Writer. Now over 50, he's riding road and gravel bikes most days for fun and fitness rather than training for competitions.

Add new comment

39 comments

Avatar
Sadly Biggins | 11 years ago
0 likes

Does this mean that the Edge 800 will be coming down in price shortly?  4

Avatar
KirinChris | 11 years ago
0 likes

"a larger form factor" - does that mean it's bigger ? Getting in an early entry for the Plain English prize perhaps.

More seriously, do they still have the same mounting system. Because on my Edge 500 the plastic tabs which hold it into the mount have snapped off. And on the Garmin forums there are a lot of people saying they have the same problem at about two years.

It appears to be a design flaw. And I find it particularly annoying that it is a flaw in 50p's worth of plastic that ruins a 200 quid device.

Garmin have offered to replace it but at a reduced cost, not free, which seems to be the general story on the forums too.

Avatar
sporran | 11 years ago
0 likes

@Gizmo, the difference is the battery life compared to mobile phones - I'm not sure what the figures are for the 510 and 810, but I've had my Edge 200 (the basement model) running constantly on a 9 hour ride and it was only just below 50% charge at the end.

Running something like Strava or Endomondo on iPhone, the phone is dead after a couple of hours.

The live tracking is more useful than it would seem at first; this is something I'd thought would be a really good idea to build in - it would be useful for family/friends who want to come and watch you in an event, saving them hanging round for ages as they can see exactly when you're getting near.

I wonder if a similar Edge 210 will be released at some point with these features - the colour touchscreen is overkill for me, and I'd be quite happy with a black and white screen with buttons if it was still half the price.

Avatar
notfastenough | 11 years ago
0 likes

Father Christmas brought me an Edge 200 (actually I received the cash, and bought the Edge) as well. I wouldn't rule out an updated 200 being announced hot on the heels of this to be honest. Boo hiss.

My first impressions are that for uploading to Strava and reviewing the ride afterwards, the smartphone is better, simply because it's all done and dusted with a few button presses and I don't have to switch the laptop on to get the data off the device. However, I do like having the speed etc visible in real-time, as well as not having to bother with magnets/sensors etc.

Re the mapping, I think it would be great to see a nice-looking route, download the file, and simply follow the directions. However, I'm not keen on the size of the device, the cost or needing to constantly look away from the road to see where the next turning is.

Bring on a lightweight augmented-reality heads-up display that projects turn arrows onto the road ahead, and now we're talking! Nice integration into my Bolle specs, and my credit card will be trembling in it's boots...

Avatar
daflj | 11 years ago
0 likes

Would it be possible for Road.cc to do a comparative review of the 810 against the Mio 305?

Avatar
Tony Farrelly replied to daflj | 11 years ago
0 likes
daflj wrote:

Would it be possible for Road.cc to do a comparative review of the 810 against the Mio 305?

We don't normally do comparative reviews, but it might be an idea to do some sort of round-up, to give people an idea of what's out there and how they all compare.

Avatar
jollygoodvelo | 11 years ago
0 likes

As I've only just got an Edge 200 I'm really glad that haven't brought out a new version of that! The 510 looks brilliant. Not convinced by the mapping on the 800/810: when did you last go anywhere without looking at a map first?

And one more thing. The Bluetooth connectivity means that the Garmin can use the smartphone's data connection to broadcast location etc... so far so modern. However, if you want to do that, why not just have the mobile app using the smartphone's GPS, like Endomondo, Strava, etc etc?

Avatar
Dave42W replied to jollygoodvelo | 11 years ago
0 likes

Hi,

"when did you last go anywhere without looking at a map first?"

Well it worked brilliantly for my 11 day LEJOG. I rode with the OS Map displayed with the route on it. Made it very easy despite using many tiny roads and off road sections. Far too many junctions to remember them. Didn't need to carry a map.

Avatar
cidermart | 11 years ago
0 likes

I have recently bought an Edge 500 and am enjoying it immensely. Not sure the extra bits would warrant shelling out more for the new item but it should bring the price of the outgoing Edges down nicely.

Pages

Latest Comments