If you happen to be a professional athlete, you will always certainly wish to get the Garmin Forerunner GPS 201 watch. It has a striking array of features to offer. It contains a GPS sensor, an electronic map, session variation and reversal options, calorie tracker, lap info and data, performance archives, auto stopwatch with auto-lap and auto pause features, lap timer, pace alert, distance alert, free Training Center software, a flexible wristwatch strap, and an A/C desktop charging unit with a serial port.

The GPS 201 is the best choice for a professional as well as a more casual athlete. It mainly works to help you manage the pacing and tracking aspects. This unit offers a lot of good features, but its main drawback happens to be that it is unpredictable in its functioning. This is the only reason it is hard to consider it perfect. Its dimensions of 3.3 ? 1.7 ? 0.7 make it seem chunkier than a standard fitness watch; actually it is lighter than it looks, weighing in at only 2.8 ounces. The watch is waterproof and hence it could be used by swimmers or by athletes in rainy or damp weather conditions.

The Garmin Forerunner Fitness 201 watch can store a lap history of as many as 5000 laps and offers many more options that you may tweak to suit your own demands and individual requirements. A very important feature the watch has is the Training Center Software. This is the perfect feature for you to use to store your performance statistics and can also help you see ways in which they have varied along your path, especially if you have worked out at different elevations. The Virtual Partner feature allows you to set goals that you yearn to achieve. You just have to compare your real-life performance with that of your friend.

The GPS connectivity of this 201 model is put down by many buyers because the signal is sketchy sometimes. In addition to that, buyers also dislike the irregularities in components such as altitude and pace readouts. This unit does not have a heart rate monitor. Currently, when most of the computer interfaces can link through a USB port, this model still lags behind with a serial port facility.

The wristband of the Forerunner 201 GPS is of flexible dimensions, making it possible for you to sport the watch around your wrist or your upper arm as you wish. Its LCD display screen can be clearly read in well-lit areas as well as in darkness. The rechargeable lithium alloy battery can hold a charge for 14 hours at a stretch. It seems to be just fine for runners, but may be a poor choice for bicycling, etc.

Taken as a whole, the Garmin Forerunner 201 GPS is a watch with a lot of virtues. The training Center software and the Virtual partner features deserve attention. Unfortunately, its unreliable GPS signaling is its only bad point.