This GPS is a huge improvement over previous models - I've done and mapped out over 300 miles of trail running and mountain bike routes - in remote areas - and I've never lost my signal. It's easy to use, it finds Satellites very quickly and it is very consistent. I am a cross country coach so this device has been extremely valuable to me. I download the routes on my computer and show the map to my athletes before I send them out on a new run so they have an idea where they are going and what the elevation profile looks like. I've double - measured some courses on my bike and found the 205 to be very accurate also. The device looks huge (I have tiny wrists) but it's actually very comfortable to wear on your wrist. I love it and I rarely go anywhere without it anymore!

I bought the Garmin Forerunner 301 at first and returned it for the newer Garmin Forerunner 205. It seems to have a much stronger signal which isn't lost next to high buildings, tall trees, or under bridges. One negative seems to be that it takes longer (maybe a total of 3 minutes) than I expected to obtain the initial satellite signal. This may be a problem for me because of where I live. Once the signal has been acquired, it isn't lost very easily.

The Garmin Forerunner 205 is a little big for a woman's wrist and I've heard comments such as, "What's on your wrist? A mini computer?" I just smile an nod because I am more concerned about the abilities of the device than what it appears to look like to others. It's basically like wearing a man's large wristwatch. The 301 model is even more awkward looking and takes up more space from the wrist to the elbow than the 205 model.

This GPS Personal Trainer is great for keeping track of time, distance, pace, and personal goals. I use it daily to track my progress. The battery lasts several days before needing a charge. It takes less than 2 hours to charge it to full capacity.

I can't say enough about the satisfaction I have from this product. Although the Garmin Forerunner 301 is a great product as well, I like the 205 model better because of the watch-like shape and strong satellite signal. Both the 301 and 205 have similar features and abilities. They are user-friendly and come with clear, understandable directions.

I bought this watch for my husband, who is an avid runner. At the time, he was in the middle of training for the Miami Marathon 2007. He had some trouble keeping a signal during training runs but was patient with it and willing to use it during the marathon. Unfortunately the watch lost its signal for the last half of the race. I have since taken ownership of the watch. (I run too.) I've noticed that it has a hard time keeping a signal when it's halfway out of batteries. I would recommend recharging it every two runs. I recently ran a 10-mile race and it did beautifully. Kept its signal and practically pushed me across the finish line. I've been a bit dubious of the pace that it says I'm doing on any given run. There are times when I'm running my hardest, imagining that I'm faster than Paula Radcliffe and a group of onlookers is marvelling at my speed, and it'll say I'm doing a 14-minute mile. Then there are times that I'm shuffling my feet, barely breathing and ready to die, and it'll say that I'm doing a 9-minute mile. I'm still using the watch but I'm a little disappointed that for $200, it's not that reliable.

I wanted to get something that I could track my running. I looked into the nike+ system but it just seemed too commercial and not really applicable to what I was trying to do. So, I decided to give this a try.

I love it. It is a terrific product. Even though I do not go for long adventurous runs (I usually do the 3-5 mile runs), it gives me more than enough info to see what I am doing and how I am doing it. It gives me more than enough information such as distance, calories burned, elevation, grade, etc. I have had no problem with the satellite locater either as it has kept track of where I am whether I am walking among tall buildings downtown, or in the suburbs or in a more tree filled secluded location.

The best part is to come home after a run and plug it in to the computer and really begin to analyze how far I went and how I did. Some of the interesting things that I have learned about my running is that I actually increase my speed when I am going up hills...and my speed decreases as I am going downhill. These are things that I was not aware of but now I can follow more closely.

I download this on to the Garmin software and then I can upload it to a variety of sites such as motionbased.com or Sportstrack to see just how I am doing and what I can improve on. It has made running fun again for me and it was well worth the purchase price [...]

After completing my first run with my new Garmin 205, I can talk a little about the differences between the 201 and 205. I logged over 1,100 miles with the older 201 and I loved every mile. But as the display started to go bad on the 201, it was time for an upgrade.

* The 205 can locate satellites much faster. It can also locate them in areas that the 201 would always claim weak signals. I am looking forward to not loosing any running data while running under trees and such.

* The 205's display looks better, crisper

* There are a few new features on the 205 - I have not explored them yet

* The only thing that I like better on the old 201 so far is the fit on my wrist. I know the 201 was bigger and not a nice looking as the new 205. However, while I was running with the 205, I keep reaching down to reposition it on my wrist. This was annoying, but I think I can learn to live with the new fit.

All in all I'm very happy with the 205. I am very glad I picked one up.

The Garmin 205 is a great training tool. I am using it for every run while I train for the Boston Marathon. Very simple to use, keeps track of pace and mileage. One word of advice: make sure you wipe the back of the unit clean and dry before setting it on the charger.

This thing is amazing. I''ve had the 205 for a few days now and have gotten several runs in with it, although I plan to use it for biking as well. There are obviously lots of cool things you can do with it in building maps of your runs, then taking those runs, turning them into courses, and then racing against yourself later.

However, the core reason I wanted it was for:

- Mileage estimates

- To get feedback on speed/pacing

First Mileage Estimates - I never knew how far I was running and just took a guess. Now I am training for a marathon and that wasn't cutting it. I tried to use a mapping website where I digitized my routes using a mouse on the PC. Turns out if I mapped the run 3-4 different times, I'd get as much as a mile difference in a 15 mile run. Not good enough.

So this thing nails it on mileage and now I don't too far or too short in training.

Feedback for speed/pacing - As I've never known how far I have run, a stop watch didn't do much good for estimating how fast I am running - only how long I ran for. When I tried to do speed workouts or slow 10+ minute per mile recovery runs, I never knew if I was going slow enought to truly recover.

Now I know how fast I am going. The instant pace feedback is not that great, but the lap pace is very good. I realize now I have a tough time running slower than 10 minutes per mile so it is helping to discipline myself. I haven't done a speed workout yet, but it will be great to see how my training is coming along and if I am on target to meet my pacing goals to run a 1:45 half marathon.

Also - calories burned. Some reviews mention this is way off. There is a firmware update that corrects this and it is fairly accurate now. I've compared what forerunner says with some web based estimation tools and I'm comfortable with the 205's calorie estimates.

The reason for only the 4 star rating:

- Garmin training software is fairly simple. I have opted to use a freeware SW version called Sporttracks by zonefivesoftware.com. Great mapping capabilites and the reporting, analytical tools are better. Not as intuitive to use, but for a free package it is better than what Garmin provides.

- Also, some of the extras on the Garmin are useless. Stuff like the % grade is way inaccurate, and the elevation is questionable.

Bottom line - if you want a tool to improve your training and don't want to be tied down to a system that uses a footpod and/or want to build maps of your runs, this is a winner.

I purchased this item in order to train for an upcoming half marathon. Using the GPS in conjunction with the supplied software is outstanding. It allows me to adjust my training schedule with ease by utilizing the abundance of information it provides continuously. In addition, there are websites(for a fee, of course) that can use your and others' data to show you good areas to workout and to compare yourself. Finally, I have never had the GPS lose signal and I have ran in all types of weather and trails. It was a great buy.

I have used the Garmin 205 for several months now and highly recommend it. Here in Arizona it acquires satellites generally in less than one minute, and I have never had any problem with it not holding onto the signals. Accuracy is amazing - I have checked it on local school tracks and it is right on target. I used the unit for the PF Chang half marathon last weekend in Phoenix, and it worked flawlessly - it was great to be able to check my average pace along the route, and it really helped me try to stay near my target time for the run.

Unlike some reviewers, I have had no battery issues - as suggested by Garmin, however, I usually charge my unit between significant runs, so it is always fully charged. The longest I have have tested it was in the half marathon, and it performed flawlessly for the 2 hours that it took me to finish.

The main screen can easily be reconfigured if you don't like the default screens - I have mine configured for elapsed time, average pace, and total distance. My for purposes, I like the average pace setting better than the instantaneous pace. The numbers are a bit hard for me to read in dark conditions, but I have difficulty reading my wrist watch in the dark while running as well. If you really need to see the numbers on the run in the dark, a brief pause or slow down under a street light generally does the trick.

For those reviewers who seem to be having problems with the unit, especially with erratic pace readings, I would suggest going to the Garmin website and downloading the Web Updater, then using this to update the software on your 205 to the latest version. It is very easy to do. Some of the pace issues are specifically addressed with the new software, smoothing out the data somewhat to make instaneous readings more consistent. You can also easily sign up for email updates should new, updated software become available.

Overall I highly recommend this unit. It performs much better than the Nike + iPod unit that I briefly tried. I highly recommend using it with the free MotionBased web site as well - you can see your runs plotted out on either a street map or a satellite map, or with a combination of both, and can also access other routes downloaded by other users that you might be interested in.

Overall, this is a really fun, well designed, easy to use device. It has added a fun element to my exercise, and I highly recommend it.

Had researched the product before receiving and have found it lives up to the hype of this next generation GPS training device. Smaller then previous versions which I had tried out and although reception in full tree cover can be hit and miss, I wasnt looking for perfection from a wrist mounted unit. Have enjoyed 205 beyond running and biking and the software and web based monitoring tool just added to the overall experience.