Heads up! The Garmin Enduro 3 is down to $829, some $70 off. That’s the lowest price to date on this new device. The Enduro 3 is notable though because it’s basically a Fenix 8 Solar minus the dive/voice features (and the Fenix 8 Solar/MIP starts at $1,099). Everything else is there, and it gets all Fenix 8 software features (and, insane battery life). Meanwhile, the Fenix 7 down to $429! Or Epix at $429. There’s a bunch more sports tech deals listed here too!
The Week in Review is a collection of both all the goodness I’ve written during the past week around the internet, as well as a small pile of links I found interesting – generally endurance sports related. I’ve often wondered what to do with all of the coolness that people write, and while I share a lot of it on Twitter and Facebook, this is a better forum for sending it on to y’all. Most times these different streams don’t overlap, so be on the lookout at all these places for good stuff!
The lowest price to date for the Enduro 3, whcih is basically the 'cheaper' Garmin Fenix 8 with a MIP/Solar display (but without the scuba or voice calling features). It gets all the Fenix 8 features and updates otherwise.
This is actually the lowest price I think I've got on record for the Garmin Fenix 7. It got virtually all new Fenix 7 Pro features until this past fall, and even this past week is still getting some new features. A very soild deal.
This has been one of Garmin's most popular running watches, and it's down to a very strong price. I often use this in my accuracy testing comparisons when validating other watches, due to it's very strong GPS performance. Note this is the base edition without solar. It'd be hard to find any better deal in sports watches today, from any company (given this has full mapping, tons of new features even this week, etc...). I say '$100ish', because it's usually been on forever sale at $499.
I use this scale, merely for the weight tracking functions (not body fat). It works just fine for that piece, and integrates with the rest of your Garmin data. If you aren't in the Garmin ecosystem, there's plenty of cheaper options.
Not quite as good as the $299 back during the holidays, but this is likely the new-normal sale price. And hey, it's still a very solid camera and my preference for day-time footage (at night, I use the Insta360 Ace Pro 2).
⚡ This has become one of my favorite drones, given it's tiny size (fits in my running shorts pockets) and ease of use. While there's the new Pro-Max drones, those are basically 2x+ the price, and honestly, the video quality isn't really achieving that price point. ***Note: Select the '$100 coupon' checkbox on the site.*** Also, you can select yet another extra battery as an option below that checkbox.
– Sea Otter is off…then on…then conflicts with their own event?
– Pro teams migrate to indoor trainer apps
– What could TrainerRoad do to partner with teams this season?
– And perhaps Sufferfest too?
– Strava’s “What’s Old is New Again” 2020 campaign continues
– Wahoo drops price on BOLT
– Then Wahoo drops a new BOLT!
– Is there actually ebike integration demand?
– Garmin drops price on Edge 1030/130/Varia Radar.
– GoPro Hero 8 charging door test!
Listen here, or four options for where to find the podcast:
A) iTunes: If you’ve got an Apple device, we’re there!
B) Google Play Music: Yup, we’re here too (and on Google Podcasts app)
C) Spotify: Of course we’re on Spotify now – you can even cache it on your wearable too!
D) RSS Feed: Follow along using the direct RSS feed
Stuff I Found Interesting Around The Interwebs:
Here’s a not-so-small smattering of all the random things that I stumbled on while doing my civic duty to find the end of the Internet (and in this case, some of these are from the past few weeks…as my backlog is a bit longer):
1) Apple Watch appears set to add blood oxygen detection and improved ECG: Among many other vNext Apple Watch or WatchOS features that seemed to have leaked out. I’m not however convinced that Apple will be able to do SpO2 any better than Garmin/Fitbit/etc. It’s easy to do sitting still, it’s really hard to do in movement (the FDA certification doesn’t even attempt to deal with at movement).
4) France looks at fines and jail time for e-bike modification: This seems a bit over the top. A lot of this really does seem to stem out of the slightly bizarre displeasure in certain circles against many of the bike sharing companies, which has in turn spilled out into e-bikes in general.
5) Ironman’s comments and plans for the upcoming season: Realistically, the short version could be ‘Everything is basically off till further notice. We’re rescheduling eventually, and your race fee goes to a future race. Roughly.’
7) Sister company to LifeQ shuts down: As a reminder, LifeQ makes optical sensors that are approved by Qualcomm for use in Google Wear devices (which are, in turn, on the approved list by Google for Google Wear devices). They used to make TomTom running watch optical HR sensors way back when. These days the most notable watch for them is the recent Suunto 7. While it might sound bad that their sister company HealthQ is shutting down, this is really about refocusing on LifeQ. So in this narrow focus, it’s a good thing for LifeQ. I think. Hopefully. (Thanks Matthys)
Each week I quickly highlight some of the new firmware, app, software, and website service updates that I see go out. If you’re a sports technology company and release an update – shoot me a quick note (just one-liners are perfect, or Tweet it at me is even better) and I’ll make mention of it here. If I don’t know about it, I won’t be able to post about it. Sound good? Oh – and if you want to get a head start on things, this page is a great resource for watching Garmin and a few other firmware updates.
[Things be pretty slow in the sports tech world right now. Part of that is seasonality, but a very real part of that is COVID-19]
The fact that Ironman is not even considering refunds, shows to all those who were still wondering what a terrible profit maximizing corporation they have become. Postponing the event into fall? What if you already have another race lined up in fall? Just do both?
In tough times like these you discover the true nature of a person/company.
You can also defer your entry into the 2021 race if the rearranged date is not suitable, so that solves that problem. Also, regarding refunds, as someone who has an IM entry this year, I’d love a refund if my event doesn’t go ahead, but if they end up refunding millions in race fees, there might be no more IM in the future. Companies are struggling to survive right now, and we all need to pull together to get through this. IM are not alone as I’ve had other races postponed and cancelled with no refunds. They are tough, unprecedented times.
For its price range, it was falling out of potential customer’s radar…
and yes, more updates are coming… for instance, it is time to update your emoticons archive:
Speaking of Peloton (OK, you mentioned them once…), they’re offering a 90 day free trial of their app which I think is related to the C-word. I’m in Belgium and I can’t sign up on the website (the only regions offered are US, CA, UK, and DE; my card is in BE and the website does not accept my postcode). I also can’t find the app in the Google Play Store.
Am I being stupid, or is it actually just not available in Belgium? Does anyone know?
There’s a new firmware update for the Sigma ROX 12.0 out as well (as I discovered when trying to figure out why mine was no longer connecting to Sigma Cloud).
I’ve not tested the quicker charging yet, but that could be a real bonus when I’m bikepacking with a dynamo and power bank.
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You probably stumbled upon here looking for a review of a sports gadget. If you’re trying to decide which unit to buy – check out my in-depth reviews section. Some reviews are over 60 pages long when printed out, with hundreds of photos! I aim to leave no stone unturned.
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The most common question I receive outside of the “what’s the best GPS watch for me” variant, are photography-esq based. So in efforts to combat the amount of emails I need to sort through on a daily basis, I’ve complied this “My Photography Gear” post for your curious minds (including drones & action cams!)! It’s a nice break from the day-to-day sports-tech talk, and I hope you get something out of it!
Many readers stumble into my website in search of information on the latest and greatest sports tech products. But at the end of the day, you might just be wondering “What does Ray use when not testing new products?”. So here is the most up to date list of products I like and fit the bill for me and my training needs best! DC Rainmaker 2024 swim, bike, run, and general gear list. But wait, are you a female and feel like these things might not apply to you? If that’s the case (but certainly not saying my choices aren’t good for women), and you just want to see a different gear junkies “picks”, check out The Girl’s Gear Guide too.
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The fact that Ironman is not even considering refunds, shows to all those who were still wondering what a terrible profit maximizing corporation they have become. Postponing the event into fall? What if you already have another race lined up in fall? Just do both?
In tough times like these you discover the true nature of a person/company.
You can also defer your entry into the 2021 race if the rearranged date is not suitable, so that solves that problem. Also, regarding refunds, as someone who has an IM entry this year, I’d love a refund if my event doesn’t go ahead, but if they end up refunding millions in race fees, there might be no more IM in the future. Companies are struggling to survive right now, and we all need to pull together to get through this. IM are not alone as I’ve had other races postponed and cancelled with no refunds. They are tough, unprecedented times.
– What is a diagnosis of people who see the main problem of diseases from an economical aspect?
– Monetary mental retardation…
Why the price slash on the Garmin Radar unit? Are they releasing a new model this year?
For its price range, it was falling out of potential customer’s radar…
and yes, more updates are coming… for instance, it is time to update your emoticons archive:
Speaking of Peloton (OK, you mentioned them once…), they’re offering a 90 day free trial of their app which I think is related to the C-word. I’m in Belgium and I can’t sign up on the website (the only regions offered are US, CA, UK, and DE; my card is in BE and the website does not accept my postcode). I also can’t find the app in the Google Play Store.
Am I being stupid, or is it actually just not available in Belgium? Does anyone know?
Yeah, the countries you list are the only countries they sell the bike – and thus, the only countries they make the app available. :(
I agree, it’s largely stupid.
There’s a new firmware update for the Sigma ROX 12.0 out as well (as I discovered when trying to figure out why mine was no longer connecting to Sigma Cloud).
I’ve not tested the quicker charging yet, but that could be a real bonus when I’m bikepacking with a dynamo and power bank.
Good Morning, Mrs. Maker! Can you release Peanut1 to the playground, please?