Week in Review–June 14th, 2020

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!

So with that, let’s get into the action!

Sports Tech Deals of Note:

A new slate of sports tech deals began over the last few days. These are typical deals that Garmin does *every* single year, usually starting about a month out from Father’s Day. Suunto also often jumps in the fray (and others too). Note that most of the Garmin deals end on/around fathers day (June 21st).

	Product	Sale Price	Amazon	Other site	Sale Notes
	Garmin Bounce LTE Kids Tracker - $30 off	$119	Amazon		This is the activity tracker that both of our oldest daughters have used for years (age 8 & 9), as well as most of their friends now. They/we all like it. Check out my full in-depth review for all my thoughts. That said, the new Bounce 2 came out two months ago, and while my review isn't out yet, it's a far better product. But, quite a bit more too. The TLDR on that review will be that it's the best kids smartwatch/tracker to date (for both parents and kids), but obviously will cost you $100 more.
	Garmin Edge 540 - $100 off	$249	Amazon	REI	⚡At $249, it's pretty much impossible to beat this deal in terms of bike computers. There's no competitive option that beats it on features/battery/etc at this price, or frankly anywhere near it. Sure, it doesn't have a touchscreen, but it's not as bad as it used to be (I did a stint on it this winter for a week or so, and was fine).
	Garmin Edge 840 - $100 off	$349	Amazon	REI	This is Garmin's main mid-range cycling GPS, it's what my wife uses and she's perfectly happy with it.
	Garmin Edge 840 Solar - $150 off	$399	Amazon	REI	⚡ This is the lowest price we've seen on the Edge 840.
	Garmin Enduro 3: $100 off $899	$749	Amazon	REI	This is the lowest price we've seen on this to date. The Enduro 3 is simply the 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.
	Garmin Epix Pro - $589 (~$300 off!) $899/$999	$589	N/A	REI	⚡This is a pretty solid deal, especially if you wanted the flashlight and ECG not found on the Epix Gen 2 (which came before the Epix Pro), but don't quite want to spend on the Fenix 8 AMOLED (Epix got renamed to Fenix 8 AMOLED)
	Garmin Fenix 8 Series - $250 Off! $999-$1,199	$849	Amazon	REI	⚡ The Fenix 8 keeps getting all the new software features of the Fenix 8 Pro that was launched two months ago. Setting aside that Fenix 8 Pro which gained LTE & Satellite Messaging, this is otherwise the most capable sports watch on the market. Note that the Fenix 8 officially got a price hike to $1,099 in the last month or so, thus the $849 price instead of $749 price.
	Garmin Fenix E - $250 off!	$499	Amazon		As a general rule, the Fenix E is the watch that literally nobody is buying, and makes no sense at higher prices. The hardware is simply the Epix Gen 2 with Fenix stamped on it. That watch is going for $400, though I expect we'll see it down to $300 over Black Friday. However, one *KEY* difference with the Fenix E, is that it includes all of the software features of the newer Fenix 8, whereas the Epix Gen 2 doesn't get all the new software features. Otherwise, save your $200.
	Garmin Forerunner 165 (Base) - $50 off $249/$299	$199	Amazon	REI
	Garmin Forerunner 165 Music - $50 off!	$249	Amazon	REI
	Garmin Forerunner 255/255S Music - $150 off! $349/$399	$249	Amazon
	Garmin Forerunner 265 Series - $150 off! $449	$299	Amazon		⚡ This is (by far) the lowest price on the Forerunner 265, which was recently replaced by the Forerunner 570 (but at nearly twice this price). What's fascinating about this sale price, is it's well beyond the usual sale prices for Garmin for this product. This pricing is 100% an Kansas-themed 'Hello!' to COROS and their just released COROS Pace 4 at $249.
	Garmin Forerunner 55 - $50 off $199	$149	Amazon
	Garmin Forerunner 965 - $150 off $599	$449	Amazon		This is the lowest price to date on the Forerunner 965, which is logical given the Forerunner 970 came out this past spring (which essentialy adds a flashlight and some other running metrics/features).
	Garmin Instinct 3 AMOLED - $100 off! $399/$449/$499	$399	Amazon	REI
	Garmin Lily 2 - 20% off $249	$199	Amazon		The leather version is also on sale as well.
	Garmin Varia RCT715 Camera Radar - $50 off	$349	Amazon	REI
	Garmin Varia RVR315 Radar - $50 off	$99	Amazon	REI	This is Garmin's radar without the light, so it's a bit smaller as a result. Same radar tech though, and compatible with Garmin/COROS/Hammerhead/Wahoo bike computers.
	Garmin Varia Radar (RTL515) - $50 off	$149	Amazon	REI	This is Garmin's standalone radar+taillight option, and $149 is pretty much the standard sale-price. Even despite all the new radars out there, this remains the most accurate option on the market. Now, only if Garmin would just re-release it with USB-C. C'Mon Garmin...maybe next year?
	Garmin Varia Vue Front Light/Camera - $50	$499	Amazon	REI	This is the first time this product has been on sale, since launching last spring. I'd argue it could have used a $100 off sale...but hey...they don't consult me.
	Garmin Venu 3 - $100 off! $449	$349	Amazon		The Venu 4 came out in September, though with a massive price jump.
	Garmin Venu X1 - $200 off!	$599	Amazon	REI	⚡ This is the lowest price we've seen on the newest product in the entire Garmin Holiday 2025 sale lineup. This is basically a blend of a Forerunner 970, Venu 4, and Fenix 8...but super thin. It's argueably one of the best deals here at $599, though, Garmin is still clearly trying to figure out the right pricing to drive purchases.
	Garmin Vivoactive 5 - $100 off! $299	$199	Amazon
	Garmin Vivoactive 6 - $50 off! $299	$249	Amazon		⚡ This is the first time we've seen the Vivoactive 6 on sale, which is essentially a Venu 4, but without the voice/calling/ECG features (and a few other tidbits). It's probably one of the best deals in Garmin's lineup (sale or otherwise).
	Garmin inReach 2 Mini Satellite Communicator (2-way) - $150 off	$249	Amazon	REI	⚡ This is the lowest price we've ever seen for this. This is my defacto satellite communicator when out of coverage area, and I've used it on a number of major treks over the past two years when well outside of cellular service, both in a 24x7 tracking mode for friends and family, but also there in case of emergency. Would strongly recommend for anyone doing anything in the wilderness.
	Garmin inReach Messenger Plus - $100 off!	$349	Amazon	REI	This came out last fall, and is the second time this has been discounted, but now to the lowest price to date. The key difference with the new Plus model is that it adds the ability to send photos and voice messenges via satellite. I've used it a bit, and it's pretty cool because it makes it a lot faster to just say something rather than type it out, but the $499 price seemed excessive. $399 makes it slightly more palatable.
	Tacx NEO 3M - 25% off! $1,999	$1,499	Amazon		⚡ This is the lowest price we've seen to date on the Tacx NEO 3M, and finally takes it down to a semi-logical price (compared to it's competitors). This is a good buy, and obviously, given it's only a year old, I definitely don't expectany sort of new version of this anytime soon (the last NEO series unit was about 5 years between versions).

DCRAINMAKER.COM Posts in the Past Week:

Here’s all the goodness that ended up on the main page this past week:

Monday: Lezyne’s Komoot & Relive Integration Update: How it all works
Tuesday: Garmin Shows Off New On-Device Sleep Tracking Widgets
Wednesday: Strava Rolls Out New Local Legends Feature: Here’s how it works in action

This was a prime example of a calm before the storm week. Quieter, as I slogged away on things for next week. Hold on to your hats!

YouTube Videos This Past Week:

Here’s what hit the tubes over on the You of Tube, definitely don’t forget to subscribe there to get notified of videos the second they hit!

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 to clear out the backlog):

1) Sports Tech Reviewer Gets Called by South African Insurance Company Over Stolen Goods: Oh, wait, that’s me! Teaches ya that crime doesn’t pay. But more importantly, teaches ya not to eff with my photos!

2) US Olympic Boxer Cleared of Doping Violations via Sex: While easy to make jokes about (really really easy), it’s actually an interesting scenario. Good to see that USADA and the individual were seemingly on the same side of this.

3) Details list of US cycling clubs focused on diversity: Great list and starting point from Adam Myerson. Worth looking at, sharing, and seeing where it can be added to with validated information.

4) Why HealthKit needs a health check at WWDC: I actually agree with a lot of what’s laid out here. HealthKit is by far one of the most important tech-focused innovations of the last few years when it comes to consumer health tracking. But, there’s too many gaps in it today, especially around sports as noted in the article, but also around accessibility of that data if tied only to an iPhone (not even an iPad, because iPads don’t have HealthKit). (via Stéphane)

5) Fitbit Ventilator passes FDA approval (emergency use authorization), starts production: I continue to be super curious to see where this ends up in a year or two. Will it still be a product? Will Google continue it once/if the acquisition is approved? What will ventilator pricing (in general) look like 1-2 years from now, compared to a year ago? So many questions. But also super fascinating.

6) Researches say Oura rings can detect COVID-19 with over 90% accuracy: Lots of wearable companies have been doing semi-similar poking’s in this area, but this appears to be the most concrete research-driven data to date on a given device.

7) When Zwift Won’t Do, Just Make Your Own Game: Obviously this isn’t going to compete with Zwift anytime soon. But it’s a fun tech-focused look at making a bike-driven workout simulator/game.

8) GoPro rolls out Android QRControl app: If you saw my video/post a week or two ago about the webpage based control, there’s now an Android app out, and the iOS one should be out shortly.

9) Behind the Scenes at Garmin Canada: This actually comes from the now renamed ANT+ YouTube Channel that I’ve had in my YouTube feed for years. Back a year or two ago Garmin renamed ANT+/Dynastream to ‘Garmin Canada’. They also built a new fancy building that houses both the ANT+ side of the house (which is theoretically separate from a function standpoint serving other ANT+ members), and then the Garmin division that works out of the same building on Garmin-specific projects. This video is about that Garmin-specific half. While the scripted video touches on it, the employees up there tend to focus on sensor aspects of products such as the optical HR sensor, Varia radar, Vector pedals, RD pods, HR straps, etc… Which makes sense, the long-term knowledge from what started as mostly former ANT+ employees converting to ‘normal Garmin’ employees sways heavily that way.

Sports Tech Device Firmware Updates This Week:

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.

Garmin Fenix 6 Series & MARQ Series BETA Firmware Update: This mostly builds on the previous sleep beta, but includes various additional bug fixes.

Garmin Instinct BETA Firmware Update: Minor bug fixes/improvements

Wahoo ROAM/BOLT/ELEMNT Firmware Update: Stability fixes

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Thanks for reading!