"Garmin is finally listening" when they stop using paying customers for beta testers. As I said on that Other Bike Forum, odds are the POS won't work halfright for at least another 12-18 months. If experience is any indication, the cellphone pairing features (as utterly useless as they are) will probably never work right. And as I also said elsewhere, DCR needs to hold Garmin to a higher standard than patting Garmin on the back for just releasing another product with broken firmware.
...starting with making a case why on Earth anyone should continue paying Garmin $300-600 for a dedicated GPS when smartphones (and apps written by teenagers in their parents basements) do almost everything better feature wise and aren't as hamstrung by show-stopper bugs that take a year or more to get fixed if ever. Said teenagers are also faster and better at fixing bugs even when they have zero source code to work with. Garmin is on a solid course for being the next Blackberry in a few years at the present rate. All smartphones need to do is work on being durable and water resistant, and maybe battery life.
...starting with making a case why on Earth anyone should continue paying Garmin $300-600 for a dedicated GPS when smartphones (and apps written by teenagers in their parents basements) do almost everything better feature wise and aren't as hamstrung by show-stopper bugs that take a year or more to get fixed if ever.
Smartphones cost what $500-$700. Their batteries cannot run gps for enough time compared to a garmin (my 810 will run for 10-12 hours between charges - my phone barely runs for 8 without the gps activated). If you do use your phone gps for a 3+ hour ride, your phone may be dead for that emergency when you need to use it as a phone.
Smartphone are cool, I have had one since back in unlimited data for $30 days. While they can act as cycling gps devices, they are not better than dedicated cycling gps devices.
I ordered the 510 bundle on Monday from Colorado Cyclist for $349.99. It has already been shipped. Now they announce the 520. This will be my first Garmin so I don't have any experience with them. Should I return the 510 and order the 520 when it is available? I figure I will have to pay for return shipping and the updated price for the 520.
Garmin uses paying customers as beta-testers. It takes 12 months or so for a new Edge to get patched enough to work mostly right. For the 520, that means 2016 at the soonest. This trend has been going on since the Edge 705 and 305 way back when. There's good reason DCR adds an offhand quip at Garmin about working firmware at the end of his post.
Unless you like chucking broken computer hardware at walls in frustration.
I wanted a smaller unit for my other bikes... did the strava bundle.. re-upping with Premium and had a milestone discount code.. saved well over 100.. = happy
I like being able to peck at the screen with one finger. Having to rotate my wrist or press side buttons doesn't sound appealing. so what do I gain for this? a brighter full color screen with better resolution. hmmm....the 510 is like a Casio calculator.
But in any case "bright color screens" can only work well (and remain "bright and color") when they are constantly and rather intensely backlit. Constant backlight is not an option on a bicycle computer, which is why every bicycle computer has to seek a compromise between 80s era segmented LCDs and modern color screens. And old segmented LCDs still make more sense for non-backlit screens. So no, there's no possibility of "bright color screen" on a bicycle computer yet.
IDK either, but I'll mention the OLED screens, like on Samsung phones, are not back-lit LCD displays. Each pixel emits light rather than blocks light like in LCDs. So, if the screen is mostly black, very little power is consumed generating light. With LCDs, the backlight is always on regardless of what's being displayed, though on some higher end LED back-lit LCD TVs they turn areas of back-lighting off to improve contrast spex.
Can't be any worse than those that ride while using their cell phone. Can't begin to state how many selfies I've seen, cyclists dialing or engaging in conversation
Other than navigation that works it has nothing I need over my 500. I don't need Strava or bluetooth. I dont' use navigation much but it would have come in handy a few times.
I'd like a 501 which is a lighter thinner 500 with working navigation and longer battery life.
Buttons on the bottom edge is dumb. That means you can't use a bar mount that keeps the unit low and near the bar.
Time to replace my edge 705 if it reaches a price on eBay which will cover a good portion of a 520.
With all the improvements, I wonder what they've saved for their higher end models ... I
Note, the 520 is $300 for the basic version, and $400 with the cadence/speed etc. DC RainMaker has a good review. DC RainMaker has a code so you can effectively buy it for $280, if $20 makes a 'buy' or 'don't buy' difference to you.
I have a 510 and it has worked flawless since first getting it 2 years ago. I have been very deliberate in updates being installed when not in a rush or on my way to go ride. Then I have found restarting the unit outside and allowing it to connect to the Satellite before trying to use it as normal.
Now as far as features its close but...
Why not an e-ink type display same as the Pebble watch now also in colour. Great contrast, daylight visibility second to none and barley uses any power.
More on board memory just allow the maps to be full featured the only reason they limit it is to push prices and models. Thus why they are losing ground.
Doesn't really look like an improvement to me at all - less battery life, no touch screen in exchange for maps and a strava thing? I have live segments from strava on my phone and voice announce if I PR'd etc. If the screen is easy to see in daylight like the 500 is, that would be an improvement that might be worth the loss of battery life an having to use buttons again.
Meh, I just wanted a better data readout than the basic Strava recording. I just ordered a Edge 500 from Performance for $140 with their 20% off. Should do everything I need it to with the speed/cadence and a HRM.
Granted, id love to have a new shiny 520 or even an 810, but I just couldnt justify the cost. Especially with my Wheel and Groupset plans for the winter.
Edit, anyone selling a good 500/510 for what I paid for my 500 or less? lol
I have a 510 and I'd buy this in a second.....if it had more than 50Mb for maps. I feel like this did this just to make the 1000 relevant, or the internals are identical to the 510 and they don't want to re-spin the board.
FYI the strava segment updates will trickle down to the 510. Anyone on the ride who says "We have to do that again, I missed the KOM/PR by 5 seconds" is riding home with 6 broken spokes.
Duo trap sensor yes as my wifes Trek uses one. As long as the polar trap is Ant+ it should work as well.
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