We’re seeing so many wearables these days that a special fitness category is almost a given at this point. The newest item to launch at a local level is Garmin’s Fēnix 2, which follows the Forerunner from a while back. Appropriate naming there.
The Fēnix 2 is being billed as an adventure GPS watch and we’re pretty sure that doesn’t mean that you’re going to be having escapades in Narnia, based on the imagery that accompanied the local launch announcement. Instead, it’s going to be giving you direction which you’re mountain-thinying (-biking, -climbing, -falling… that last one takes care of itself on the directions front through) or doing something else active out in the Africa wilds.
Garmin are punting new fitness-tracking features for the Fēnix 2, cribbed liberally from the Forerunner 620 that was launched a little over six months ago. The GPS, altimeter and barometer will let you know where you are and how badly boned that incoming snowstorm is about to make you while the heart-rate and VO2 rate tracking will let you know just how you’re doing internally while sprinting and leaping for cover.
You won’t have to use it in extreme situations though, it’ll function as a running tracker and it also has ski and swim modes so you don’t need to confine it to the road either.
The Fēnix 2 is available now, with an RRP for R5,800 for the base watch and a bundle option is also an option: R6.500 for the Fēnix 2 and Garmin’s HRM-Run heart-rate monitor.