April 2 - 1:55pm EDT   Garmin on Thursday announced the upcoming release of a pair of new fitness watches, including the Forerunner 310XT and Forerunner 405CX. The former is waterproof down to 50 meters (164 feet) and thus meant for water sports as well as running and cycling and will be packaged together with a waterproof heart rate monitor as well as in a stand-alone version. Compared to the current Forerunner 305 that it's based on, the new watch has improved battery life, now rated at 20 hours, as well as a more comfortable design. [full story]

January 4 - 2:35am EST   Garmin recently unveiled its Colorado series of handheld GPS units, and the Forerunner 405 wrist-worn GPS device, as well as the super-sized Nuvi 5000 for use in large vehicles. The Colorado 400t uses a 3-inch color screen to display three-dimensional topographic maps, and is pre-loaded with a complete map covering the US. Tracks, waypoints, and geocaches can be wirelessly transferred with other units, and the device’s “Rock n Roller” thumbwheel makes the device easy to navigate. Garmin will show the new lineup at CES 2008, and although a release date was not mentioned, the Colorado 400 series devices sell for $600. [full story]