Foot Pod Makes Indoor Training Possible With Garmin(R) Forerunner(R) 305

OLATHE, Kan., — Garmin International Inc., a unit of Garmin Ltd. (NASDAQ:GRMN), today introduced an accessory to the popular Forerunner 305 that allows athletes to train indoors where a GPS signal is unavailable. Named the Forerunner 305 Foot Pod, the shoe-mounted device wirelessly communicates with the wrist-worn Forerunner 305 to provide accurate distance and speed while training on treadmills or indoor tracks.

“The Forerunner has developed a large group of fans, thanks to its accuracy and amazing array of features,” said Gary Kelley, Garmin’s vice president of marketing. “Now, with the Foot Pod, the Forerunner 305 increases its versatility even more.”

Once the accessory is turned on, the Forerunner 305 recognizes its wireless signal and asks if the user wishes to train using the Foot Pod instead of with the Forerunner’s built-in GPS. Once confirmed, the Forerunner 305 deactivates the GPS and the Foot Pod begins measuring the workout. The Foot Pod communicates to the wrist unit using Dynastream’s ANT +Sport wireless technology, a commonly available platform for connectivity and interoperability between sports accessories and equipment.

The Foot Pod uses a pair of accelerometers to measure each stride to provide a runner’s speed and distance information. The unit features a simple and secure lace-mounted attachment, and runs on a single AAA battery (70 hours typical use). The Foot Pod is 97% accurate out of the box and 99% when calibrated, and it can be worn in tandem with the Forerunner 305’s wireless heart rate monitor.

The versatile Forerunner series of personal trainers let users completely customize their devices with features like Auto Lap and Auto Pause that let users measure, calculate and analyze lap times. Virtual Partner lets users compete against themselves by graphically displaying goal pace/speed compared to current pace/speed. Alerts can be programmed to let users know when to speed up, slow down or stop.

Athletes can tailor their workouts to meet specific goals and objectives with Garmin’s Training Center(TM) utility. Users may create their own workouts or use workout templates that can be downloaded into the unit for any level of personal training. Foot Pod data is also compatible with MotionBased.com, a ground-breaking web-based application that translates GPS, heart rate and cadence data into performance analysis, online mapping and route sharing. MotionBased(TM) displays the information acquired through charts, illustrations, reports and maps.

The Foot Pod is only compatible with the Forerunner 305 model and will be available in October 2006 for a suggested retail price of $99.99. For more information, visit http://www.garmin.com/ or http://garmin.blogs.com/