You know me, I’m basically a fish…
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I’m in the same position, got my 935 in May 2017 and its getting pretty unreliable with frequent crashes. Battery life is not what it once was either.
Current rumour is that the 955 could be launched at CES on 11 January. It is now too late for the Christmas window
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It’s clear that Smart watches are intended to be consumables like mobile phones 
Any watch that doesn’t rely on software updates or website interaction should be fine though…I guess that does include some ‘standalone’ GPS outdoor watches (do they still exist apart from legacy ones?)
That is why I can’t understand the Garmin Marq? series. REALLY expensive watches, that are going to be obsolete in 2 years. I know you can argue that people spending that much on a watch can afford to replace it, but the market in expensive watches is for a lifetime ‘timeless’ piece, not a piece of consumer tech.
Anyone got any experience of listening to podcasts through a garmin watch? Wonder how easily they sync and upload. Would want watch to know what I’ve downloaded to phone and automatically sync and delete as I listen to them…
Also just generally how easy is it to select what you listen to from the watch at the start of a run? Imagine music would be easier as probably just select shuffle play of whatever you have, but podcasts are bit more mood specific.
I’ve only had limited experience. I didn’t find it quite as fluid as playlists.
Playlists you just select one - it downloaded and you can push an update when you want…
Podcasts you select the podcast - then need to add episodes individually to listen too… they then need deleting individually. Just felt a bit more of a faff (tho I’m not a podcast fan).
As for playing them - again a playlist can just go through the full list, the podcast I think you need to select each episode after the previous one finishes. You can get to the music page with 1 button press - but as I can barely read my watch when I’m out without specs, browsing libraries isnt ideal for me (if you are pootling along at any pace).
I can’t see any auto delete option or downloads - it knows what you’ve listened to (as in the actual podcast) so you dont need to browse on your watch or anything - but no auto sync.
I don’t know WTF my Garmin is up to; I’m guessing it’s crappy wrist HR (my TICKR died a while ago). My VO2 numbers are as low as they’ve ever been; yet on Monday I did my best 20 min power in ages, and my running is doing just fine.
I don’t know how it works if you have spotify premium or something like that, as it is meant to auto sync every time you charge and are connected to wifi I think.
I don’t have any of the necessary premium subscriptions to know. I have installed “runcasts” which is a separate app you can use to pull in your favourite podcasts. That’s meant to have autosync from a wide list of podcast subscriptions, but you need to pay for that. Free is just one podcast feed I think. I’ve just used it for that as a bit of a fall back. I doubt the separate app would know if you’d listened to your stuff on your phone though, and therefore know to delete and download the next episode.
Like mw22 says, I think the Garmin music function is best suited to just having a playlist of songs saved on the device.
My Garmin 935 no longer works for Pool swimming, crashes after a couple of minutes (turns off completely), I guess it is to do with the accellerometer. I don’t want to buy a 945, with a replacement due very soon. Instead, I found a Garmin Swim 2 with 50% off. Other than not working for swimming, my 935 seems to work OK for running and cycling.
I’ve just sent my 735 back for a bad accellerometer. Surely is worth paying the £60 or whatever it is to exchange your 935 for a reconditioned unit with Garmin?
THE LONGEVITY OF GARMIN WATCHES.
(very much consumer electronics nowadays)
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Should also say it worth upgrading to latest software & doing a hard reset. Garmin will ask for this before a return and it has bought some back to life for me previously.
Just done that twice
fairdinkum
That’s clearly not normal … have you not just contacted Garmin like Doka says? They’ll nearly always give you a cheap replacement? I never had any issues with the 920xt, so didnt have to do it, but they replaced my 910xt twice. Once within warranty for free, once outside of warranty for the fixed fee. I’m sure I’ve known of clubmates have the newer ones replaced similarly more recently.
I’m assuming that as the watches become more ‘complex’ the less time they appear to last? I mean, on the 920, it was only the humble barometer that went? I’m on my second 935, after my first one lost the barometer after 7 months; then replaced it at the 11 month point via Wiggle (refund).
Watch was bought in UK and is now 3 1/2 years old. Garmin Switzerland offered to repair it for a fee, but since Garmin Swim cost about £100, repair was more expensive and I would be without a watch for 3 weeks
Is this perhaps down to the cost? I had the more basic running watches for a while, they didn’t seem to last long, but my Fenix 3 and then Fenix 5 have been bulletproof so far.
Although I suspect they all mostly have the same electronics inside, so I could be talking out of my hole.
My 920 is still going strong after 4 years (wife is using it) but this will be my 2nd 735 within the warranty.
My ‘old’ 735 is still going, my wife uses it for running. Although that does’t have a barometer, and it’s no longer used for swimming. Actually thinking about it, it’s only just over 2 years old; but that feels good for a Garmin watch from my experience; I’m on my second 935 since April last year.