I’ve had the FR 620 since Christmas, but have not spent much time using it yet since I fell in love with the Magellan Echo + iSmoothRun App combo. Now that my Echo review is done, I’ve transitioned to using the 620 again (with the Echo on the opposite wrist) and thought I’d take a peek at my recorded runs to see if any GPS track anomalies might be found. Furthermore, I also wanted to hear if anyone else who reads this blog has had issues with accuracy on their device.

In looking at my run maps on Garmin Connect, I will say that most of the time the 620 seems to record my tracks accurately. However, there are times when I have noted that it seems to lose track of itself for a bit and the tracks look a bit funny. For example, a look at the track below would suggest that I took a detour up a hill through the woods to the right, then crossed back over the road for a dip in (frozen) Snow Pond, and then drunkenly made my way back to the road near the intersection of Shaker Road and Snow Pond Road:

The entire stretch of road here is tree lined on both sides, though the part where the track deviates from the road is at a lower elevation and is bordered by a large forested hill to the right. Perhaps being stuck between a pond and a big hill has some effect?

In fairness, I ran the same route the next day with the 620 and it recorded accurately, so maybe it was just having a bad Wednesday:

Below are two iSmoothRun (iPhone app) track recordings for the same stretch (on different days) – both are rock solid:

Below are two maps from a run I did last weekend where I had both the 620 and iSmoothRun recording at the same time. The 620 recording is on the left, the iPhone recording is on the right.

Note that shortly after the 1-mile mark the track recorded by the 620 deviates from the road until about the 2 mile mark. Interestingly, the track appears to be the right shape, but it’s as if that entire segment was shifted south a bit. The rest of the recording is solid. Once again, the track recorded by the iPhone is dead-on the entire time. This particular route is a flat neighborhood, not a lot of thick forest or tall buildings or anything like that. The only thing in common with the Snow Pond run above is that the area just above the mile 4 marker is a wetland with a stream. I read somewhere that water bodies can mess with GPS tracks, can’t recall where that was, and no idea if that might have anything to do with the anomaly.

Here’s a blow-up of the 620 track showing me running through backyards and detouring through living rooms:

Again, in fairness, I should point out that I have run this neighborhood on other occasions with the 620 and the recording has been accurate:

And here’s another where there was a more moderate southward shift of the track in the same spot:

So what can I conclude from this? I’d say not much yet given the small sample of runs that I have to work with so far. The 620 seems to be accurate most of the time, but it also has moments where it seems to hiccup a bit. This is probably something that happens with most GPS devices on occasion depending on satellite connections, environmental interference, etc. The occasional lapse does not concern me too much since I expect that a watch on my wrist talking to a satellite orbiting the planet in outer space (just think about that for a second!) will occasionally have issues (as my Garmin 205 did during the Hartford Marathon, really bad timing there…). The question ultimately be how frequently these issues occur and how bad they are.

Given that Garmin has acknowledged an issue with the 620 and has pushed a software update (I just updated my unit yesterday) there is some reason for concern given that this watch costs $399. I’d say it’s worth keeping an eye on your 620 if you have one, and report accuracy issues to Garmin if you feel they are happening too frequently. I plan to keep an eye on my tracks going forward as I put the 620 to everyday usage, and will report if I frequently see issues like the ones posted above (I’m especially curious if the update makes a difference, off to run that same neighborhood right now!).

How about you – if you have a Garmin 620 have you noticed any accuracy issues?

I’m actually a little bit addicted to it. The little guy does a good job letting me know when I’ve been a sedentary slob – a run-less day sitting at my computer will typically net me only a few thousand steps, which is my indicator to me that I did not move enough. Fitbit does not lie.

I’ve used a Fitbit Ultra for several years now, and I’ve miraculously managed to avoid losing it or destroying it. It has gone missing for days at a time, but always seems to show up again. Most often he reappears in the pocket of a recently washed pair of pants/shorts. His case is now cracking, be he keeps on working. But, I fear that if the cracks continue to grow it might soon be time for the Ultra to be retired.

My only real complaint about the Fitbit Ultra is that it seems to undercount running steps. I’m in Florida right now at Disney World and have been monitoring my steps for a forthcoming post. I’ve determined that I take about 2500 walking steps per mile (my walking cadence is about 110 steps/min). Fitbit seems to do a pretty good job of tallying my walking steps.

Running is a different story. My running cadence averages about 180 steps/min with some variation depending on speed (a bit lower for slower paces, and it can push toward 200 if I’m going sub 6:00/mile pace). If you figure an average pace of about 8:00/mile, then one mile should give me about 1400 steps per mile. As a test, yesterday I ran for exactly 40 minutes (5.19 miles) to Downtown Disney, around Saratoga Springs, and back to Old Key West where I’m staying. The ISmoothRun App recorded an average cadence of 176 steps/min for this run, and over 40 minutes that computes to a bit over 7000 steps (ISmoothRun counted 7149 steps total – held it in my hand on the run). On the same run my Fitbit Ultra clipped to my waist measured only about 4400 steps. So Fitbit appears to be recording only about 60-65% of my running steps.

I’m curious to know if others have found similar running step recording inaccuracy with their Fitbit, and whether any of the newer Fitbit models (Force, One) might perform any better?

I’m also wondering why the recording seems accurate for walking but not for running? And why my iPhone 5S measures running steps fine, but the Fitbit does not (is it just hand vs. waistband placement? – maybe need to test this by running with the Fitbit on my wrist or in hand).

In the grand scheme of things it’s really not a big deal as the real value of the device to me is the reminder that walking more makes a difference to my daily activity total and that a day below 3000 steps is bad, but as a tech junky I do wonder about how these devices work and why they might work well for one type of movement and not another.

Update: Shortly after writing this post I went for a run – 3.27 miles in 26:13. This time I attached the Fitbit to my watch band on my wrist. Result from iPhone in same-side hand was 4659 steps, whereas the Fitbit recorded 4543 steps. Much closer, so seems the loss of Fitbit step-counting accuracy while running has something to do with being placed on the waistband while running.

Given that I review running gear for a living, I can justify such an extravagance even though I already own a GPS watch (Garmin 620). I figured that if I liked it a lot I’d hang onto it, and if I didn’t like it I’d write a review saying as much then sell it on Ebay. After over a month of consistent use I can now say that this watch isn’t going anywhere. I absolutely love the Echo.

First off, the Magellan Echo is not a GPS watch, let’s be clear about that at the outset. It’s actually a pretty useless piece of tech on its own. It doesn’t even have a stopwatch or alarm as far as I can tell. All it does is display time and date. But, pair the Echo with an iPhone and you have one of the coolest toys I’ve played with in awhile. The Echo functions by syncing with an app on your phone. It displays data recorded by the phone via the app directly on your wrist. The buttons on the Echo also become controls for your phone. You can start and stop your workout, pause music, skip songs, etc. all from your wrist without having to touch your phone.

If you don’t run with an iPhone and have no interest in doing so (Magellan claims android support is coming soon), then you can stop reading this review as the watch is not for you. Without a paired phone the watch is dumber than a basic stopwatch. Personally, I used to never run with my iPhone, in part because I’ve always hated running with a phone attached to my arm. I’ve found though that if I can put it in my jacket’s chest pocket in winter, or hand-hold it in summer (using either a Go-Strap or HB Tune hand-held case), I can take it along with minimal interference.

My workout kit for the last month or two has pretty much been my iPhone stashed in a jacket pocket, the Magellan watch on my wrist, and a pair of bluetooth headphones under my winter hat. The phone plays music and feeds run split summaries through the headphones, and sends the real-time run data to the watch. The watch controls the phone and the music coming through the headphones. The three devices work together beautifully, there are no wires to mess with, and I don’t have to carry my phone on my arm or mess with it on the run.

Tutorial

To use the Echo you need to pair it with a supported App. Currently the list includes Strava, MapMyRun, Wahoo Fitness, and iSmoothRun (more apparently in the works). I started playing with iSmoothRun last Fall when a client told me it could measure cadence (it does so pretty accurately). It’s a simple yet very functional app, and I’ve fallen in love with it. To continue with this review I’m kind of also going to be reviewing iSmoothRun since the watch needs an app to work (some of the other apps offer greater functionality, DC Rainmaker reviewed the Echo as it functions with the Wahoo Fitness app for one example. I like iSmoothRun since it is simple and intuitive, and tracking has been rock solid relative to my Garmin)

To begin a run with the Echo + iSmoothRun combo you first need to pair the watch to the app on your phone. The watch communicates via Bluetooth, so that needs to be turned on in your phone settings [but you don’t pair there, you pair in the app – full instructions here (Magellan) and here (iSmoothRun)].

After opening up iSmoothRun you press the upper left button on the watch to start searching for a connection, then in iSmoothRun you initiate pairing in the app Settings—>Displays—>Choose Magellan Echo:

Once you’re synced you can start setting up how the watch will interface with the app.

In the above image, Inverted lets you change from black text on a gray background to gray text on a black background. Pressing setup allows you to customize screen templates that will display your choice of metrics during a workout (all measured by your phone, not the watch itself). I usually have 3-4 screens set up, but most of the time I just use the screen display in the 1st image below (distance, pace, avg. pace):

Available metrics include: “Lap Calories”, “Calories”, “Lap Count”, “Lap Time”, “Time”, “Total time”, “Time Of Day”, “Time Ahead/Behind Target”, “Distance”, “Lap Distance”, “Average Pace”, “Lap Average Pace”, “Split Average Pace”, “Pace”, “Average Speed”, “Speed”, “Lap Average Speed”, “Max Speed”, “Cadence”, “Average Cadence”, “Lap Average Cadence”, “Steps”, “HeartRate”, “Heart Rate Zone”, “Lap Average HR”, “Average HR”, “Lap Max HR”, “Max HR”, “Lap Min HR”, “Min HR”, “Power”, “Altitude”, “Ascend”, “Lap Ascend”, “GPS Signal”.

Once you have things set up the way you want, you can start a workout by going to the “New Run” screen. You can choose your workout type (usually a Free workout for me, but in the case below I had created an interval workout using the app’s workout builder – very cool!).  Here are a few images showing the workout builder interface:

You can choose your shoes to track mileage (another huge plus for me and partly why I have been using this app so much lately), and also choose a music playlist from those available on your phone.

To start the workout I usually hit the play button and then immediately pause the phone, turn the screen off, and stick it in my jacket chest pocket. Then once outside I control everything and view my data via the Echo. Press the bottom right button on the watch to start/stop the workout, top right button to control your music (one press to pause, double press to skip ahead one song). When your workout is done you pause it using the bottom right button, take out the phone, and hit the stop button.

When the run is over, iSmoothRun provides a nice data summary of run stats (interval split image foiled by a ringer adjustment!):

You can also set the app up to export your data to your favorite social media and workout tracking sites (Strava, Dailymile, Garmin Connect, etc.). All very easy and saves me a bunch of steps compared to when I use a GPS watch.

Another cool feature of the iSmoothRun app is the audio feedback it provides. I set it up to give me audible summaries after each mile (avg. pace, avg. cadence, total workout pace, etc.). It will also cue you when to start and stop intervals if you are doing and interval workout, which is handy when doing such workouts away from a track.

Pros of the Echo + iPhone vs. a GPS Watch

• If you typically run with an iPhone, Echo allows you to view stats and control it without touching or looking at the phone. In winter you can stick the phone in a jacket pocket. In summer you can stash it in a hydration vest. No need to mess with the phone or carry it on your arm.
• Price – you get all the data power of high-end GPS watches since the iPhone powers the tracking, but the watch costs half of what a top-line GPS watch costs ($149.99 MSRP)
• Small form factor – since the Echo doesn’t have to pack in a GPS chip it is small enough to wear as an everyday watch.
• Battery power – since the Echo doesn’t power the GPS it uses very little power. It doesn’t need to be recharged. When the coin cell battery dies you simply replace it as you would the battery in a stopwatch.

Cons of the Echo + iPhone vs. a GPS Watch

• It’s useless without a paired iPhone. If you don’t like carrying a phone when you run, this watch won’t do you any good. I expect that in summer I will trend back more toward using my Garmin, and I generally don’t carry a phone in races, but in winter when I’m bundled up and pockets are easy to come by the combo works great.
• Minimal function as an everyday watch. Time and date is all you get unless a firmware update adds in an alarms, stopwatch, etc.
• If you’re content just using your iPhone on your arm or in hand, the watch is redundant. I often hand hold my iPhone, but since the screen shuts off it’s still easier to operate via the buttons on the watch than it is to wake the phone up and navigate screens to pause a workout or change a song.

Wishes for the Magellan Echo

• Allow it to pair with Spotify or control the music functions of the iPhone! For example,  I’d love to be able to control music via the watch while driving so that I don’t ever have to touch my phone in the car.
• Add in a stopwatch for when the watch is not paired. Timer and alarm would be great as well.

Conclusion

If you routinely run with an iPhone and don’t intend to change this habit, this might be the only watch you ever need. I’ve had an absolute blast with it, easily one of the cooler gadgets I’ve played with in a long time.

Big thumbs up for the Magellan Echo!

The Magellan Echo is available for purchase at Clever Training in the colors seen below (price without HRM = $149.99, price with HRM = $199.99. Clever Training specializes in fitness electronics, and has agreed to provide a 10% off discount to Runblogger readers on most products that they carry – just enter the code RunBlogXJT at checkout. Purchases support this site and help me to write reviews like this one. Your support is very much appreciated!

The Magellan Echo is also available at Amazon.com.