GPS Wristwear: Tracking Your Every Healthy Move

After a day of being awed in the endless halls of CES by the oh-so-many ways we’ll be spending hours of passive fun watching larger-than-life TV screens and listening to truer-than-life sound systems, I was stopped in my tracks by something different: GPS technology to monitor our more active pursuits.

Part of an updated line of wrist and bike-mounted GPS tracking monitors, Garmin's Forerunner 205, which goes on the market next month at $249, looks like a 2006 version of Dick Tracy’s watch. Its high-sensitivity receiver actually tracks a runner’s every move -- even under trees and tall buildings. For $100 more, the Forerunner 305 adds a heart rate monitor. Both allow runners, hikers and bikers to download courses and trails throughout the world. The Edge 205 ($249) and Edge 305 ($349) do the same for bike treks.

Through free software at MotionBased.com, which Garmin bought two months ago, you can track how far you run, your heart rate at every turn and hill, and compare results over several runs. For an annual subscription of $7.95 a month, you can keep and compare data on all outings. It’s a great training tool for marathon and triathlon athletes, or for curious fitness enthusiasts.

Do they inspire you to get moving and see how far you go? Post a comment below.