Garmin 840?

[Nickldn]

Garmin Edge UI looks Symbian (think old Nokia feature phone) based.

Low battery overhead compared to an Android based computer seems like the only advantage in 2021.

Yes, makes me cringe every time I use it, only good point is that it works.

[kytyree]

That and the Garmin ecosystem, if you're tied into that and used to it I can understand continuing to use it. Though there are other options, arguably better options.

[xylar]

The price for 530 was reduced in April as well.

My guess is that the follow up was almost ready but there was supply chain issues or beta testers found issues that meant the release date got pushed back.

I've heard they tend to release on Tuesdays/Thursdays - each week since April I've been checking DC Rainmaker for news!

[Butcher]

I've not had problems with Garmin software and I've had their computers since the 705. Because of that, I like having something that works and could care less if it's old tech. I've seen what happens when you are the first on the market with the newest technology. I'll pass.

[woodyvalentine]

Familiarity, and availability of mounts come to mind as well. It's just kind of what you know so just stick with same brand. It's like Kleenex even, people refer to bike computers as Garmin's still sometimes not even aware of Wahoo or Hammerhead. I'd like to see more competition as well to drive better features and prices. Wahoo is trying pretty well it seems. I really just need some data screens, maps, reliability, and longer battery. My edge 520 is like 5 years old and is still reliable with suffient data screens. Not enough storage for maps, and battery is 6/7 hours now. So just charge every ride. My needs are small. Just don't want to buy a 530 when next month the new one comes out when I plan to keep for another 5 years.

[Konsi]

Garmins definitely don't use Android. As a UX designer myself, I don't understand how/why people still bother with Garmins and that awful UI, when there's the Hammerhead Karoo 2 available. I have a Karoo and it's incredible, like having a tiny modern smartphone. The UI is so easy to use and is snappy and fast and is loaded with features.

Cyclists should demand more from Garmin. If we keep buying their trash, they'll keep putting it out.

I have several friends with the Hammerhead 2, but if we go on longer rides, I am the only one who has a complete track/recording afterwards and can use the routing all the way using a trash Garmin 530. The Karoo is like a smartphone, also in the battery consumption. If you never ride more than 6 or 7 hours, it is fine, for longer rides it is unusable.

[Nickldn]

Garmins definitely don't use Android. As a UX designer myself, I don't understand how/why people still bother with Garmins and that awful UI, when there's the Hammerhead Karoo 2 available. I have a Karoo and it's incredible, like having a tiny modern smartphone. The UI is so easy to use and is snappy and fast and is loaded with features.

Cyclists should demand more from Garmin. If we keep buying their trash, they'll keep putting it out.

I have several friends with the Hammerhead 2, but if we go on longer rides, I am the only one who has a complete track/recording afterwards and can use the routing all the way using a trash Garmin 530. The Karoo is like a smartphone, also in the battery consumption. If you never ride more than 6 or 7 hours, it is fine, for longer rides it is unusable.

Yes, I think that's one of the reasons why Garmin don't improve their interface for the Edge line. Anything else that's available in the software UI market just eats battery in comparison.

So yeah, it's possible to have a better UI, but it'll also mean having a bigger bike computer overall, to get the same battery life.

I dislike my 520 plus, the UI is slow and ugly, courses take ages to load and process, scrolling through maps is painful, but I'm so impressed with the battery life, even with links to 4 sensors.

[drainyoo]

You can get between 7-8 hours of real battery life from the Karoo 2. Not as much as a Garmin, but that’s pretty great and it will just get better with future OS updates.

[kytyree]

I'd like to see Garmin allow for more smart phone configuration of their computers. I don't know enough about the limitations of their current systems and using phones but you can use the connect app on a phone to configure somethings with Xert and a Garmin. I'd just like an expansion of that to minimize the amount of time needed to make changes and avoid doing it on the somewhat clunky interface of the cycling computer.

If you could configure the data screens on a smart phone that would be a nice addition.

[Conza]

I'd like to see Garmin allow for more smart phone configuration of their computers. I don't know enough about the limitations of their current systems and using phones but you can use the connect app on a phone to configure somethings with Xert and a Garmin. I'd just like an expansion of that to minimize the amount of time needed to make changes and avoid doing it on the somewhat clunky interface of the cycling computer.

If you could configure the data screens on a smart phone that would be a nice addition.

Indeed!

[usr]

and it will just get better with future OS updates.

That's quite the assumption. Possible, yes, but usually the opposite happens. Despite all publicly stated intentions.

[RDY]

You can get between 7-8 hours of real battery life from the Karoo 2. Not as much as a Garmin, but that’s pretty great and it will just get better with future OS updates.

They use very poor quality batteries - hence the wide range of battery endurance reported with both Karoo 1 and Karoo 2. The battery health is likely to degrade quickly if you use it regularly.

[usr]

Usually new Garmins would pop up months ahead on the FCC certification repositories (IPH), with temporary confidentiality for pictures, manuals etc (where the product name would be visible), but ID location instructions that could often give a rough idea what kind of device it would be. And there's nothing like that so far. But I do get the impression that they might have changed their process towards more secrecy, I wouldn't rule out a surprise. The usual cadence would suggest 40ies in early 22.

[Konsi]

I dislike my 520 plus, the UI is slow and ugly, courses take ages to load and process, scrolling through maps is painful, but I'm so impressed with the battery life, even with links to 4 sensors.

I had the 520 Plus and now have the 530. Like day and night. The 530 is much faster, no data lost in 14 months, and battery life that I normally only charge it once or twice a week, not after every ride (up to 16 hours moving time no issue). As I wrote above, it doesn't matter for everyone, many of my cycling friends never go on longer rides than 5 or 6 hours, but if one does (and I have about 25 rides in the last year over 6 hours moving time), the Hammerhead is not an alternative. Due to its size, there is also not enough space on most bikes to charge it on the go.

[usr]

I'd like to see Garmin allow for more smart phone configuration of their computers. I don't know enough about the limitations of their current systems and using phones but you can use the connect app on a phone to configure somethings with Xert and a Garmin. I'd just like an expansion of that to minimize the amount of time needed to make changes and avoid doing it on the somewhat clunky interface of the cycling computer.

The biggest hurdle I think is that Garmin has that single Connect app serving a huge variety of devices, going back to early Bluetooth enabled ones like the Edge 1000 from 2014 and wide like to diving watches and whatever their golf gadgets are doing. They can add features, and they do, even rather wonky ones like that store&forward standalone feature in the current speed sensor pod, but I imagine that every addition is bit of a cross department product management tug of war with a looming "do it right the first time or don't do it at all" expectation (which never works out, increasing pressure for the next time). They are too big to succeed in that area. But I don't mind that at all.

What I do mind is that connectivity seems to be wonky once more, e.g. after upgrading my smartphone I still get rock solid notification and so on (BLE stuff I think) but activity upload is suddenly failing me (likely because that's somehow related technologically on the way 1000/810 did it, I'm on the 1030+ now). I'd rather see them focus on things like that than make the devices es more smartphone-dependent for no good reason other than "that's how Wahoo is doing it".