Garmin Forerunner 645 Music Smartwatch, Speak Plus In-Dash Cam Launched at CES 2018

Garmin has entered CES 2018 with the Forerunner 645 Music GPS smartwatch that comes with integrated storage for music playback. The Switzerland-headquartered company has also showcased the Garmin Speak Plus, which is an upgrade over the previously launched Garmin Speak dash cam. The Garmin Forerunner 645 Music comes at $449.99 (approximately Rs. 28,600), while its non-music storage variant that comes as the Forerunner 645 is available with a price tag of $399.99 (roughly Rs. 25,400). The Garmin Speak Plus, on the other hand, is priced at $229.99 (approximately Rs. 14,600). The company is offering a special limited-time, pre-order price of $199.99 (approximately Rs. 12,700). The pre-order window will open until February 10, whereas its availability will begin starting mid-February through Garmin, Best Buy, Amazon, and other retailers in the US.

The 5ATM water-resistant Garmin Forerunner 645 Music comes in a stainless-steel metal frame and features a 1.2-inch (240x240 pixels) sunlight-visible, always-on Garmin Chroma Display that is protected with a chemically strengthened glass. The smartwatch has a built-in heart rate sensor that enables 24/7 heart rate monitoring. Also, there are training features that come from Firstbeat to help athletes enhance their fitness levels and measure exact exercise volume. The smartwatch can track activities such as cycling, running, and swimming. There is additionally the anaerobic training effect metric that will help the fitness freaks see the results through their hard work and training.

What makes the Garmin Forerunner 645 Music a stand-out offering is its integrated storage that lets users store up to 500 songs directly on the smartwatch and listen to their favourite tracks via Bluetooth paired headphones while on the go. The wearable is designed to sync music for offline playlists from streaming services, including iHeartRadio and Deezer. Notably, Apple Watch and Samsung Gear Fit 2 already offer similar music storage options.

In addition the ability to store music, the Garmin Forerunner 645 has Bluetooth Smart and ANT+ technology support and is compatible with newer Android and iOS devices. The smartwatch also has Garmin Pay integration to provide a contactless payment solution using a dedicated wallet. Likewise, users can access the Connect IQ store to download and install their favourite watch faces, widgets, and apps such as Uber ETA, SmartThings, and AccuWeather MinuteCast. The smartwatch also supports LiveTrack to let users follow the runs of their friends and view social media updates as well as attend emails right from their wrists. Moreover, the Garmin Forerunner 645 comes with a seven-day battery life and delivers up to five hours in GPS mode with music. It weighs 42 grams and comes with interchangeable bands that are available in Black and Cerise colour options.

Apart from the Forerunner 645 Music, Garmin has unveiled the Speak Plus dash cam. The new model has Amazon Alexa integration to offer hands-free access to music, news briefings, sports scores, in addition to GPS navigation from Garmin. There is also a built-in dash camera that helps drivers oversee their daily drive through a personal eyewitness. Using the dash camera and the proprietary technology efforts, the Garmin Speak Plus provides helpful alerts such as Forward Collision Warnings, Lane Departure Warnings, and even "Go Alerts". The latter notifies drivers when stopped traffic ahead begins to move. Further, there is an LED ring that reminds the iconic Amazon Echo family and an OLED display to show lane guidance arrows for real-time navigation.

Garmin Speak Plus

The Garmin Speak Plus can be attached to a vehicle's windshield using the available magnetic mount. Similarly, there is Bluetooth connectivity support and a 3.5mm audio jack to establish a wired connection with an AUX cable. Drivers can leverage the Alexa integration within the Speak Plus to play songs from services such as Amazon Music, Pandora, and Sirius XM. Furthermore, new subscribers have been offered with a two-month subscription to the Amazon Music Unlimited Family Plan.