The ED-209 of heart rate monitors

The geeks over at the gear blog Gizmodo refer to Garmin's new waterproof, GPS-enabled Forerunner 310XT as "hideous." Personally, I think it's a thing of great beauty. 

If you shell out $399 for the souped-up heart rate monitor version, there's not much this thing can't do. It records calories burned, miles covered, your speed and, of course, heart rate. Enable the Forerunner Virtual Partner (not what you're thinking, dirtbag) and it gives you an invisible competitor. Or, you can compete against your own performance from a previous workout.

And then there's Garmin's ANT+ wireless technology, which allows you to download all this info to your computer. Basically, this is the best friend a triathlete will ever have.

If you can live without the 50 meters of waterproofy goodness, you can always opt for the slicker Forerunner 405CX, but I say no way, man. Big and bulky is beautiful when it comes to wrist wear. 

By the way, did anyone get that Robocop reference in the headline? I'm just askin' cuz I like to know my audience. I aim to please.