Archive for December, 2008

 
Wednesday, December 31st, 2008
by Joseph Aaron

The Garmin Forerunner 205 GPS Watch marks the amalgamation of form and performance. The Forerunner 205 has a remarkably useful global positioning system (GPS) as well as a modern design. It offers you an enclosed antenna that gives a purview of the heavens. The high quality GPS affords you precise distance data and speed. It also offers simple tracking even if it is used underneath a tree or close to a high-rise.

The Forerunner 205 is the right tool to have when you are exercising. It allows you to look at and contrast your previous exercise session records. You can combine quite a few workout sessions, including running, cycling, etc., and never be forced to reset the Forerunner 205. With the Forerunner 205, you can ready yourself for duathlons and triathlons.

The most convenient part about the Forerunner 205 fitness watch is that it can be modified. The 205 has three data displays and a dozen data fields to provide you with the desired feedback during workouts. Each exercise session is saved in the internal storage area of the Forerunner 205. This can be of great assistance when you want to look at your rate of progress. You can even learn if your exercise times were acceptable. All these functions can assist you in how you do with the next exercise times.

The Forerunner 205 comes with the Garmin Training Center software, which works well for keeping and analyzing exercise times. It is great for examining the workout variables. You can see the graphic rendering of the exercise info with charts and also graphs. You will get to see the data as a map and plan how your sessions could be enhanced.

In terms of storing the workout times you can do this in a different way. The website MotionBased gives you the simplest way to upload your workout data. The Internet-based application of Garmin is very useful in giving you online maps together with routes. The Forerunner 205 has taken workouts to a level of convenience that you have never seen before.

There is a unique website for athletes called the TrainingPeaks. The precision with which it runs is quite impressive. Most athletes employ the Forerunner 205 for their personal workouts.

The Garmin Forerunner 205 GPS Watch is neat and weighs in at merely 77 grams. Because it includes a lithium ion rechargeable battery, it is user-friendly. It gives you a battery usage time of up to 10 hours and is resistant to water. You can even get the RoHS edition of the 205 model. The Forerunner 205 provides an expandable strap, a guide for the user, a quick start guide, an AC charger, and a cradle and serial cable.

The Forerunner provides the speed alert and duration and distance alerts. You have the chance to set up exercise and rest sessions in in the unit. You can customize the 205 depending on the level of your exercise session, such as simple or advanced. It has features like the Multi Spot, auto lap, auto pause, and auto scroll.

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by Dorothy Yamich

Well over seven million people in the United States last year alone were victims of identity theft resulting in about fifty billion dollars of fraudulent credit card, bank, and other financial charges. A large number of these victims were tourists, business travelers, and people on their holidays. Here is some valuable information that may save you a lot of grief when you travel.

It’s very easy for people traveling on vacation to let their guard down. They have a lot on their minds remembering everything they have to take care of before they go and what they need to take with them on vacation. Not only that, all they want is to have fun, unwind, and relax. Isn’t that what a vacation is suppose to be all about? When they’re traveling they don’t want to have to be constantly on guard all time and concerned about getting ripped off every day of their holidays.

There are three major sources of identity theft that you need to be aware of when you travel. They are your wallet, laptop or your PDA, and internet cafes.

Research shows that most identity thefts happen when people’s wallets are stolen, usually by professional pick pockets. Whether you travel on business or vacation you must guard your wallet at all times because you are at more risk than in familiar surroundings. Never carry your wallet in your back pocket – it’s not called the “sucker pocket” for nothing. It’s best to put your wallet in a fanny pack. A number of travelers prefer a fanny pack with a Velcro closure instead of a zippered one because you can hear it being opened. The usual places you will find pickpockets are in crowded areas such as airports, train and bus stations, hotel lobbies, restaurants, and sporting events.

Most people carry more personal information in their wallets then they really need. The first thing that you should do before you travel is to go through your wallet and take out any personal information items that you don’t need when traveling such as bank checks, check books, credit card receipts, bills, and memberships cards such as library cards. You also don’t need to take your social security card as you probably have that number memorized by heart.

Debit cards certainly are a convenient way to take small amounts of cash out of ATM’s when traveling, but are also a great way for thieves to clean out your bank account if they get a hold of them. One way you can reduce this risk is to open up a separate bank account before you go and only put as much day-to-day cash in it as you think you may need for your holidays. Take only that bank debit card with you.

Credit cards are protected by Federal law and are a much better choice to take with you as you are usually covered for any fraudulent charges incurred. If you are over charged or find an error on any of your credit card transactions when you travel, it’s easier to get the charges corrected or reversed from the card companies. You probably should take two credit cards in case one is lost, or compromised. You can also obtain a smaller, limited amount prepaid cash cards from MasterCard, Visa, and American Express that are perfect for daily use. You can purchase these cash cards in any denomination. It’s probably best to buy a couple of cards with lower limits of about five hundred dollars or less each. The credit card companies will replace any pilfered or lost funds. Leave your passport and major cards in your hotel room safe or the hotel’s safe along with any other personal info that you do not need from day to day.

Before you travel, be sure and check that your credit cards do not expire while you are on vacation. And remember to call your credit card issuers and let them know when and where you plan to holiday so they don’t have a seizure or conniption fit and cancel your card when they see a credit charge appearing from some place like Timbuktu. Be sure and make a note of these phone numbers and take them with you when traveling on vacation.

Another major source of identity theft starts with stolen laptops. More than six hundred thousand laptops are pilfered or lost in the U.S. alone, frequently from inattentive travelers in airports, restaurants, and hotel lobbies.

Before you travel, backup your laptop and put the backup disc in a safe place at home or in your safety deposit box at the bank just in case your laptop is stolen or lost. Put a small strip of colored tape on the top and bottom of your laptop and laptop case as most laptops and their cases look very similar in appearance. Write your name, destination address, as well as contact information at your destination on a piece of paper and tape it to your laptop just in case it’s lost at the airport. Don’t put your home address on this piece of paper. It’s better to use your business or work address and phone number. There are a large number of laptops left behind unintentionally. The lost and found offices at airports do not have time to try and gain access to every laptop left behind which are more than likely password protected anyway.

The third major source of identity theft may happen at any internet caf or public computer. Your personal information may be at risk even if you’re just accessing or sending e-mails. A key stroke logger which secretly keeps a record of all user names, passwords, and personal information entered could be installed on the computer. Even if public computers are not compromised they still store information you input in the temporary internet files and the history. Don’t access any bank or credit card account, or pay bills from these computers. Usually computers located in business centers of hotels and on cruise ships are safer to use than other public computers.

The bottom line is to always be vigilant whenever you travel. Have a safe and fun filled vacation!

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