Product Review: Bia Sport GPS

I first heard about Bia Sport during their Kickstarter campaign a couple of years ago.  It sounded like an awesome alternative to my Garmin.  I didn't come off the money to be an original backer, but I've been keeping my eye on the company ever since, knowing that my Garmin Forerunner 305 would eventually bite the dust and I'd be looking for a replacement.  The initial backers are now starting to receive their units.  Since it's been so long since they initially backed the product, I guess in the meantime some people had to buy new GPS watches because I've seen the Bias popping up for sale.  Thanks to Kristi who pointed it out to me, I bought one on eBay for $125--half of what the backers had paid for it.  It was brand new, but the backer had in the meantime bought and fell in love with her new Garmin and didn't need the Bia anymore.  Well, I didn't NEED it either, but for $125 I couldn't pass it up.  If nothing else, it's nice to know I have a backup for the days I pick up my Garmin on my way out the door for a run only to turn it on and be greeted with the low battery warning because my dumb ass forgot to turn it off before I stuck it in the drawer.

It came in this cute little box with the watch, one strap, the Go Stick, and the USB charger for the Go Stick.




There was no instruction manual, which I found odd, but after some googling and reading posts from other users on their Facebook page, I found the answers to most things I wanted to know.

I've used it for a few runs now, and it definitely has its pros and cons.

Pros:

Cons:


I get that this is a fresh-off-the-ground project and there are bound to be unexpected issues crop up.  That's a given with technology!  So I'm not terribly upset about any of these things.  They seem to be working hard to resolve the problems.  And the fact that I only gave $125 for it makes it even harder to get upset.  haha  Now if I'd given the full backer price, I might be a little less patient.  For now I have kind of "it'll do" feeling about the Bia.  When more of the updates go live, I'll do an updated review!

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