Forerunner 735XT SW 9.70 is now live

After updating to 9.70 my 735XT now periodically restarts multiple times when plugged into the USB with the result being all my activities being erased.  

I’ve had 9.70 for a few weeks now and initially everything seemed to be okay. For the last two weeks I’ve been aware that my GPS tracks (using GPS + GLONAS with 1s sampling) were becoming increasingly erratic. Have tried a factory default reset and now have issues getting a GPS fix (over 20 minutes outside in a rural location) and a screen with occasional flickering red lines. Have Garmin screwed my device or can I return it to a working OS and trust it again?

Yes, I cannot get a GPS signal.  I have talked to Garmin Support twice and their suggested fixes have not worked, and if anything have made it worse.  So pissed.

I'm planning on picking up (within a couple of hours) a 735XT (new).

Are these firmware problems (9.60/9.70) really common or just happening for just a few unlucky users?

My feet are getting cold-ish...

I would recommend waiting until these issues are fixed. It is not a few unlucky users, it is happening with thousands according to what you can see in these forums or other social networks. When it works it is a good watch but let them solve this first before buying a new one...

Too late :-) . I was too far gone in my decision process. Went for a run tonight, the 735 on one arm and my old buddy 910 on the other. Totally disappointed with the 735 distance measurement. 100 m shorter than the 910 which showed the same distance that has always shown for that particular trail.  And I am very confident in the 910 which has shown as much consistency as the 410 before it, and the 305 even before that. I have even tried  my watches on several measuring wheel measured distances (both roads and trails).

Some points though before I return it(*). 1) I didn't update. SW was 7.10. Maybe good things happened to the SW up to before 9.60. 2) I used SMART recording (since I've read about, already during the days of the 305, there being no difference at all to the calculations compared to 1 sec - since the Forerunners always sample per 1 sec anyway, even with the SMART setting). I will try again now that I have upgraded anyway to 9.70.

(*) I chose the 735 because it is inexpensive compared to 935/945 yet still has things I want to get accustomed to (the form, the buttons, the different menu system, the live tracking, the GLONASS system + maybe some more) that the 910/410/305 didn't. Then I thought I'd be prepared for the "955" next year.

My time on the watch not synced and it shows about 2 days behind. Any suggestion what i can do

i have the same problem... my time is 2days late... please share fix for this problem... 

Make sure your time is set to auto, then go outside and get a GPS fix.