Schwinn CycleNav is a cheap and simple satnav for your bike
Schwinn may sound like a company straight out of Wayne's World, but its CycleNav looks fun. For $59.99, you get a simple navigator that does a straightforward job.
LAS VEGAS -- From a company that sounds like it's been set up by the guys from "Wayne's World" (Schwing!) comes this simple and cheap satnav for bikes. Costing a very reasonable $59.99, it clips to your handlebars and tells you what direction to turn by flashing its lights.
You need to set it up before you start your ride -- open up the Android or iPhone app, type in where you want to go, and check the route out to make any changes as you would on any phone app. Then send the route via Bluetooth to the device, and off you go.
As you cycle, the big green lights flash to indicate the direction you need to go: there's also a speaker that yells directions at you as you travel. There's no way to get the spoken directions through to a headset: Schwinn says that it doesn't want to compromise safety by encouraging riders to use headphones.
If you miss a voice prompt, you can hit a button which tells the device to repeat the last direction.
The CycleNav keeps track of where you went and syncs that information back to your phone once you're done. You can then check to see how you're doing against your goals, in the same way you can with many fitness apps. Plus, you can share your ride over Facebook and Twitter, so you can sleep easier at night.
The company claims 10 hours of battery life, and says it's water resistant so it can cope with rain.
The CycleNav will ship in March in the US into stores such as Walmart, and the company is hoping to add other countries soon.
