LAS VEGAS — Remember the Hammerhead? It’s a device that attaches to your bicycle, links to the GPS on your phone via Bluetooth, and guides you along a pre-chosen route by flashing a left or right light when you need to turn.
Schwinn‘s new CycleNav does one better. Like the Hammerhead, it attaches to your bike (via quick release) and flashes an LED light to alert you to an upcoming turn. But it also speaks voice-guided turn-by-turn navigation to you through a speaker, just like your iPhone does.
It was a little hard to hear the voice prompts over the noisy hubbub during CES Unveiled, the press-only show where we spotted the Hammerhead; frankly, we couldn’t make out a single word, but the real world will probably be quiet enough for the CycleNav to effectively do its thing.
The CycleNav links to a companion iPhone app via low-energy Bluetooth 4.0 (which means you’ll need a 4S or better). Schwinn says you’ll get 10 hours of use from the gadget off a single charge. Schwinn says this is just the first of a line of connected electronics for bicycles they’ll be coming out with, most of which they say will have something to do with sound (think Bluetooth speakers, etc).
The CycleNav is coming March 1. Here’s a Schwinn-made video for those who’re more visually inclined.
