Canyon and Sony taking Android Wear to your handlebars
Is it still Android Wear if you don't wear it?
It probably has something to do with the whole "wear" part of its name, but so far all of the Android Wear devices on the market have been inconveniently restricted to being worn on the wrist.
But the platform has the potential to be so much more, and it has taken bicycle company Canyon to take the initiative (with a little help from Sony) to break the shackles of the watch strap.
Revealed at the Eurobike trade show this week, the Canyon Smart Computer is an Android wear cycling computer that allows users to monitor their performance through a number of different apps, making it immediately much more versatile than traditional cycling computers.
Attaching to the handlebars of your bike, with a detachable sliding mechanism for easy charging, the Canyon Smart Computer offers a 1.6-inch touchscreen, 4GB of onboard storage and integrated Bluetooth (just like all other Android Wear devices), plus GPS functionality to make it a rather versatile cycling computer.
Stem cell attachments
According to BikeRadar the device is set to come with three different stems to match different types of bike frames.
But the real innovation comes from the app support. The device, which is set to go on sale next year for around €200 (approx £150, US$225 or AU$320), already runs apps from Google Maps, Strava and Komoot, and promises many more by launch.
While it will obviously track traditional cycling metrics, the use of Android Wear also opens up a wide range of additional functionality possibilities. The device will reportedly deliver 8-10 hours of run time between charges as well.
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Via: BikeRadar