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Beeline lets you wander without getting lost

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Not to be confused with the mobile bike shops of essentially the same name, the intuitive Beeline navigator (reluctant to call it a cycling GPS) takes the precision out of following a set route to your destination while still ensuring you find your way there in the end. The device’s designer says it is more about encouraging cyclists to actually experience the world around them instead of just blindly following turn-by-turn directions. The small handlebar mounted display pares back navigation to the most elemental – which direction do you need to go & how far away that destination is – then leaves the rest up to you to follow the path that is most interesting as you make your way to your destination. Bringing adventure and exploration back to our time on the bike…

We’ve covered the Beeline a bit over a year ago as it went through a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign. That British start-up story was ultimately successful, and now they’ve made it on to regular production. The small Beeline device is a directional display that you can take with you everywhere you go, and then quickly strap around your handlebar to help get where you need to go. It  pairs with its own Beeline app for iOS or Android, where you can set your intended destination, plus any waypoints along the ride if you want to stop somewhere along the way or to just take in a specific locale en route.

The Beeline uses a low-power e-paper screen with a back light, than ensures a long battery life, plus good visibility in a wide range of lighting. Plus it gets a USB-rechargeable 350mAh battery that claims up to four weeks of regular daily commuter use (30 hours of ride time, with an on-screen battery status monitor).

In its silicone case, it is both water & shock resistant to survive everyday use on the bike. Inside the electronics that make it tick are a magnetometer, accelerometer, gyroscope, and Bluetooth receiver. That means the device itself is just pulling data from your synched mobile phone and then determining which direction you should be headed.  When you aren’t navigating to a set location, the Beeline can be set to receive speed and time data from your paired mobile phone.

Beeline is available now for purchase for just £99 with free international shipping. It comes in three colors – gray, red & blue – and can safely & easily hand from a key chain or bag when not in use. Time for us cyclists to put a bit of adventure back into our journeys.

Beeline.co

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Jase
Jase
7 years ago

This is genuinely exciting. Country rides to the mountain or beach will be easier to navigate.

Other Aaron
Other Aaron
7 years ago

Put it on a top cap and I’m sold (I have too many lights on my bike during autumn/winter)

Joe G.
7 years ago

It would be sweet if they would team up with the other Beeline and provide a button to contact Beeline to come fix one’s bicycle if needed. Total Beeline.

Nick ET
Nick ET
7 years ago

They should have the same interface they use on this device and include it on their app. I’d pay $5 as an upgrade to use it too. Since I already need to use my phone anyway…

Andrew Spaulding
7 years ago

Ok I’m just gonna my to say it, I love the design, but wouldn’t it be more practical on a wrist so you don’t have to strap it on and off all the time? Thus, would it not make more sense as another smart watch?

TheKaiser
7 years ago

I like the idea of this device, and can imagine it being a lot of fun to ride with. I will often ride in a similar manner, picking a place to end up and then looking for roads that seem to go in the general direction, and this would reduce the amount of compass checking, etc…when the sun isn’t out, plus it adds that nice tally on how close you are. If I am not mistaken, the beeline still leaves the potential to end up on a dead end road, correct? That is one of the more frustrating parts of navigating by feel, although I suppose that is all part of the adventure.

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