insideKENT Magazine Issue 70 - January 2018 | Page 115

THE GADGETS+TECH SmartHalo A CYCLING MUST-HAVE TO SECURE YOUR BIKE FROM THEFT, ILLUMINATE YOUR PATH, NAVIGATE YOUR WAY AROUND THE BEST POSSIBLE ROUTES AND TRACK YOUR OWN FITNESS USED TO TAKE AN ENTIRE GAMUT OF MOUNTS, LIGHTS, CHAINS AND CABLES. NOT ANYMORE. DESCRIBED AS A ‘SWISS ARMY KNIFE FOR BIKES’, THE SMARTHALO IS A SINGLE DEVICE THAT COMBINES EVERYTHING YOU NEED AS AN URBAN CYCLIST. AND IT LOOKS PRETTY COOL TOO. BY POLLY HUMPHRIS Technically speaking, the SmartHalo is an electronic bicycle accessory that, once permanently affixed onto the centre of your handlebars, massively enhances your cycling experience through a huge range of features, notably: turn-by-turn navigation system, built-in bike light, anti-theft security alarm, a fitness tracker, speedometer and compass, and a text/phone call notification assistant. Eschewing the more traditional display screen as seen on our largely rectangular phones, it’s a circular smart device that communicates all of its information via 25 multicoloured high- output LED lights. Your Android of Apple iPhone serve as the control centre for all of its key features and installation, and pairing with your device is an easy and straightforward process. Non-technically speaking, and as an urban dweller who uses my bike often and for practical ‘getting from A to B’ reasons, I’m blown away by the sheer simplicity of the SmartHalo. Although it’s technologically very sophisticated, it’s absolutely usable for people who are familiar with tech, but not nuts about it (like me). It’s all very intuitive. Take the navigation system, which has been designed to guide you along the safest and fastest route to your destination, as you approach a turn the lights will change from white to green the closer you get then flash green to indicate the actual turn; if the lights turn red, you’ve missed your turn and need to turn around where you’ll automatically be put back on track. So gloriously simple. The assistant feature – another key element that keeps your eyes away from a screen and firmly on the road – notifies you of calls or text messages via different blue light patterns, which are helpful, but not distracting (and can be turned off altogether), and the fitness feature, although probably not involved enough for pro, performance-based cyclists, is interesting too. Tracking all the usual variables – time spent riding, distance covered, average speed and calories burned – it also lets you know how much CO2 you’ve ‘spared’, thus providing quantifiable proof that you’re making a positive impact on climate change, which is extremely relevant, but without making a huge song and dance about it. In terms of security, the built-in alarm system is sensitive and accurate. It can be set to ‘lenient’ or ‘vigilant’, which determines how much jostling is tolerated before it sounds, and you can also set a custom code allowing you to manually toggle the alarm on or off completely if your phone battery dies, which is a clever add-on. Once the alarm is activated, as long as your phone is not within the near vicinity of your bike and connected by Bluetooth, your alarm is set – it’s loud, shrill and accompanied by angry, flashing red lights, so opportunist thieves will set it off at their peril. Overall, the SmartHalo is a lightweight, capable and extremely usable piece of kit; the in-built rechargeable battery lasts weeks, the design is intelligent and, because of the option to personalise which features you’d like on and when, the lights system is easy to follow and not overwhelming. It’s a must-have device for any keen urban cyclist. Available at www.smarthalo.bike; £159 smarthalo SmartHaloBike smarthalo 115