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
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