With so many bike computers out there, it’s really hard to come with something new and stand apart, and yet, that’s exactly what the ShySpy bike computer does, with its GPS and anti-theft features.
WRD Systems, the London-based developers of ShySpy, must have realized that it’s not impossible to combine performance tracker features with GPS anti-theft capabilities. The concept behind this device is rather simple. ShySpy includes a mobile SIM card with data connectivity and a GPS module. The product package itself includes a saddle, a tube that goes inside the seat post, and the all the necessary circuitry.
ShySpy is able to collect such performance indicators as speed, distance and elevation on an SD card, further enabling people to upload the GPX file to such trackers as Endomondo, Strava and Sportstracker. The integrated quad-band GSM SIM card that in theory could be used all over the world may as well be used for transferring the GPX file to a computer. WRD Systems also considered making a mobile app to accompany the device.
Bicycle locks, despite giving people the feeling of security, are not unbreakable. In fact, I know a funny story about one of the Swedish curators over on Twitter who claimed that someone stole her lock, leaving her bike where it was. In this context, being able to know at all times the position of your bike should give you more peace of mind than a lock. Of course, all that depends on how long the battery lasts. According to the developers, ShySpy’s battery should last 5 weeks if tracking is not in use, yet the device is connected to a network. In a power down mode that triggers tracking when detecting motion, ShySpy could last up to a year.
The developers of the ShySpy GPS bike computer ran a campaign last month on Kickstarter, in an attempt to raise the funds necessary for the mass production of the device, but it looks like people didn’t think the device was polished, in terms of hardware and software, since the campaign did not hit the goal. The price wasn’t that high, as ShySpy could’ve been secured on Kickstarter by backing the project with as little as $55, so this should be crossed off the list of reasons that might have made this campaign unsuccessful.
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