IRL: Wahoo’s Blue SC speed sensor for bikes

Welcome to IRL, an ongoing feature where we talk about the gadgets, apps and toys we're using in real life and take a second look at products that already got the formal review treatment.

IRL: Wahoo's Blue SC speed sensor for bikes

Smartphones, tablets, smartphones, repeat. We tend to come back to the same sorts of gadgets here in "IRL," but this week we're shaking things up with a fitness device. Associate HD Editor Ben Drawbaugh is one of the few mountain biking enthusiasts on staff, which means he was one of the only people qualified to test out a bicycle computer, something we normally wouldn't review. After the break, find out if a $60 Bluetooth Low Energy sensor is worth the investment.

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Wahoo’s Balance Smartphone Scale ships today for $99

Wahoo Balance board ships tomorrow for $99

Remember that Bluetooth-enabled smart scale from Wahoo? The one with the companion iOS app to keep you motivated? It was meant to ship in the first week of December, but that timeframe turned out to be as accurate as weighing yourself while leaning against a wall. Nevertheless, the device isn't too far behind schedule: the company just let us know that it'll start shipping today and will definitely reach customers before the holidays. In the meantime, stay tuned for our hands-on with the rival WS-30 scale from Withings, which should go up on the site in a couple of eons around lunchtime.

Correction: We initially reported they'd ship tomorrow, but we're told that devices are actually departing from warehouses on this very day.

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Wahoo Fitness introduces RFLKT: an iPhone-powered bike computer that lets handsets stay in pockets

Wahoo Fitness introduces RFLKT: an iPhone-powered bike computer that lets handsets stay in pockets

Sure, you can turn your smartphone into a bike computer, but if you'd rather not put your pricey piece of tech anywhere near harm's way, Wahoo Fitness' RFLKT Bike Computer offers an alternative. Instead of packing all the brains, the device sits atop a bicycle's handlebar and displays data it's fed via Bluetooth 4.0 from cycling apps running on an iPhone 4S or 5. At launch, the hardware will support the firm's own Cyclemeter application and Wahoo Fitness App which can monitor ride information ranging from location to speed, in addition to heart rate with an additional accoutrement. Aspiring Alberto Contadors can page through data and even sift through tunes on their playlist with the help of buttons on the device's side. Gently tipping the scales at 2 ounces, the RFLKT measures up at 2.4- x 1.6 x 0.5-inches and boasts a one-year battery life on a single coin cell. Wahoo's gadget is slated for a December launch, but there's still no word on pricing. For more specifics, take a gander at the full press release below.

Continue reading Wahoo Fitness introduces RFLKT: an iPhone-powered bike computer that lets handsets stay in pockets

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Wahoo Fitness introduces RFLKT: an iPhone-powered bike computer that lets handsets stay in pockets originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 24 Sep 2012 00:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wahoo KICKR Power Trainer lets iPhone cyclists feel the simulated burn (video)

Wahoo KICKR Power Trainer lets iPhone cyclists feel the simulated burn video

Wahoo Fitness' BlueSC cycling sensor is well and good for iPhone owners that always have fair weather and friendly roads to ride. For everyone else, there's the company's just-unveiled KICKR Power Trainer, a bike training system that uses a Bluetooth 4.0 link with Apple's device (or an ANT+ bike computer) to come as close as possible to the real thing. The KICKR can change resistance as soon as third-party iOS apps like Kinomap Trainer and TrainerRoad give the word, either arbitrarily for a routine or to replicate that on-asphalt feel at up to a 15 percent hill grade. Wahoo claims the super flywheel and wheel-off design improve the sensation of the virtual road and keep the measurements for both power and speed accurate over the long haul. If there's anything holding back indoor athletes, it's the launch. The KICKR will only land in US basements and living rooms come November, and while we haven't been quoted a price, we'd wager that it's much more likely to fall in line with the cost of a regular bike trainer than a sensor like the BlueSC.

Continue reading Wahoo KICKR Power Trainer lets iPhone cyclists feel the simulated burn (video)

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Wahoo KICKR Power Trainer lets iPhone cyclists feel the simulated burn (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 31 Aug 2012 03:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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