When we reviewed the Lumos smart bike helmet last year, we lauded if for its bright built-in lights, surprising comfort, and increased safety while riding. The helmet was one of the first to deliver on the promise of being truly “smart,” with some unique features that a traditional bike helmet could not match. Now, Lumos’ flagship product is getting an upgrade that brings Apple Watch support, activity tracking, and more, just as it arrives in Apple Stores, too.
An update to the Lumos Helmet app for iOS delivers a host of new functionality, including the ability to use the rider’s Apple Watch to activate turn signals. Cyclists simply install the update and its companion WatchOS app, pair the smart helmet with their iPhone via Bluetooth, and calibrate their hand signals while wearing Apple’s wearable. Once the process is completed, the Lumos helmet will detect when a hand signal is made and automatically activate 11 amber LED lights to warn drivers that the rider is about to make a turn.
The updated Lumos app also adds the ability to automatically track the wearer’s workout simply by turning it on and setting out on a ride. The smart helmet detects movement and uses the iPhone’s GPS to record distance traveled, speed, time, and other metrics. That information is then automatically shared with HealthKit and Strava.
Other new features include beta software that can detect when a rider is slowing down and turn on the helmet’s brakes. Users will also find settings to adjust the sensitivity of warning lights and the frequency of turn-signal beeping. There is even an option to have the helmet provide notifications of its current battery level when it is first turned on.
Lumos released these software updates just as its smart helmet is about to become much more accessible to potential customers. The device is now available in more than 300 Apple Stores across the U.S. and Europe, as well as online. Priced at $180, it is actually on par with plenty of other bike helmets on the market, most of which don’t have its “smart” features.
Find out more about on the Lumos smart helmet website.
The OnePlus Buds Clip are a new pair of open-ear earbuds built around a simple convenience. They join Sony’s LinkBuds Clip in the growing ear-cuff category, but either OnePlus bud can go on either ear.
Sensors recognize how the earbuds are being worn and route the audio channels accordingly. There’s no label to check before putting them on, and the feature also works when only one bud is used.
We buy fitness bands and activity trackers to keep tabs on our exercise, but it is easy to forget to start tracking or switch modes when moving between different activities. For Fitbit and Pixel Watch users, that could soon become a lot less annoying, as Google is rolling out a major upgrade to automatic activity tracking that can recognize more than 100 types of exercise, up from just 10 before.
Google first showed off the improved tracking earlier this month alongside the Fitbit Edge. It is now coming to Fitbit Air and the Pixel Watch 3, 4, and 5, and Google claims the added context behind the system makes workout detection nearly twice as accurate while cutting missed activities by more than half. Fitbit Edge will support it too.