Traditional motorcycle boots make the wearer look like a one-percenter. Motorcycle shoes (aka shorty boots) look good, but might not be comfortable for all-day wear, and they definitely lack new tech. Thankfully, a company called Integrated Tech Apparel has brought the old motorcycle boot into the modern age. These look like high-top sneakers, but they have lights built into the heel that act as turn signals and as a brake light. Recently funded on Kickstarter, they should ship to backers in February 2017.
Called Roame Zeros, these motorcycle shoes connect wirelessly to your bike. When you activate the turn signal on your bars, the boots light up to mirror them, which means greater visibility on the road.
Don’t be fooled by the Roame’s 90’s throwback aesthetic. They’re not just simple nubuck — though the leather used is abrasion-resistant so the shoes can survive a bit of road-rash. Even the straps are positioned for safety and durability — the ankle strap holds laces away from the chain, while the lower strap staves off shifter rub.
To keep them as tough as boots, the Roame Zeros feature D30 shock-absorbing padding around the ankle and toe. D30 is light and flexible but turns rigid on impact, making it perfect for a lightweight but protective shoe.
But of course, the feature that literally makes the Roame Zeros stand out is their connectivity. LEDs around the sole of the shoe light up in conjunction with the bike’s signals: red lights on the sole correspond to the brake, while yellow lights function with the turn signals. To take advantage of the wireless signal lights built around the sole of the shoe, riders need to add a wireless relay box to the turn-signal light system on their motorbike. Tech Apparel says this is easy, and they’ll be including instructions and a wireless transmitter box with each pair.
Roame Zeros are fully funded, but you can still grab a pair for $300, saving $100 over the projected final price. According to the creators, the sizing is similar to Nike Jordans, but unlike those famous sneakers the Roame Zeros first run will only be in one color — black.
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.
Samsung's next budget fitness tracker may look a lot like its predecessor. Although the company has yet to share any details about the device, Android Authority has obtained videos showing the Galaxy Fit 4 in three colors, offering a closer look at a wearable that appears to retain the same basic design as the Galaxy Fit 3.
Samsung may be playing it safe with its next fitness band