Slashdot Mirror
Palm on a Bicycle
jcwise writes: "Want to use your Palm or Handspring as a bike computer? Here are two different products that use completely different approaches. I'm not sure if either are better than a $30 bike computer. With PDA prices falling, it might be a fun hack."
I saw the movie Collateral Damage last night -- The Arnold S. movie about a fireman seeking vengeance on a Columbian terrorist that was postponed for obvious reasons.
One scene near the end has the villian using a Palm IIIc (IIRC) with map software to navigate the tunnels beneath some capital building. He had it hooked up to his motorcycle, and presumably with a gps, as it was showing him where he was in real time.
Do you even lift?
These aren't the 'roids you're looking for.
This is why you pretty much need one button control and it would be near a shifter. I.e. go from the statistics screen to a map (assuming you have a GPS receiver plugged in) My GPS tracks where I'm going, as I go along, showing me going down roads, etc. Maybe more helpful when off road, however, GPS work badly on a moving platform in canyons or among redwoods (even works pretty bad inside a small house, so you get an idea how weak the signals are.)
Another option, is the P Brain, don't know much about it, but it gets good reviews and is one button.
A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
But bicycle-based computing is hardly a new idea. This guy was doing it back in the days of the TRS-80 Model 100, and has written extensively about it. IIRC, there was a column in Byte or Creative Computing chronicling his adventures in "Computing Across America."
One CPU cycle wasted on digital restrictions management is ONE TOO MANY.
I don't know if it's my non-typical slashdot lifestyle, but I use my bike as my primary means of transportation. I live in Brooklyn, but affairs call me into the city nearly every day, so I end up biking about 6 to 12 miles 5 days a week. This would be a great secondary (albeit fringe) application for a handheld.
As for the breakage issue, I've been riding in Manhattan traffic for over 2 years now, and I've only had one accident so far. I've broken a lot more things by just dropping my backpack than I have wrecking my bike.
Finally, I think this could be the tool for messengers. I've done a bit of it and my roomate paid rent for a while pulling tags. The difference between a successful and unsuccessful bike messenger is not speed, its knowing where you're going and knowing how to get around the inside of buildings you make deliveries to. This would make a great on-board asset for professional messengers as it would allow them to share routes, both on the street and in buildings.
Think ahead a few years and a wireless connection would let dispatch download the next pickup or drop directly to the messenger's onboard computer. It would make them work a lot more like UPS or fedex.
Howard Dean for president
Yeah right, like I'm going to put a fragile $300 PalmPilot onmy mountain bike when I go terrorizing up and down trails and downtown urban rides.
There's really no use for this stuff, as there are bike computers that are more versatile than this which are cheaper and better integrated with the bike.
Take for example Shimano's excellent Flight Deck technology, which integrates with their higher-level drivetrain components (XT, XTR, Ultegra, and Dura-Ace).
Don't ride Shimano? No problem! CatEye makes excellent bike computers as well!
Another major consideration would be weight. Most PalmPilots weigh about 1/2 a pound (200g). That's a huge weight penalty, especially considering most people do everything they can to lighten their bikes.
Moral of story: good attempt, but bad idea. I'll stick with my Flight Deck.
These are hardly new... I recall looking at these about 2 1/2 years ago. Neat concept, now that you can pick up used Palm Pilots for almost nothing. Back then, it was a very expensive bike computer option.
-dc