Trendwatch: smart locks for bicycles
While chain locks or U-bars are still a necessity for securing your bike, three cool smart locks have just wrapped up successful crowdfunding campaigns, offering bike owners clever ways to keep tabs on their ride.
Lock8 launched its Kickstarter campaign last month at TechCrunch Disrupt Europe 2013 in Berlin and has now received more than $80,000 with less than a week to spare. The sensorized gadget connects to your bike's frame, and to a mobile app, to lock and unlock the bike once the lock chain is connected. If the sensors detect any foul play, Lock8 can trigger a 120-decibel alarm to scare thieves away, while also notifying owners via push notifications and tracking the bike's movement via GPS. Plus friends or others can register on the service to rent out a bike, so owners can make a little cash on the side. The Lock8 is set to cost around $200, with delivery set for next summer.
Although not technically a lock, the Cricket, which just wrapped up a successful Indiegogo campaign, is a similar technology for securing bikes and billed as a "silent" alarm. At 30mm wide and 9mm thick, the device attaches to your bike with a strap and via Bluetooth 4.0 connects to your iPhone to keep tabs on your bike up to 50 meters in range. Also, thanks to its internal three-axis MEMS Accelerometer, the Cricket can detect when your bike has been moved and can send a push notification to your smartphone that triggers an alarm that sounds like a cricket chirping. If your bike is stolen, other Cricket users can help track your bike's location via the device's beacon and can notify you when it's within range. Preorder now for $39, with delivery slated for next March.
Another smartlock option is Bitlock, which promotes bike sharing by letting you or your friends lock and unlock a bicycle with nothing other than a Bluetooth-enabled smartphone. Marketed as the "world's first keyless bike lock," Bitlock has recently wrapped up its own successful Kickstarter campaign to make the prototype smart security device a reality. Bitlock is available now for preorder, priced at $119 with delivery set for August.
