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TECH NEWS

BeeLine GPS compass hits £140,452 funding on Kickstarter, with a day to go

Against some sceptism, the BeeLine GPS compass has attracted the support of nearly 3,000 people

At the time of writing, the BeeLine GPS cycling compass has amassed a staggering £140,452, far exceeding its £60,000 Kickstarter goal. And the campaign still has 27 hours to go.

To recap, the BeeLine is a connected compass-style navigation device. Attach the device to the handlebars, connect to a smartphone, and the BeeLine will provide directions to your final destination.

beeline digital compass 8.jpg

Rather than turn-by-turn directions like regular GPS devices, it works very much like a normal compass, pointing in the direction you need to be travelling. That gives you the freedom to choose the road you want to ride along on the way to your chosen destination.

The small screen displays an arrow showing which direction you need to be heading in, along with the distance remaining. The app also allows you to add points along your route to the final destination, so you can avoid certain areas or make sure you pass your favourite coffee shop on the way to your final destination.

The BeeLine features an e-paper screen providing crisp and clear information in all light conditions, with a backlight for night riding. It uses Bluetooth to communicate with the partner app on a compatible smartphone, and inside the device is a magnetometer, accelerometer, and gyroscope. It’s fully waterproof and the battery is said to be good for up to four weeks between charges.

beeline digital compass 1.jpg

Tom Putnam, co-founder of BeeLine, says: “We have worked very hard on the design to ensure BeeLine slots seamlessly into a cyclist’s lifestyle. We’ve been working with an industrial design agency and electronic engineers to get BeeLine to where it is today, and now we’re launching on Kickstarter to raise funds to go into mass production. We are very excited to be bringing BeeLine to the Kickstarter community.”

It’s funny that the BeeLine has smashed past its Kickstarter target because there were quite a few comments on the original story from people saying they didn’t get it. Well clearly lots of people (2,885) do get it, and like the sound of the product enough to back it.

It's not too late to get involved, and for £45 you can support the company and get your hands on a BeeLine. More at www.kickstarter.com/projects/1411369083/beeline-smart-navigation-for-bic...

David worked on the road.cc tech team from 2012-2020. Previously he was editor of Bikemagic.com and before that staff writer at RCUK. He's a seasoned cyclist of all disciplines, from road to mountain biking, touring to cyclo-cross, he only wishes he had time to ride them all. He's mildly competitive, though he'll never admit it, and is a frequent road racer but is too lazy to do really well. He currently resides in the Cotswolds, and you can now find him over on his own YouTube channel David Arthur - Just Ride Bikes

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multifrag | 8 years ago
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Hope that people who are interested in backing will take the campaign with grain of sault. I've seen projects with working prototype fail. Even with people who did such sort of bussiness before. Remember that you're giving out a donation. So if you can give 50 pounds for them and receive nothing than go for it, but don't put down your money and expect them to deliver. A week ago London startup failed to deliver their smal drone concept with a 3mil backing

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hawkinspeter | 8 years ago
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I backed it. Looks like a fun little gadget even though I'm not sure how much use it will actually be. However, I do tend to get lost easily when I think I'm taking a shortcut and end up in a maze of suburban streets with identical looking houses.

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