Podio speakered PMP for cyclists sure to cause accidents, impromptu dance parties
By Laura June 
posted May 2nd 2009 2:56AM
posted May 2nd 2009 2:56AM
We've seen plenty of speaker / PMP combos around these part, but the Podio -- which looks kind of like a hairdryer to us -- is designed for the cyclist on-the-go who just can't bike without jamming to Green Day at a semi-loud volume. The Podio comes with a harness to attach it to the bike's handlebars, and boasts a rechargeable lithium-ion battery that gets somewhere between nine and twenty hours of use per charge. The whole thing weighs 139 grams, boasts 2GB of onboard storage, and has a 1.5 watt speaker to get the party started. There are no details on pricing or availability as of now, but we'll let you know when they come around -- err... are on the market. One more photo after the break.
[Via Oh! Gizmo]
[Via Oh! Gizmo]
nothing like listening to elton john while biking.
oh wait.
I was thinking Queen.
Fat bottomed girls...yummy.
On another note, I can think of many other uses, but is the unit water resistant?
Nothing like dancing cyclists in the middle of the street.. impromptu of course
@rawrawrawr
seriously?? seriously??
LAME
Anybody else having not-so-pure thoughts about the shape of that thing?
You need a girlfriend. If you are finding the shape of this erotic, god forbid - stay away from your hair dryer!
NO bluetooth, no GPS, no A2DP, no WIFI.
Not going on my bike.
if everything else on your bike has those features you are cool in my books, but probably single. thats the price of functionality.
i bet the girls aren't gonna be on your bike, either.
oh no, the last thing we needed were speakers on bikes :(
i have lost all my faith in humanity
That's a little dramatic...
Listening to music whilst biking is the same as riding at midnight in black clothes with no lights.
Stupid.
I think its a good way to weed out the people who would actually want one of these.
Excellent point, James.
James: +1.
If all those newfangled noise pollution devices came with as much instant death as this one, my life would be much better. Manufacturers apparently think these things are used by lonesome wanderers of the wilderness. In fact they are used by underaged maggots to pollute every public place available like it was their god-given right to impose their absence of manners upon humanity. At least this particular one looks as though it has a very hand-friendly shape to it, so when I rip the blaring POS from that cretin's bicycle it will be very easy give it a healthy fling towards the oncoming traffic.
"GO FETCH! GOOD BOY!"
Yeah, with headphones.
where's the bike love? these criticisms are really unrealistic and unfair. it's not any different than driving a car with the radio on, or worse, talking or texting on your phone--which, as we know, most people do. in fact, a bike is lighter and slower than a car, hence inherently less dangerous, and there is no way that tiny speaker is going to drown out the sound of oncoming traffic. it's definitely safer than riding while wearing earphones, in any case.
Fine. Low rank me.
Then you can visit the A&E wards and the orthopedics clinics to see what happens to people who don't pay attention when they're cycling on busy thoroughfares.
The number of times I've had to stop suddenly on the Union Canal pathway because some douchebag comes hurtling under a bridge at full speed oblivious to the fact that they can't see what's coming or, because they've got their headphones on, can't hear my bell is incredibly annoying. In addition, having seen two smash ups because two of said douchebags weren't paying attention, and the amusing way one of the guys' foot was pointing backwards (and boy was he screaming) I can safely say it's stupid.
Mark: Perhaps not everyone's riding on the Union Canal pathway? Get what I'm saying? Ease up buddy - consider that YOUR way is not the ONLY way. Something like this CAN be used safely, just as people NOT wearing headphones can still ride bikes dangerously.
Seeing that in my place bicyclists get grey-spotted every week, any kind of distraction means begging for it. In traffic, or if your super smart government decides that you have to ride a bike-lane that is not located on the street but on the pavement, you really really need all your senses clear. Much more important than some stupid helmet that will be useless once the turning truck squishes your ribcage.
@trooper
Sure, as long as you're not on a public thoroughfare otherwise you're a moron who's putting other people in danger. If you're on a quiet path where you can see where you're going then go for it.
Meh. i thought we had earphones? like as loud as we want ... no traffic sounds :/ just a thought
Yeah why would anyone want to use one of these over headphones? Its just going to annoy other people around. Are they going to come out with subs to pull behind your bike next?
Don't you know getting everyone around you familiar with your tastes in music makes you cool?
You have a right to express yourself!
(Just like I have a right to throw your phone/speaker to the ground and stomp on it)
you're not allowed to wear headphones and bike in montreal. I hope these don't catch on here though . . . that might drive me nuts.
err...sorry, between 9-20 hrs?
well, THAT'S specific
That's exactly what I was thinking.
Why is it sure to cause accidents? Is this any different than cars having stereos?
PEW PEW PEW
that's why
It would be cool if this had a way to connect to an existing device. The last thing I want to do is manage my music collection on another device. How about a cord that runs down the frame and can drop into a pannier (bicycle bag)? Or, even better, blutooth, which would allow me to stream Pandora.com or jv.wild949.com podcasts, Stuff You Should Know podcasts to this thing from my phone. Yeah, that would be awesome.
I'd rather have one of these:
http://www.ihomeaudio.com/products.asp?product_id=10186&dept_id=1007
I do listen to tunes when I bicycle. But I use earphones. Not sure why this company thinks it's a good idea to share (read: impose) my stuff on others as I ride by.
Might have something to do with the level of incredible stupidity needed to wear headphones while bicycling.
I could be wrong...maybe they didn't think of that at all.
Yet ANOTHER "lack of naming-creativity" "pod" product!! People, the "pod" name doesn't need to be in the naming convention of EVERY new product on the market!! LAME!!!
YES!!! They should only be used by/for products that are actually, you know... pod shaped. *ahem*
This would be cool for mountain biking, I wouldn't use it on the road. It's pretty safe to wear headphones while mountain biking because there are no cars to worry about, but sometimes other bikers are coming and its a good idea to be able to hear them instead of crashing.
but my bike does not have handlebars... No handlebars, No handlebars...
Can you really ride your bike with no handlebars? No handlebars.. No handlebars?!