Garmin bike headset warns about traffic behind you
Garmin is coming to CES with upgraded sport watches and a wearable cycling display that warns you about cars.
There are already bike-friendly smart headsets that will tell you how you're doing, but they won't usually say much about traffic. How are you supposed to know when a car is getting uncomfortably close? That's where Garmin thinks it can help. As part of a larger CES launch, it's unveiling a Varia Vision headset that not only gives you vital cycling data (directions, notifications and performance) but also teams up with the Varia Rearview Radar to warn about traffic behind you. In other words, you'll know about trouble right away, without losing focus. It won't be cheap when it ships this quarter for $400, but it could be justifiable if you regularly bike on busy streets.
If you're more interested in sports tracking on your wrists than your head, Garmin also has you covered. The Fenix 3 watch is getting on-the-wrist heart rate monitoring in an $800 HR model and extra sports profiles (for golf and rowing) as well as options for new models with sapphire lenses that cost $600 in normal trim and $800 with a titanium finish. There's also a new variant of the rugged Tactix watch, the $600 Bravo, that can track everything from high-altitude parachute drops to advanced running. All of these wearables should arrive sometime in the first quarter of the year.
Drivers are getting some upgrades as well. Garmin is kicking out four Drive GPS units that warn you about conditions that other mapping devices miss, such as sharp turns, crossings and even fatigue. The line starts at $130 with the basic Drive. The DriveSmart introduces a link to your smartphone for notifications, live traffic and weather, while the DriveAssist includes a dash cam to both document and prevent crashes. Splurge on the $350 DriveLuxe and you'll get "HD" traffic avoidance that warns you up to 30 seconds in advance. These, too, should show up in the first quarter.
Oh, and there's one more thing: Garmin is introducing Connect Insights to help make sense of that flood of information. The features will study your sleep, predict your step count and otherwise make sure that you're hitting your activity goals. The Insights will launch in January, and you can expect more of them throughout the year.
