[77ko]

What would be cool if there was a very simple low power display bluetooth which just displayed an left/right/upp arrow with a number counting down when to turn or stop.

Phones don't really work mounted on a bike, but a simple display could do the job. Sort of how android watch displays an arrow, but using a low power screen.

[cr3ative]

Good news, there's a somewhat feasible looking kickstarter doing just that: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ridebeeline/beeline-mot...

[andygates]

Beeline is intentionally vague (to preserve the joy of discovery, or something): It gives you a direction and a distance, but no turn-by-turn instructions. It's a bit like Jack Sparrow's magic compass.

[jedimastert]

Next Thing Co. (the guys who made C.H.I.P.) put this thing together[1], which I think could be adapted to a motorcycle or scooter.

[1]: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1598272670/dashbot-a-49...

[Halop]

I feel you - I have tried attaching my android watch to the handlebars and functionality wise it's perfect UI for navigating.

However it takes about 10 seconds for the screen to dim to the monochrome power saver mode and then it's impossible to see anything during daylight.

Android wear does not support a permanently on screen all the time and I would totally buy a cheap device like that just for navigating.

[modeless]

How about a Pebble? Always on, sunlight visible, cheap. The company is gone but they still work. This is what you can get for navigation: https://apps.getpebble.com/en_US/application/530a8f36fc62a5e...

[TeMPOraL]

Pebble was the best. Was fun while it lasted. [*]. I'm counting days until my Pebble Time dies and then I'll be off the smartwatch game until something else pops up that's not just a toy or a fitness tracker.

[Angostura]

I bought a Pebble Time Round after the company went bust at knock-down price and love it. Just waiting for the app/Appstore to die. Still working OK at the moment, though.

[joecool1029]

Never saw that app for it. Thanks, I'll have to give it a whirl on mine.

Edit: Oh well, android only.

[andrewaylett]

If you get a watch with an OLED screen, it can be on all the time and lit, with a black-and-white view of the next navigation instruction on screen.

Need to make sure you've got Maps installed on the watch -- I just realised the reason mine stopped doing that was that I didn't reinstall it after my last factory reset.

[joecool1029]

>Android wear does not support a permanently on screen all the time and I would totally buy a cheap device like that just for navigating.

Buy a Pebble? I have been using a Pebble 2 SE for over a year and one of the primary use cases is so I can navigate on motorcycle.

I leave phone in my pocket. I set the route, maps sends a notification before turns and the watch picks it up. Works in full sunlight and I shake it at night to light it up.

Gets 5-6 days of battery life, I think I paid $40 for mine.

[steveadoo]

My car does this on the dash in front of my steering wheel. It will switch to an overhead of the lanes and highlight the one you have to take when you get close to your turn as well.

Much easier to process this than the full map on something like my phone or the map on the center console.

[singingboyo]

To add to this, my recollection from looking at cars ~6 months ago is that this feature is pretty common now. With my car now, I just get distance + upcoming turn info, but usually that's okay - I prefer looking at signage for lane stuff anyway. If I really do need lane info, it's on the center console.

It's a shame the dash screen doesn't work with android auto though. (I understand, logically, that the dash and the android auto stuff are separate systems, but it'd be nice...) Nissan actually has pretty good maps, but they're rather ugly (and not quite as good as Google's).