For some months now Agata and Marcus have been pondering the purchase of a GPS based Cycle Computer. The Garmin 800 has been eagerly anticipated but the arrival of the iPhone 4 presented an alternative.Would an iPhone in a special Bicycle case be a substitute, perhaps a superior substitute?
After much Googling I settled on the Biologic iPhone 4 hard Case
The Biologic mount on the left and the Cateye mount on the right. I am absolutely thrilled that I can use the Biologic and the Cateye 610 simultaneously.
Here is the case close up. Click on the photo to zoom in for more detail.
The iPhone 4 inside the open case. Below the iPhone button is a space for a power cable. So you could plug that in, then close the case and you would still have an almost waterproof seal. Could be useful for a long competition when the internal battery would not last.
The internal case shown empty. The rubbery base is square cut for the iPhone 4. Also supplied was a curvy inside case for the older iPhone3 or 3GS.
Back of the case. The mount can actually rotate so the iPhone could be mounted in Landscape or Portrait. For me it has to be Landscape because of the adjacent Cateye Light.Well there has only been a single day of usage but I am pretty impressed. In summary
- It cost about 100 CHF (100 USD) including shipping from America (well actually the unit is direct shipped from its manufacturer in China, but Biologic is an American owned company)
- I can really see the iPhone display and use my finger on the screen as though the front clear cover was not there. It is that good
- On this Day1, down steep hills and very bumpy uneven roads the mount did not slip or rattle
- Not yet tested, but case claims to be waterproof! (from rain showers anyway)
- Using Runkeeper you will easily be good for at least 1.5 hour cycle and Navigation. So pretty good for a commute to work.
- -- On a longer (say weekend Cycle), you might like to take an external powerpack and plug that in, the case allows for that to be plugged in whilst in use. (This is where a Garmin 800 would dance all over the iPhone relatively poor battery life)
- -- Apple have a nasty habit of changing their phone shapes. Could easily be the iPhone 5, (of course rumoured to be coming in late 2011) might need another case!
- I love the idea of making the iPhone 4 (with Runkeeper) do the work instead of buying a separate and another gadget. Sort of simpler .... right?
A further word on the alternatives
- Garmin 405 watch or Garmin 800 Bike computer
- Superior Battery Life
- Lighter
- More robust
- But another gadget, and more expensive overall
- Support for Pedal cadence
- Better calculation of calories burnt (than Runkeeper anyway)
