The standards race to turn smartphones into sports accessories has heated up and it appears that ANT+ , used by SRAM, Garmin, Adidas and others might win. As we mentioned in an earlier post, Polar has OEMed their technology to Nokia and developed a Bluetooth based Heart Rate Monitor to connect to a Nokia smartphone. Now a new Minnesota company, Pedal Brain, is offering an ANT+ accessory and application that will turn your iPhone or iPod into a full blown cycling computer.
Pedal Brain promises to be the most advanced realtime data acquisition and processing system for cyclists, coaches and teams. The complete Pedal Brain system includes an ANT+ accessory and bike mount case for your iPhone, comprehensive online training log, and innovative coaching platform.
As a member of the ANT+ Alliance, Pedal Brain will record all the information from your existing ANT+ sensors such as power meters, speed & cadence sensors and heart rate monitors. Using the integrated iPhone technology, Pedal Brain also records GPS location and elevation data.
Your detailed workout data will be available to you as you ride and is uploaded in realtime to the web platform where your coach, friends and family can watch your performance via the web. Data can easily be shared through Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites. A complete coaching platform is integrated into the online Pedal Brain community where you can find a coach, buy training plans and get feedback on your workouts.
The Pedal Brain ANT+ accessory and bike mount case (called the Pedal Brain Synapse) should retail for $130-$200 and will be sold online or at your local bike shop starting Spring 2010. The application for your iPhone or iPod will be accessible through different subscription levels. The basic free version will only hold your workout data for up to 7 days. The Standard and Advanced levels will give you unlimited data storage, allow you to have a coach and enable some advanced analytics. Subscription price levels have not yet been set.
