Smart lights
-
Vetus Ossa
- Posts: 1591
- Joined: 22 Oct 2012, 7:32pm
- Location: Plymouth
-
nigelnightmare
- Posts: 709
- Joined: 19 Sep 2016, 10:33pm
Re: Smart lights
Vetus Ossa wrote:What happens when you stop?
The standlight function kicks in.
After about 4 minutes they go out.
Before anybody asks I have a V/small LED headlight (energiser) for breakdowns/flats etc.
Also got a smart phone that the dynamo charges whilst riding (even with lights on).
I do have USB rechargeable lights (Lidl/Aldi) as Backup/emergency lighting (not had to use in the past 5 years).
-
a.twiddler
- Posts: 351
- Joined: 4 Jun 2009, 12:17am
Re: Smart lights
Re the subject of smartphone control of various things.
Recently I was given a sports watch which is a nice piece of kit in itself. It needs pairing to a smartphone to get the best out of it and I have been finding it interesting to look at the results after going for a ride. But it has a major drawback. Like many things you connect to a smartphone via Bluetooth, it drains the battery pretty quickly and in my case unpredictably. Yet the sports watch has a battery life of up to 8 days! (According to the blurb). Perhaps we are not far off the time when a sports watch can dispense with the Smartphone (I would certainly like to.)
So there you are, cycling home in the dark enjoying your new smart lights when at the darkest, most dismal and remote spot your lights go out." Oh no!" you say." I'll just ring (insert appropriate name) and get them to pick me up". But the reason your lights went out is because your phone turned itself off as the battery went flat. " How can that be? It was at 50% when I left work!" Aaah the wonders of modern electronics. Then the rain starts.
If you had a Windows phone you could do even better. Squelching along in the rain and the dark on your bike with no lights when a Traffic Officer pulls you over. (I know, it's unlikely!) "Excuse me Sir, why aren't you using your lights? I see you have got some." " -Er, well, me phone's got a **** virus!"
I still have my old Nokia as a standby phone. It doesn't actually do much but the battery life is tremendous.
As you can tell, I'm not in love with smartphones. A necessary evil (or maybe an unnecessary evil).
Recently I was given a sports watch which is a nice piece of kit in itself. It needs pairing to a smartphone to get the best out of it and I have been finding it interesting to look at the results after going for a ride. But it has a major drawback. Like many things you connect to a smartphone via Bluetooth, it drains the battery pretty quickly and in my case unpredictably. Yet the sports watch has a battery life of up to 8 days! (According to the blurb). Perhaps we are not far off the time when a sports watch can dispense with the Smartphone (I would certainly like to.)
So there you are, cycling home in the dark enjoying your new smart lights when at the darkest, most dismal and remote spot your lights go out." Oh no!" you say." I'll just ring (insert appropriate name) and get them to pick me up". But the reason your lights went out is because your phone turned itself off as the battery went flat. " How can that be? It was at 50% when I left work!" Aaah the wonders of modern electronics. Then the rain starts.
If you had a Windows phone you could do even better. Squelching along in the rain and the dark on your bike with no lights when a Traffic Officer pulls you over. (I know, it's unlikely!) "Excuse me Sir, why aren't you using your lights? I see you have got some." " -Er, well, me phone's got a **** virus!"
I still have my old Nokia as a standby phone. It doesn't actually do much but the battery life is tremendous.
As you can tell, I'm not in love with smartphones. A necessary evil (or maybe an unnecessary evil).
-
nigelnightmare
- Posts: 709
- Joined: 19 Sep 2016, 10:33pm
Re: Smart lights
a.twiddler wrote:Re the subject of smartphone control of various things.
As you can tell, I'm not in love with smartphones. A necessary evil (or maybe an unnecessary evil).
Me neither!
As an aside How did we manage before 'smartphones'? or even mobile phones?
Yes...….I'm old enough to remember.
It was much better when people had to ring round the pubs if they wanted you.
Easy to get the landlord to say "He's not here".