Nerd Stalker

CES Award winning COBI Provides Smartphone Interface For Your Bike If you are at CES this year, you have to check out COBI. COBI is a system that connects your smartphone with your bike in a modern, connected and safe manner. COBI is a somewhat new breed of system developed in Germany that uses the supercomputer in that smartphone of yours as your bicycle's dashboard. As Andreas Freitag discusses in the following interview, COBI hopes to integrate the standard accessories (rear light, front light) with modern technology (Auto-on light, turn signals, location base, hands free listening and communication, etc.). Being German they have high expectations for the product and you should too. Check it out!

COBI's Andreas Freitag Talks About His View of US Urban Bike Culture Photo Courtesy of COBI We sat down with COBI America's Andreas Freitag where he discussed the changing urban bicycling culture. In general, the US is still car-first. Andreas comes from a culture where the bike is so utilitarian, just like Japan and other parts of the world. What is making the change in our urban environment - limited space and parking. In startup mecca, San Francisco, we have seen a steady pro-biking commuting culture being driven here driven by limited parking, younger healthy culture and safer routes. Below is a picture from the city's Bicycle Coalition of SF's Market Street bicycle route and counter near the Twitter building. Community is part of culture and the Bicycle Coalition is providing the community aspect of culture building here in San Francisco. Picture courtesy of Biking Coalition The question is how tech needs to work with bicycles and be safe. In the follo...