No ANT+ without a dongle; but BLE works fine for me (HR, cadence, smart trainer, and power) .
Doesn’t provide the all-in-one solution as hoped for (phone as GPS); I won’t bother to install a SIM.
Tested with XM (v3.5.2.0) running in foreground continuously at normal screen brightness –
2 hour rides/workouts, no problem. 2-1/2 hours is risky. Anything longer and you need a battery power pack of some sort but NOT the over-priced, under juiced Mophie available for the Palm.
I came up with an 8+ hour option (as pictured) but haven’t tested that runtime estimate. The longest route I might ride on a weekend is 6 hours.
No doubt you could extend runtime considerably with apps that support sleep/dim functions and operate in background. Possibly 50% or more? However, I am baffled how Palm came up with 4:45 hour estimate for a “GPS workout”. Doesn’t seem feasible with any app and sensors connected.
Haven’t tried removing Verizon bloatware to boost battery life but that should help too. I did disable most apps under Settings for my tests.
Summary –
Palm works fine for me as a cycling computer, but I’m only interested in running Xert mobile with BLE sensors and Google Maps when needed.
I assume Varia radar will work but haven’t purchased a RTL515 to test that yet. Hint to Xert: Add radar support in future version of the mobile app.
Total cost: $150USD (refurbished Palm + TPU case + VHB tape + 6000mAh power pack + glue on quarter-turn plate); 185 g
$150 is my do-over price. I spent more initially but got refunds when I realized where things were headed. The first protective case I got (polycarbonate frame, TPU bumper) couldn’t be used with the power pack because it’s too stiff to mount with VHB tape and be able to remove the phone. However, I kept that case to use as my “2 hour” solution (indoors or out). It’s a slick looking combo:
If your workout/ride needs are lightweight in nature (1-2 hours) this is the way to go (refurbished Palm + SUPCASE + KOM adapter plate = 88 grams, $128USD).
For the 8+ hour solution (first two pics above) I got a 100% TPU case which is flexible all-around so the phone can be pulled out even with case securely VHB taped to the power pack. This TPU case happens to accept a lanyard loop so I made use of my Garmin strap. If I were to redo this configuration I would get a slightly smaller power pack (same design, different manufacturer, 5000mAH).
I can assure you that this delay was completely unexpected and caused due to a last-minute change that we had to make to improve the unit’s durability.
You can certainly keep this email as proof that we will not have any more delays.
Glad they caught it before the first wave but I wonder what it was?
Durability could be anything from shock test failure to water intrusion to screen display or an issue with the new mount design. Your guess is as good as mine.
Probably not “easy”, but I found these instructions straight forward to follow. They’re written for someone who has an apple computer and makes use of the terminal: https://github.com/JohnJ80/Karoo-App-Sideloading.
Mostly though I use the xert player on computer/phone, and run the typical Karoo interface. The interface size of the xert player on Karoo is a little too small.
The ride syncing with Xert is a good sign but then Wahoo does that too. I’m hoping Hammerhead are working on some kind of third party app system that doesn’t involve side loading - I’m assuming that if you sideload the Xert app you’d miss out on things like radar (which I now won’t ride on the road without).
I’d like - if required - to benefit from the “45-day risk-free trial”, but as I won’t be riding outdoors before the end of March, maybe even April, if I finalize my order now, I won’t have the chance to really test the product. I still believe that the hardware is too expensive (nowadays you can find smartphones with huge batteries, protective cases, all-weather proof, …, for less than a third of the price), but it’s impossible to find adequate software with all the options that the Karoo has. I wish that there were such apps to install on my phone, I would even pay a monthly subscription (like I do for Xert).
PS: I’m also thinking about buying a Garmin Varia. I’m sure I would feel more at ease on some roads (at least the ones close to the Belgium border, those Belgian drivers are crazy !).
Love the Varia, can’t imagine riding without it now and about 70% of my rides are in the National Forest and sometimes I don’t see a car for 3+ hours. It is the other 30% of the time that I can’t be without it.
I can’t find a smartphone setup that has even half the battery life of a karoo, wahoo or garmin. I also don’t believe any smartphone that cost a third of the price is going to hold up to the long term use or abuse from outdoor riding. I guess that depends on the type of riding you do.
I did cancel my original pre-order and am still undecided as to get the K2 or ROAM.
You can easily find smartphones with 5000+ mAh batteries. Even up to 10000 mAh. (Ulefone, Oukitel, Blackview, …). Huge battery, more RAM and ROM than the Karoos, better screen, probably better CPU/GPU, etc. I’m even thinking about getting one older model, one of those that still carry Android 8.x with Ant+ enabled, to replace my current phone that I’ve been using for more than one year on my bike. A Pocophone F1, way more than enough powerful than required. But somewhat limited by its battery (3900 mAh I think ?), which lasts for maybe 5 hours, with screen always ON (and several apps running simultaneously, the most energy hungry must be Youtube Vanced - yeah, I often listen and sometimes partially watch videos during my rides, thanks to Vanced work, I have a video overlay on top of Xert app ).
The main advantages for me, with the Karoo 2, are: Ant+, barometric altimeter and… the software features, that one can’t find anywhere else. As I said, I’d prefer to have to subscribe to the software part, and have the choice for the hardware to put it on.
Thanks for the info. I am going to start researching those now. I assume they don’t require a monthly fee or plan to work on the bike? I can for example use Ride With GPS or strava to navigate a route and record a ride without a sim card or data plan.
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