This smart bike lock will disable your phone when you ride
Most states in the US have banned texting and driving, but what about texting and biking? Dutch telecom provider KPN is developing the Smart Lock, which will disable the mobile network on your smartphone once you unlock your bike using the app. Designed in partnership with the Dutch Traffic Safety Association, the Smart Lock is targeted at kids to promote “the safe use of smartphones in traffic.”
While this seems like a good idea at first glance — it’ll probably stop distracted kids from riding dangerously — there are a number of issues with locking down your smartphone like this.
For one: navigation won’t work, unless you save your maps offline. Neither will Spotify and Apple Music. And what happens if you crash? Or the phone dies and...