By Claire Reilly

Magellan is increasing its focus on the personal fitness category with its new line-up this year, building on last year’s launch of the Switch and Switch Up “smart multisport devices” with two new ranges for cyclists and runners.

Set to arrive in the market in time for Christmas, Magellan is launching the Cyclo 500 range of cycling navigation devices and the Echo smart fitness watch, both of which are expected to be “super strong” additions to Magellan’s range, according to Paris Basson, Magellan Australia and New Zealand brand manager. 

Citing statistics from Bicycling Australia, Basson said more than 10 per cent of the Australian population is cycling and Magellan has catered to this trend with a cycling navigation device designed to “appeal to everyone from the elite level down to families”. 

The Cyclo 500 range — comprising the Cyclo 500, Cyclo 505 and Cyclo 505HC — combines Magellan’s own mapping data from Here maps with local council information on bike lanes as well as crowd-sourced information to provide details on safe routes to ride across Australia. 

The maps are customisable, so mountain bikers can set preferences for off-road routes and city cyclists can choose bike lane routes, there is turn-by-turn navigation and a ‘Surprise Me’ feature that gives multiple options for a given route, and routes can be shared between Cyclo devices thanks to built-in Wi-Fi on the higher-end models.

The range includes the entry-level Cyclo 500 with Bluetooth (RRP $379); the Cyclo 505 with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and ANT+ sensor (RRP $399); and the Cyclo 505HC, which includes the 505 model with a bundled heart rate monitor and cycling cadence sensor (RRP $479). 

The Magellan Cyclo.

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Also joining Magellan’s range in time for Christmas is the Echo watch which is the “first smart fitness watch to market worldwide” according to Magellan marketing manager Noeleen Lechner. 

Unlike other fitness watches on the market that utilise in-built GPS, the Echo is designed for users who run with their smartphone and provides a visual display of data captured by the phone itself. 

“More people are running with their smartphones and tracking fitness stats while they run,” said Lechner. “Echo is driven by [the user’s chosen] fitness app — everything the fitness app captures, they can view on the Echo.”

Using apps such as Strava, MapMyRun and Runtastic, users can customise their watch and select what the Echo’s different hard buttons can control, including starting and pausing a workout and changing music tracks on the paired smartphone. 

Because the device is essentially ‘echoing’ the data captured by the smartphone, it is really only useful for those who run with their phone on them; Lechner conceded that without the app driving the Echo, it is “just a date and time watch”. It is also only compatible with the iPhone 4S and higher, though Android compatibility is a “high priority” for development. 

The Echo will be in retailers from November 2013 for RRP $149 (RRP $199 for the Echo with Bluetooth Heart Rate Monitor) and will be available in black, tangerine and blue.

The Magellan Echo range of smart fitness watches.