Biker boy: Sena's magical pairing
Seamless recording on the go with Sena's camera and headsets/intercom pack
I am a "traditionalist" when it comes to on-board cameras.
To capture video clips of my rides, I would switch on the adventure camera attached to my motorcycle or helmet and press "record". At the end of it, I would switch off the now hot-to-the-touch camera.
Back at the office, a colleague edits the clip and adds a "voice-over".
Well, I can just about hear the techies laughing at me.
I know, it's all a waste of memory card space, battery, time and effort.
But my work has now been made easier with two Bluetooth-enabled gadgets from Sena Technologies: the high-definition Sena Prism action camera and the Dual 20S headsets/intercom pack.
Together, they do magic.
With the Prism "paired" with any one of the 20S headsets, you can command the camera by scrolling the headset's circular knob.
There's no need to stop your bike to verify with the Prism's LCD screen which mode - single shot, video or time lapse, for example - you're in.
A sexy female voice tells you the mode selected via the 20S speakers installed in your helmet. To execute the function, all you have to do is to tap the 20S headset.
The hardy Prism is also able to fire off a 10-shot burst of high-quality photos while in video mode.
Of course, there are adventure camera brands which offer separate remote devices for mounting onto your motorcycle's handlebar.
But the function I found the most novel and useful is the "live" commentary as the action is unfolding.
The same microphone that comes with the 20S headset, used for communication between riders and for mobile phone calls, picks up your commentary on-the-fly - so there's no need to add your voice to the clip during editing.
LIVE
Sena's head for Southeast-Asia, Middle East and India, Mr Sai Kesineni, says: "The difference is like watching a live World Cup final versus watching the repeat telecast on the next day.
"When riding a motorcycle, the scenes and feelings you record are in real time, you can hear the excitement."
But it does require some tweaking if you want your voice to be heard clearly over wind noise.
This can be done via a Sena App or by manually fine-tuning the voice settings on the Prism.
The 20S, on the other hand, aims to make your communication fuss-free with its voice commands.
In Standby mode, say "Hello Sena" (it's fine if you say "See-na" or "Say-na") into your helmet microphone.
Voila! The system wakes up with a clear "Hello".
From here on, functions like intercom, radio, MP3, mobile phone speed-dialing, battery status and Global Positioning system can be activated via voice command procedure.
Of course, you would first need to "pair" the 20S to your mobile phone using Bluetooth.
If all the electronic wizardry appears too much to handle, especially when you're negotiating your favourite bends on the road, just click the Ambient mode, which disallows incoming calls or other functions.
Details on "pairing" or the Prism's remote functions can be found on YouTube. Find the links at tnp.sg/m
Both the Prism and 20S come with dedicated mounting brackets.
The Prism retails at around $612. The good news is that from May 15 to June 15, there's a 40 per cent discount.
The Dual 20S pack retails for about $756 and you'll get 5 per cent discount.
For more information, call Racing World at 6509 6006.
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