Beeline Moto II

[JohnCh]

I recently picked up the newly available Beeline Moto II, which is the evolution of the Moto navigation device they released a few years ago.  Other than @Austin David's post this morning showing an original Moto on his dash, and an older mention by @SENC, I don't recall reading anything about Beeline here, so thought I'd share my initial impressions and raise awareness.  

 

The Moto II pairs with your phone to supply simplified navigation on a 37mm screen.  This info includes direction and distance to the next turn, current speed limit ,and how far into your journey you've travelled. Additionally, small LEDs blink once when you're 200 meters from the upcoming turn, and twice when you're just 50 meters away.  You can toggle through other screens such as speedometer, journey progress, battery levels of both the Beeline and your phone, and a compass mode that always points towards your destination -- perfect for exploring an area without becoming hopelessly lost.  It packs a lot into a small space while allowing you to keep your phone in your pocket where it's less of a distraction.

 

Thus far, I'm really impressed.  Rerouting works great when there is a data signal, yet only GPS is required to follow a preplanned route saved to the Beeline app.  Just the thing when you're blatting off the grid.  Unlike a phone, it doesn't look out of place in a se7en, and because it is so light (just 42 grams for the plastic version) a robust mount isn't required.  

 

In my case, I 3D printed a magnetic mount that leverages a fishing magnet on the back of the dash and a very thick, embedded steel washer in the base of the printed part.  It's very easy to mount/unmount and doesn't leave a visible trace when removed.  Thus far it's held up to g-forces, but I'll stress test it more this weekend.  If there is any creeping over the course of a drive, I'll add some friction material to the base and/or magnet face.  For those interested, more information is available here:  https://beeline.co/  

 

 

 

 

[Austin David]

Great review!  I still love my original Beeline.  The routing / app is great, better than others I've tried (like, a dozen different apps) especially for longer, mutli-point routes.  Anyone can use the app "free" without a device, if you'd like to try it.  The upside of the device is (as noted above) it's small and easy to mount, and it is designed to work well in direct sunlight.  My phone does NOT handle direct sunlight well, or even almost-direct like under the tonneau cover.

 

@JohnCh i'm curious what you think of battery life; or more specifically, if the Moto II retained the "way more than actually needed" battery.  My Moto claims "30 hours" ish, but that's ACTIVE hours.  I only actually charge it every month or so.  I worried that I would need to solve a wiring problem in my car, but that has not been a concern.  

[JohnCh]

The battery is much bigger in the Moto II (600mAh vs. 400mAh) but the bigger screen and other features appear to require more juice.  They claim 14 hours of normal use and never less than 9 hours if the backlight is continually running at its highest setting vs. 20 hours and 10 hours for the Moto.  Interestingly where they state a backlight off time of 30 hours for the Moto, they don't provide an equivalent for the Moto II.  It's exceedingly rare for me to do over 8 hours of actual driving time on a tour, so I don't see battery life being an issue.  Besides, I have a USB charging port on the side of the glovebox and carry a charging cable for my phone that also works with the Moto II, so if battery life is ever a problem, I'll simply plug it in and continue on.  Or that's the plan.