Segway is back and coming for hoverboards everywhere
Six months ago, Segway glided back onto the world stage at CES 2016 with the new hoverboard competitor which, at various times, has been called "Segway" "Ninebot," and the "Ninebot mini."
But it's now called the Ninebot by Segway miniPRO, or "miniPRO" for short. It's also arriving in the U.S. on June 1, which is, by some measures, months ahead of schedule.
It's also worth noting that the new Segway miniPRO is not the same product as the Ninebot mini, a lower-cost, less-feature-rich self-balancer built solely by Ninebot for the Chinese market.
On pre-order today, the miniPRO is nominally a Segway, a brand and product that was the brainchild of maverick inventor Dean Kamen. Since he unveiled the mobility device that was supposed to change the face of human transportation, the brand and company have changed hands multiple times. Segway/Ninebot is now a subsidiary of Chinese tech giant Xiaomi.
The new product, which resembles the Segway we checked out in January, features Segway's signature (and contested) self-balancing technology. And while most hoverboards also feature a platform, two wheels and some intelligence, the miniPRO differs in a few significant ways.
Instead of a pair of solid rubber wheels, the miniPRO has a pair of inflatable, 10.5 inch tires, which may change the ride feel. In addition, there's a stem that sticks up from the middle, which Segway calls a Knee Control Bar. It's designed to sit neatly between your knees and give the rider a level of stability and, perhaps, control that they might not find with existing self-balancing boards (hoverboards).
The other big difference is that the miniPRO is truly part robot -- it can be remote controlled via the free app.
Segway rates the miniPRO to go 14 miles on a single charge of its lithium-ion battery and at speeds of up to 10 miles per hour. Swagway's new Swagtron can, according to the company, last for 20 miles on a charge.
Of course, the only way miniPRO can ship into the U.S. is by adhering to the new, stricter UL certifications. The U.S. government set those safety regulations after a rash of hoverboard fires last year. Segway's product was among the first to get the new UL 2272 safety certification. Other safety features include headlights and backup lights and a battery indicator.
The rider also includes app-based anti-theft technology that will launch an alarm if someone other than you tries to move your miniPRO.
The pre-sale is live on Amazon right now and Segway says deliveries could happen as soon as the end of June.
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Topics Xiaomi
Lance Ulanoff was Chief Correspondent and Editor-at-Large of Mashable. Lance acted as a senior member of the editing team, with a focus on defining internal and curated opinion content. He also helped develop staff-wide alternative story-telling skills and implementation of social media tools during live events. Prior to joining Mashable in September 2011 Lance Ulanoff served as Editor in Chief of PCMag.com and Senior Vice President of Content for the Ziff Davis, Inc. While there, he guided the brand to a 100% digital existence and oversaw content strategy for all of Ziff Davis’ Web sites. His long-running column on PCMag.com earned him a Bronze award from the ASBPE. Winmag.com, HomePC.com and PCMag.com were all been honored under Lance’s guidance.He makes frequent appearances on national, international, and local news programs including Fox News, the Today Show, Good Morning America, Kelly and Michael, CNBC, CNN and the BBC.He has also offered commentary on National Public Radio and been interviewed by newspapers and radio stations around the country. Lance has been an invited guest speaker at numerous technology conferences including SXSW, Think Mobile, CEA Line Shows, Digital Life, RoboBusiness, RoboNexus, Business Foresight and Digital Media Wire’s Games and Mobile Forum.
