This week’s Smart World Series features a smart bike grip, fresh solutions for retrofitting your home into a smart one, the latest trends for developers interested in the Internet of Things (IoT), and much more.

For those who missed last week’s Smart World Series, here’s a chance to catch up on the exciting developments in the connected world.  Each week, SiliconANGLE rounds up the top news trends regarding smart homes and cars, smart data centers and IT, smart infrastructure and all things related to the Internet of Things.

Remarkably clever smart bike grips

If you’re looking for a way to turn your bike into a smart one, consider smrtGRiPS’ connected bike grips.

The grips help cyclists navigate cities thanks to their support of Google Maps and smrtGRiPS Connect Navigation, enabled by Telenav’s Scout SDK for turn-by-turn directions right on the grips. The grips vibrate to let you know whether you need to make a left or right turn. Haptic feedback is also used to deliver other alerts, like road hazards and upcoming traffic, to the biker.

Learn more about the smrtGRiPS here.

5 smart plugs under $100: Retrofit the smart home

You don’t have to replace all your home appliances with smart ones to achieve a smart home. You can simply retrofit the home by purchasing smart plugs that allows any plugged device be remotely controlled using your smartphone.

There are now numerous smart plugs available in the market such as D-Link Wi-Fi Smart Plug, Belkin’s WeMo Switch, SmartThings’ SmartPower Outlet, ThinkEco’s modlet Starter Kit and the Fibaro Wall Plug.

Learn more about these budget-friendly smart plugs and how they work here.

Make way for smarter offices, cities, and ballparks

Robin Powered Inc. and Konica Minolta Inc. entered a partnership that would allow Konica to deliver smarter workplace equipment to automate things around the office. For instance, the new system enables automatic conference room bookings, as well as ways to leverage presence-sensing tech to more efficiently manage energy use throughout an office space.

Also featured in this roundup is Cisco Systems Inc.’s partnership with ILFS Technologies Ltd. to create smart cities, and a collaboration to make ballparks smarter stadiums.

Learn more about these partnerships here.

Wearable trackers won’t change the real you, says report

CES 2015 saw an abundance of wearable devices but according to survey conducted, wearable trackers won’t actually change the real you. Also featured in this roundup is FLIP BAND, a goal-tracking band that does not connect to the Internet, and IC tomorrow’s wearable tech competition which aims to find the next big thing in the wearable tech space.

Learn more about the latest information on wearable trackers and if they’re really doing anything for users here.

Smart home launches slated for 2015

We can expect to see more connected home solutions launch this year if CES 2015 is any indication of the near future.

For starters, General Electric Co. is slated to release a new line of connected gas ranges, refrigerators and washers-dryers. Next up is Lowe’s Companies Inc.’s Iris line of home automation products being certified for compatibility with iControl Networks, Inc.’s own home automation offerings, as well as a new, responsive light bulb called Alba from Stack Labs Inc. and Oort Inc.’s line of home automation systems.

Learn more about these future-ready smart home solutions here.

What’s next for IoT developers?

Internet of Things developers have more to look forward to this year.Logitech International S.A. has made Harmony’s API available to developers for creating new smart home solutions, while a new open framework that aims to connect IoT called IoTivity was launched.

BlackBerry has also entered the IoT space with its own open platform, and IoT developers are said to be focusing on the Industrial Internet of Things this year as more devices start to connect to the Internet.

Learn more about this shift in trend as well as these new IoT platforms here.

Tune in next week for more interesting stories, discoveries and innovations in the world of smart and connected things.

Feature image via smrtGRiPS. Photos by: WarzauWynn and Robby Ryke via photopin cc