It is true: We sometimes come up with inspirations and solutions while we are riding a motorcycle, but we will touch more on this later. As for now, let us return to the main title: The Cardo Advantage.

Of course, every successful product has one or more advantages over its rivals, resulting from an insatiable quest to innovate and be the best. To see how Cardo becomes who they are now, it is necessary to see where they came from.

2003

Yes, yes, the very first Bluetooth headset for the mobile phone was the Ericsson T39 in 2001, followed quickly by the proprietary Bluetooth headpiece. It was an instant hit because now a mobile phone user can converse without holding the phone or being tethered with a pesky wire. Suddenly, we began seeing more people who were seemingly talking to themselves.

Companies started springing up to produce Bluetooth headpieces, and one of them was Cardo who produced their very first product called the "Scala."

But Cardo did not want just another Bluetooth headpiece: They wanted it to carry crystal clear audio from the user and to the user. Thus, the Scala was given technologies to make it noiseless.

Then a Cardo personnel had an epiphany when he was riding his motorcycle. How about if the company used that noise suppressing technology for motorcycling use? That way, the rider could connect his phone and music, and also with his passenger or other riders.

2004

The world's first Bluetooth motorcycle communicator called the "Scala Rider" was born. The headset's control unit was wrapped in a waterproof and protective shell.

2005

The year saw the introduction of the Scala Rider FM - the first motorcycle Bluetooth communicator with built-in FM radio. Riders can now hear traffic and weather reports in real time. The Scala Rider FM also featured automatic volume control which varies according to the motorcycle's speed.

2007

Finally, riders can now communicate with other riders with the Scala Rider Q2. And yes, it was a world's first. The Q2 had a range of 700m between riders.

2009

Range had been limited with the Q2 so Cardo produced the G4 in 2009 which  boosted rider-to-rider range, letting riders stay in touch easier when on the road. The G4 was also the first to feature firmware update using the internet, rather than needing to be brought to the shop.

2012

This year heralded the appearance of the Scala Rider G9x, which featured the first music sharing function. It also allows 9 riders to be connected up to a range of 1.6km, 4-way conferencing, voice command, and much more.

2015

2015 marks the revolution in rider communication when the Packtalk made its debut with Dynamic Mesh Communications (DMC), connecting a maximum of 15 riders. Compared to Bluetooth, a DMC connection allows for better dynamics i.e. riders exiting the group does not cause the entire network to break down, and those riders who rejoin the group are automatically reconnected. Bluetooth is still being used for connecting to the phone.

2018

The year featured a very significant update called Natural Language control - also a world's first. This feature allows the user to speak his commands naturally without needing to pre-record the commands. The software is so smart that it distinguishes commands from conversation. Or singing.

2019

Another great upgrade: This time to provide the highest form of entertainment by incorporating speakers made by audio specialists JBL.

So you see, Cardo is the specialist in motorcycle communications, but instead of resting on their laurels, they continue to push the envelope. What it means for us bikers is that we can expect even better technologies from Cardo in the years to come.