A Bluetooth enabled ring that functions as a watch, timer and phone finder may not have proved much use to a sprightly hobbit on his travels, but what about yours?
The ‘Smarty Ring’ has surpassed its Kickstarter funding goal by over $260,000 to start production of their concept smart ring and bring it to the market by April 2014.
If the latest iterations of wearable tech are anything to go by, then the Smarty Ring is likely to be approached with caution; Samsung’s galaxy gear device met with mixed reviews and tepid consumer engagement, coupled with a general lack of interest in smart watches it seems that wearable tech has been over valued and over anticipated by analysts and consumers alike.
However, can the latest smart device from India based developers Smarty Ring buck this trend?
The reasons for a lack of interest in smart watches are plentiful, but essentially boil down to the exorbitant price for a device that functions as nothing more than a notification screen for the phone sitting close by in a pocket or hand bag.
As a disruptive piece of technology, the Smarty Ring is likely to upset manufacturers of smart watches; at least for the time being, until they really start to show the kind of innovation that wearable tech demands.
The Smarty Ring though, is proving far more practical. The waterproof, stainless steel band will feature an LED screen that will connect to your phone via Bluetooth 4.0 wireless technology, and at only four millimetres thick and 13 millimetres wide the device is far less conspicuous than a smart watch.
noise colorfit pulse grand The site claims the average smartphone user checks their phone every six seconds, and promises to make that unnecessary, saving both time and the battery life of the smartphone.
The goal of the project was to create a high-tech gadget that would also double as “high-end fashion jewellery,” said an email to CBC News from the team’s elusive marketing director, Karthik, who did not provide his last name.
According to the Smarty Ring site, the tiny device will be capable of far more than being merely a portal to your phone. Features include:
– Incoming & outgoing call notifications
– Accept or reject incoming calls
– Make outgoing calls to preset numbers
– Alerts for Text and E-Mail messages
– Real time updates from Facebook, Twitter, Hangout & Skype
– Control your phone without touching it
– Clock capable of checking up to five time zones
– Stop watch and countdown timer
– Trigger camera
– Control music
– Change profile
In addition, if a user walks more than 30 feet from his phone, the ring will actually beep to alert him that he’s left something behind.