14 DAY TRIAL // Wearables are tech’s new best next thing. Last week in Barcelona, at the Mobile World Congress we have seen some pretty interesting products being unveiling, including smartwatches, intelligent eyeglasses prototypes and fitness trackers.
Anyway, even if the above-mentioned categories are the most widespread when it comes to wearables, it doesn't mean we have to limit our thinking. How about wearable jewelry? That’s certainly not a new concept, but it’s something we’d actually want to see more and more often.
The creators of the Ring have taken up exactly this challenge and have come with a neat little device you can ware around your finger. And it comes complete with special super powers like the one from Lord of the Rings.
The comparison seems to be apt enough, because the Ring boats a pretty chunky design, so if you were hoping for something discrete, this little wearable might not agree with you after all.
Going back to its special powers I have mentioned above, the Ring can be paired with any sort of device bearing the “smart” tag. Basically, you’ll be able to control other devices, just by moving your hands.
At this point, you might be having déjà vu with another ring-like wearable we have been talking of in the past, which was called Fin. The circular finger mount allowed users to control smart devices by virtue of hand-gestures, which is basically what Ring can do.
However, there’s a sensible differences between the two, starting with underlying technologies and going as far as what you can actually do with them.
The most crucial difference is that Fin takes into account only your palms and the segments of your fingers, which is not something to shrug off.
Ring, on the other hand, takes your forefinger and turns it into a writing device of sorts or, if you don’t shy away from magical thinking, into a pretty cool wand. Ring incorporates a special ultra-small gesture recognition technology which was patented by the company behind this whole endeavor, Logbar.
So Ring is able to pick up the smallest of gestures done by your finger. To aid beginners, Ring comes with its own alphabet, which allows users to write using air-gestures. It also has a bunch of pre-loaded gestures for launching and controlling several apps.
Users are also encouraged to invent their own air gestures, by virtue of the smartphone app. Does it sound interesting enough? We think it does.
However, the Ring is not yet available for public consumption. The project is currently up on Kickstarter gathering funds, so if you are one of the first pledgers to jump onboard ($185 / €134), you will receive your Frodo-gear somewhere around July.
