14 DAY TRIAL // I remember reading a comment on an article we wrote about Samsung’s smartwatch, saying that for the same money ($299 / €216) one could very well purchase a very capable smartphone and strap it onto the wrist with duct tape.
While the suggestion is pretty hilarious, this Indiegogo project has actually taken the concept and turned into a reality.
Meet the Rufus Cuff, a smartwatch / cuff (it does look like one or a tracking ankle bracelet for that matter) that brings many of the functionality of a smartphone your wrist.
On top of that, Rufus is also a fitness tracker, web browsing platform, messaging tool and can also be used to place phone calls (the most basic of all smartwatch functions, if we exclude time-keeping).
The Rufus Cuff has a 3-inch display and is capable of running most of the apps you’d normally find in the Google Play Store.
As we mentioned above, the smartwatch is still in its crowd-funding phase, and its inventors are hoping to gather up to $250,000 / €180,688 in order to bring the device to the market.
Those willing to be a pioneer of the Rufus Cuff can get theirs by pledging $229 / €166. After the initial 250 unit batch runs out, pricing goes up to $279 / €202.
Now for the scoop on specifications and such. The device has a 3-inch TFT capacitive touchscreen display with a resolution of 400 x 240 pixels.
Under the hood powering up the smartwatch is a Texas Instruments ARM Cortex-A8 processor combined with 16GB of storage, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
Other drawing points of the invention cover a front-facing camera, a bunch of motion detecting sensors, a speaker, mic and the vibrating function, set into action when a notification comes.
On top of that, the Rufus Cuff is said to be spill and splash resistant and has a 1000 mAh rechargeable battery.
Unlike the upcoming Moto 360, LG G Watch or the current Samsung Gear 2 that are designed to be used in concert with a smartphone, the Rufus Cuff might as well replace the smartphone altogether.
