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An LED screen illuminates each time the wearer receives an email, text message or phone call

Out with the smartwatch, in with the smartring

2.4 k views | Posted December 16, 2013 | By Emily Mobbs • Former Editor

While technology giants attempt to outdo each other in the smartwatch market, one start-up business has forged its own path by inventing a smartring.

The Smarty Ring, which works in tandem with a smartphone, allows the wearer to make phone calls, read text messages, control music and receive real-time updates from social media accounts.

Almost US$300,000 (AU$335,000) was raised for the product on crowdfunding website Indiegogo – a sizeable amount more than the original US$40,000 (AU$45,000) goal – and perhaps an indication of the positive impact the item has made on consumers.

The ring appears to be raising the level of what is happening in the wearable technology sphere

The stainless steel, unisex designed ring, which is the brainchild of Indian-based engineer Ashok Kumar, is fitted with a Bluetooth 4.0 sensor and works with both Android and IOS phones.

An LED screen illuminates each time the wearer receives an email, text message, Facebook and Twitter notification or phone call. It can also be used as a remote control and is said to provide 24-hour battery life.

A spokesperson for Smarty Ring confirmed that the wearable-technology device would be ready for shipping, including to Australia and New Zealand, in April 2014.

Indiegogo.com lists the retail price as US$275 (AU$307) for the full-featured version, while other less expensive models will also be available.

The wearable technology arena has gained a lot of traction in the past 12 months; companies like Samsung, Sony and Casio have all released their version of a smartwatch, while rumours continue to speculate about an Apple iWatch.

One local supplier has even secured the distribution rights to the Burg smartwatch phone and while the Smarty Ring not only appears to be raising the level of what is happening in the wearable technology sphere, it’s also an example of another trend where the line between traditional jewellery and other markets is becoming blurred.

Just as there was once a clear distinction between fine and fashion jewellery, the likes of fragrance jewellery and bejewelled consumer items such as USB necklaces and pendants and gemstone-encrusted headphones continue to blur the lines of what the consumer sees as “jewellery”.