This wearable technology saw its debut at the Rio 2016 Olympics and was worn by athletes there.
The NFC Ring has been attracting interest since its original crowdfunding by way of Kickstarter. It has finally made its debut, which occurred at the Rio 2016 Olympics. Olympic athletes wore the wearables enabled with near field communication technology. This made it possible for them to pay for their purchases using their Visa accounts.
Now, these wearable technology devices are available for the rest of the public to pre-order.
The NFC Ring works through near field communication technology. This means that it can be tapped against NFC readers in-store to pay for purchases. The tech is now available for pre-order and has a price tag of about $53. The user must choose his or her ring size in order to make sure it will fit his or her hand. The first wave of shipments are expected to begin in December. That said, while it is equipped with the technology for mobile payments it’s important to note that the relationship with Visa was limited to the test with the Olympians.
The NFC Ring payments technology is getting ready for widespread use.
NFC technology is a much shorter range of wireless communication than Bluetooth or WiFi. This means that a mobile payments transaction can’t be completed unless the wearables are waved immediately over the reader or are tapped together.
Many of the largest mobile wallets use this technology. This includes Apple Pay, Android Pay and many others launched by credit card companies and even retailers. The new wearable technology is among the first to provide a device other than a smartphone or smartwatch for mobile payments.
This specific project began with Kickstarter around three years ago. It has been carefully watched by the tech community and consumers alike. This marks its first release for public purchase. It is sold in black and white ceramic color options. The design is such that it appears to be a regular ring instead of some form of technology.
Aside from mobile payments, the NFC Ring can also be used with near field communication enabled smartphones and tablets to unlock them without the need for a password or passcode.
* Correction – this article was altered on August 27, 2016. It had previously inaccurately implied that the relationship between Visa and the NFC Ring extended beyond the test among the Olympians in Rio 2016.
While smartwatches may be growing in popularity, their ugliness is holding back consumer interest.
The latest tech trends are clearly headed toward wearable technology, and recent developments in smart jewelry is starting to prove that there is a way to wear these mobile devices in an attractive and fashion friendly way that has not yet been achieved by smartwatches and augmented reality glasses.
Google Glass and Samsung Galaxy Gear may have cool features, but wearers look like made for TV sci-fi movies.
The fact that the devices are ugly is making them a harder sell, despite the fact that they have the potential to provide consumers with a range of very interesting features. This trend in wearable technology is changing, though, as a growing number of different smart jewelry options start to become available from various different companies – primarily startups. The key is that they maintain functionality and practicality but they don’t actually look like computers.
Some of the top forms of smart jewelry look like a regular necklace or ring, despite the added features.
Among the forms of wearable technology that have been making headlines over the last while, without calling Star Trek or The Jetsons to mind include the following:
• Cellini Bluetooth Pendant – this device from CSR looks like a sleek and attractive pendant that is worn on a necklace. An app allows the user to change the color or brightness of an LED contained within the pendant in order to match the wearer’s mood or clothing. This is available for Android, or for iOS 7 users. In the latter case, the pendant can be told to alert the iPhone user of incoming calls, texts, or emails through a change in color, vibration, or a flashing light.
• Netatmo June Brooch/Bracelet – this jewelry, comes in the form of gold, gunmetal, or platinum in which is set a stone that resembles a large diamond. This is in the form of a broach or is set onto a leather wrist strap. It functions with an app to alert the user as to how much sun exposure he or she has had, as well as the UV index and local forecasts.
• Smarty Ring – this device is, of course, in the form of a ring and features an LED display that alerts the user to incoming calls, social media updates, and messages.
• NFC Ring – also a ring, this smart jewelry has built in NFC technology built into it. The idea behind this piece is to program this mobile device to hold data or perform various functions, such as unlocking a near field communications enabled smartphone.
