Smarty Ring - Digital notification and remote control ring

It seems wearables are here to stay, whether you like it or not. Devices like smartglasses and smartwatches seem to be inevitable - even though they're still struggling to find the right "formula" to convince the public at large. But don't think for a moment that will be all. Are you still annoyed by about the prospect of going back to wearing a watch on your wrist - even if it's a smartwatch - after years of not wearing anything? Well... there might be a easier, and smaller, solution...

Check this Smarty Ring. It lets go of the bulky smartwatch dilemma and changes it to a much more manageable size: a ring size. After all, all we need is a way to check out notifications at a glance - not a secondary screen that tries to mimic what we already have in your smartphone right? Even so, it still has a small LED display that shows notifications (and time/timers), and it even has some remote control buttons so you can place/refuse calls, control media players, etc. It even acts as a tracker notifying you've left your smartphone behind (or alerting you in case someone stole it).

Its creators announce a 24h (minimum) battery life, and it's charged wirelessly. Considering it all, I don't think its $175 "founding" price to be exaggerated - though you can also consider one of the cheaper options with less features, starting at $50 for the tracker only version. Delivery is promised for April 2014.

NFC Ring on Kickstarter

Here's yet another Kickstarter successful project (at least in the first phase of money gathering - we'll have to wait and see if the project does reach its objective without unexpected delays, like so many others). If you're a fan of NFC stickers to quickly set up your smartphone, you'll love to hear that you soon may have a NFC ring

Starting at £22, or going as low as £8 if you're willing to 3D print your own ring, or figure out a way to insert the NFC inlet into another ring - this ring does offer some interesting possibilities: like using it to unlock your smartphone - or even a door, if you use a NFC lock.

The project may be simple in theory, but actually building it proved to be a lot more complicated than you might think - because NFC and metal usually don't mix well, and its creator had to find a way to make NFC work in a metal ring, as well as restrict its range in order to prevent undesired "snooping".

The only thing missing is that although it looks good and offers all those amazing possibilities, it does nothing to make people like me (who hate wearing rings - even though I sincerely enjoy and appreciate looking at the "nice ones") want to wear one. :)

The Lord of the Rings "One Ring" can Be Yours

If you're a fan of the Lord of the Rings universe or the latest Peter Jackson movies (he'll soon be back again with The Hobbit), you might have grown a special attraction by its "precious" ring: The One Ring to rule them all... And if you have yet to satisfy your cravings, you might want to know that you can simpley order  one of those original Lord of the Ring rings from Weta - if you're fast, as these items tend to sold out almost immediately.

This ring is gold plated and made of tungsten carbide - which is several times harder than titanium - and should make it nealy indestructible; and it can be yours for just $99.99.


... But, if you're really a big fan of the series and want the real deal, you can also consider having the solid gold The One Ring which can be your for "only" $3,300 US dollars (without inscriptions) or $3,500 with the elvish inscriptions (as it should, might I add!)

A really precious item, that unfortunately is out of my budget range... But if you happen to feel the urge to offer me something for Christmas, this would definitely make me a very happy man! :)