“One Ring to rule them all; One ring to find them; One ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them.”
Ring, a new wearable input device from Logbar, gives users gesture-control over devices with the flick of a finger.
Using the Bluetooth connectivity of Ring, the wearer can control smartphone apps and home appliances; send texts by writing letters in the air; and pay bills, all using gestures in a matter of seconds. Ring also receives notifications through vibrations and LEDs.
Ring, which has already far surpassed its US$250,000 goal on Kickstarter, only detects the movement of the finger on which it is placed. In terms of gesture control, each application and letter of the alphabet has its own unique gesture mark, and gestures can be customized in the smartphone or tablet app.
For developers, Ring has three types of development methods available. Developers can assign actions to specific gestures using an OpenURL Web API, code browser versions for Ring in JavaScript, or wait for the forthcoming SDK for iPhone and Android development. The developer-edition Ring can be pre-ordered for $2,500.
A mockup gesture-maker for developers is available here.
Logbar will use the Kickstarter funds to begin mass production of Ring along with advertising and licensing costs. The product designs and gesture analysis programming are complete. Ring is Bluetooth-compatible with iOS, Android and Windows Phone, along with Google Glass and smartwatches. It comes in six different sizes, and is set for wide release this July.
Copyright issues aside, the makers of Ring missed out on the marketing opportunity of a lifetime. They could’ve made a custom edition of the wearable in gold, inscribed with the black speech of Mordor. Now users will never know what it feels like to hold the power of Sauron.
For more information, check out the Ring Kickstarter page.
