The modular accessory will arrive in time for Christmas
Remember that modular smart jewellery system Altruis which we fell a little bit in love with this summer? It has just relaunched and is now up for pre-order from with worldwide shipping “in time for Christmas”.
Altruis is the first product from Vinaya, the London-based research and design house formerly known as Kovert Designs. The smart jewellery is essentially the same proposition as the limited edition smart ring we reviewed back in June – a connected ceramic stone that can be worn in a gold or silver-plated ring, bracelet or necklace and only vibrates when you get an important message. It’s iPhone only for now.
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Vinaya says this consumer version of Altruis has “enhanced mechanical jewellery design” – glancing at press pics, it looks very similar cosmetically and that’s a good thing – as well as improved embedded hardware.
The iOS app has also been redesigned with what looks like more prominence given to selecting keywords like “deadline” or, you know, “cocktails”. We will be testing out all the changes to both the device and the app to update our Altruis review very soon.
Vinaya states that the range officially starts from £195 – we can’t find any pieces on the website for as low as that (the ring is ) but the fashion tech startup might make the stone available to buy on its own for this lower price.
In a blog post this weekend, Vinaya CEO and digital detox expert Kate Unsworth wrote: “From Nov 1st 2015, our company will be split into two interconnected parts: the Lab and the Studio. In our Lab, we formalise a foundation for a body of research on the relationship between humans and technology. In our Studio, insights from our research are injected into designing meaningful technology products.
“We believe that it’s only through facilitating such a human-centric research loop that we can arrive at meaningful solutions. Our aim is to become a go-to resource for lifestyle management in the digital age, and to pave the path for mindful technology innovation.”
