Neyya smart jewellery isn't just for alerts
Smart rings have stuck to alerts and contactless payments so far in 2015 but now Neyya, a new device developed in India and San Francisco, is going after gadget controls.
The stainless steel smart ring, which comes in titanium and gold-plated models, lets you tap and swipe across the capacitive surface on top of the black, polycarbonate ‘stone’ area. The idea is that you can remote control presentations, music tracks on your smartphone or even your GoPro with one thumb.
Neyya is already compatible with iOS, OS X, Windows 8.1, Roku smart TV boxes and GoPro cameras with more device integrations promised soon and an SDK launching today.
And there’s a long list of ways you could use the smart jewellery to save time and keep your hands free. Swipe up across the ring to take a selfie, say, or tap and hold for three seconds to launch Siri. We said smart rings have stuck to alerts and Neyya actually takes care of these too – when it’s connected to your iPhone or Android phone via Bluetooth, you can get vibration patterns for calls, messages and reminders.
The smart ring is reportedly good for three days of use, or ten days of standby – we’ll let you know how we get on with our sample very soon. Charging to full takes 90 minutes via the bundled wireless charging dock.
Neyya includes a touchpad so unsurprisingly it’s more of a statement ring than others we’ve seen. But it does come in three sizes – small, medium and large. The smallest model has a diameter of 18.9mm and is 28.2mm high.
“With Neyya we are attempting to reimagine the way we control and interact with our productivity devices,” said Neyya founder and president Sonia Hunt. “Our team is focused on creating interactive products that engineer a conscious shift in the way we work and experience our daily lives.”
The Neyya ring started life as Fin, an early 2014 Indiegogo campaign which made it to TechCrunch’s Hardware Battlefield at CES. Original Fin backers will receive their smart rings today.
The Neyya smart ring costs for the titanium model and for the 18k gold-plated ring. It’s available to buy online from today and will hit stores including Amazon, Bloomingdales and Selfridges in the UK from 26 November.