Ringly made a bracelet that will light up or vibrate when you get a phone call - and it's a beautiful alternative to the Fitbit
Wearable tech startup Ringly is best known for its line of cocktail rings, which wearers can customize to discreetly notify them whenever they get a call, text message, or notification from a supported app.
Each 18-carat gold-plated ring has a precious gem and can light up or vibrate according to your personal preferences. The ring connects via Bluetooth to an app made for both iOS and Android.
But the company announced Tuesday it's launching a new product category: bracelets.
The Aries bracelet collection incorporates the same notification technology into a gold-plated bracelet with one of four gemstones: lapis, tourmalated quartz, rainbow moonstone, and labradorite.
"The number-one thing we were hearing from people is that they liked the idea of Ringly, but that they didn't wear a ring every day," Ringly founder and CEO Christina Mercando d'Avignon told Business Insider. "Our vision is to have different products to match different lifestyles."
The bracelet is offered in the four gemstones that were most popular in the original Ringly. The company sources all of its gems directly from Jaipur, India, and each one looks a little bit different.
Behind each gem is a complex set of technology - accelerometer, Bluetooth LE, motor, and LEDs - made as discreet as possible.
"We're targeting women in both style and functionality," d'Avignon said. "We envision this being a way to make life easier for women, for them to stay connected without having to keep their phones out or have to fumble around for their phone in their purse."
Ringly products can currently connect to more than 100 different apps, including Uber, Slack, Snapchat, and WhatsApp. The bracelet's battery will last two to three days on a full charge, depending on how many apps you sync with it. It comes with a custom stand for charging.
The new bracelets will also have a step-tracking feature, which Ringly's first line of rings did not include. Fitbit, d'Avignon said, has been the most-commonly integrated app on Ringly products so far. Now wearers will be able to count their steps and monitor their caloric intake directly on the Ringly app.
The startup of 15 people is also working on a new partnership with Mastercard that will make it possible for wearers to make payments with their ring or bracelet.
Preorders begin Tuesday, and bracelets are expected to ship this summer. It will retail for $275 (slightly more expensive than the $195 rings), but preorders will be discounted at $195. The first 1,000 people to order will also get a diamond on the side of the bracelet, where the notification light shines through.
Ringly has raised $7 million in venture funding from Andreessen Horowitz, First Round Capital, and High Line Ventures. The company declined to share exactly how many rings they've sold, saying only that it has been "tens of thousands". Ringly did $100,000 in sales on its first day of business in June 2014.