Intel has teamed up with fashion brand Open Ceremony to launch a smart bracelet for fashion-conscious women - meet the MICA bracelet.
As wearable technology is rapidly gaining momentum, increasingly more smart gadgets are making their way to the market. Several heavyweight companies have joined the race and launched various smartwatches or fitness bands, and now it's all about standing out from the crowd.
While most smart gadgets are unisex and can be quite bulky, some companies want to make a difference by launching wearable devices that focus on style as well as functionality. HP has recently joined forces with designer Michael Bastian for a stylish smartwatch, and Intel has now unveiled its upcoming MICA bracelet for women, made in collaboration with Open Ceremony.
MICA, short for My Intelligent Communications Accessory, is targeted at women who want a smart device that is stylish and beautiful, while also offering the functionality of a smartwatch. The MICA bracelet allows access to Facebook, Gmail, Yelp, and provides notifications related the Facebook events, Google Calendar, email, texts, and more. With Yelp and TomTom on board, users will also receive notifications from the two services.
"Our pioneering collaboration with Opening Ceremony and the introduction of this category-defining smart jewelry piece advances wearable technology as a distinctively stylish accessory that places importance on both aesthetics and functionality," Ayse Ildeniz, vice president and general manager for business development and strategy, New Devices Group at Intel Corporation, said in the press release. "MICA captures Intel's philosophy that technology should enhance jewelry in order to make wearable technology truly 'wantable,' in addition to seamless and productive."
"Today's modern woman maintains selectivity and exclusivity when choosing accessories, and MICA embodies a beautifully unique statement piece," added Humberto Leon, co-founder and creative director at Opening Ceremony. "The wearable space is an exciting, rapidly expanding category, and it has been a thrill to be involved in the convergence of fashion and technology through this collaboration with Intel."
MICA will come with a $495 price tag, which includes two years of AT&T wireless data service that will allow users to leave their smartphone at home if they so prefer and rely on the smart bracelet instead.
The gadget will become available in December at Open Ceremony stores in Los Angeles and New York, select Barneys stores in New York, as well as online from Barneys and Open Ceremony's respective websites.
For more details regarding the new MICA bracelet from intel and Open Ceremony, head over to the product page at this link or watch the video below.
