ORII is a smart ring that wants to change how we use
our smartphones, and that is by keeping it in our pockets. Those simple calls,
text messages, and reminders that you usually have to pull your phone out for
will no longer be necessary with the ORII Smart Ring.
You may be wondering how ORII differs from the
regular Bluetooth earbuds. While it does pair to your device via Bluetooth, it
uses bone conduction technology to transmit audio to your ear. Simply place
your finger on the soft part of your ear and press inwards and you can hear the
person at the other end clearly through your fingertip even in a noisy
environment.
ORII is also comfortable to wear and use. The
universal signal for making a call is placing your hand to your ear and that is
the exact way ORII works. Unlike Bluetooth earbuds that are awkward as people
do not know if you are making a call or talking to them, using ORII eliminates
that awkwardness. It is also discreet.
Another advantage ORII has is support for Google
Assistant and Siri. Just tap the capacitive button on the ring to wake up your
assistant, touch your ear as described above and speak. The dual
noise-cancelling microphones will pick up your voice. ORII has an accompanying
app that you can use to configure who you get notification alerts from. There
are LED lights on the ring that indicates the type of notifications coming in.
ORII is made of anodized aluminium and comes in four
colors. There is sandblasted silver, metallic dark gray, matte black and armor
red. There is a 50mAh battery that should last 1 hour of talk time and 45 hours
of standby. The duration is short because the device is designed for short
calls and those who are more into sending messages. Recharging is via a compact
clip though there is also a charging dock that doubles as a case for your ring.
The dock is said to be able to recharge it up to 5 times.
The smart ring has an IPX7 rating so it can survive
the occasional splashes of water but not full immersion. ORII will retail for US$ 159 when it launches but you can get discounts if you back it up on
Kickstarter. It has already reached its US$ 30,000 funding goal though. Shipping
is expected to begin in February, 2018.
Origami Labs is the company behind the watch and it
is founded by Kevin Wong who doubles as the CEO, and three MBA students from
the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. Kevin says he was inspired
to make the device due to his fathers’s visual impairment a a way for him to be
able to use smartphones.
