Imagine wearing a gemstone ring that alerts you to incoming notifications by vibrating in four different patterns– and lighting up in five lovely colors!
Welcome to the world of Ringly (www.ringly.com), a pioneering techno-jewel that adorns while liberating you from your phone. (Typically, Ringly will work about 20-30 feet from your cell.)
A clever little microchip beneath Ringly’s stone connects to your iPhone or Android via Bluetooth. With the Ringly app, you can then set the ring to vibrate. A tiny light on Ringly’s side beams bright when notifications reach your phone. With four different vibratory patterns and various alerts lighting up in different hues, Ringly makes receiving messages an entertaining multi-sensory experience that can be shut down whenever necessary. (For an application to work with Ringly, your phone must have notifications turned on.)
The Ringly app will be available for free in Apple’s App Store and Google Play Store closer to the ring’s ship date, which will be in early 2015.
Available in 18-karat gold matte plated brass or rhodium-plated brass, Ringly’s 18-karat gold plated rings come in such stone choices as: black onyx, dark pink sapphire and rainbow moonstone. These are $195.00 each. An emerald version costs $260.00; this gorgeously green stone is our editor’s pick. A limited edition, rhodium-plated brass Ringly with rutilated quartz has a silvery looking finish and runs $195.00. All rings come with a one year limited warranty.
Ringly delivers more than calls and texts. The app supports emails, out-of-range-from-phone notifications, calendar alerts and various popular applications (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Uber, eBay, Tinder, etc.) Best of all, when sites like Bijoux Review load jewelry contest giveaways, you’ll be among the first to know.
Ringly comes in a chic little ring box that doubles as a charger. Users place the ring into its box and plug into a USB outlet to start charging. Depending on usage, Ringly should last 2+ days before needing to be recharged. Ringly’s battery can be tracked via the Ringly app. (Note: the battery is not replaceable.)
Regarding platforms and devices that Ringly will support at launch, Ringly will be available to both iOS and Android users.
iOS:
iPhone 4S and newer
iPad Mini, iPad 3rd gen and newer
iPod Touch 5th gen.
Must run iOS 7 or above
Android:
Android devices running Android 4.3 or above
Note: Ringly will NOT work with Windows Phone or Blackberry. While Ringly will work with supported tablets, without a phone or tablet, Ringly is simply a beautiful ring. BTW, in case you were wondering, each Ringly gemstone is about the size of an almond. The company only works with suppliers who state that they use conflict-free, ethically mined gemstones and will continue to do so in the future.
Ringly is super-easy to set up. Simply open the Ringly app, click connect and confirm the pairing. The ring will automatically pair with your device and start receiving notifications immediately.
It is advisable to treat a Ringly like you would any other piece of fine jewelry. You can wash your hands while wearing the Ringly, but remove it before showering, swimming or your next water polo match. Likewise, save your Ringly from unnecessary hard knocks. Avoid wearing it during sporting activities, while you’re hammering, doing home repairs or vigorous gardening.
You may be intrigued to know that security-wise, Ringly uses industry standard encryption to keep user data safe and secure. Moreover, this techno-jewel will never collect any user-specific information. While the Ringly app will receive the notifications, zero data or content will be stored or sent to a third party.
The ring’s functionality will be periodically updated after it ships in early 2015. (Additional features and improvements, plus a ring for men, are being developed as you read this.) More essential info: While shipping costs $5 per ring in the U.S., Ringly also ships globally for US$20. Purchasers will be responsible for any additional taxes and/or duties on delivery.
If you are a developer and would like Ringly to work with your app, Ringly can access any notification available in the notification window. To rap more about your app, you may contact partnerships@ringly.com
To get help or support, email support@ringly.com
Because Ringly has yet to ship, we at Bijoux Review have yet to try on and try out this ambitious fusion of jewelry and wireless communications technology. Nevertheless, we admire the vision(s) behind the Ringly, the group ingenuity required to design such an elegant and functional ring, plus the daring; dogged commitment it takes to bring such an innovative product to market.
We give it five stars for innovation!
Those who want to stay updated about Ringly may do so by joining the Ringly community on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest.