Sergey Buneev,
Smart watches, before they really appear on the market, are gradually disappearing into the shadows. And the point is not at all that regressive humanity prefers the good old smartphone to new gadgets: the recently appeared smart rings are too strong (and stylish) a competitor. In this material, we have collected for you five of the most technologically advanced and fashionable smart rings.
Smarty Ring
The small LED display of the ring displays information about any alerts coming to the smartphone. So far, manufacturers provide support only for Android OS, however, most likely, iPhone owners will not be left out. Along the perimeter of the Smarty Ring there are three functional buttons that the owner can program at will.
You can pre-order this gadget on the website.
Fin
The creators of Fin were very careful about the design: the laconic, matte white ring does not look massive and looks great on the hand. With Fin, virtually the user’s entire palm turns into an interface: now almost all necessary equipment can be controlled simply by gestures.
You can order.
Ring
The technicians of the small company Logbar did not think very long about the name of their brainchild. However, this gadget can do a lot. Unlike its analogues, Ring can recognize the movements of the owner, which will allow the latter to almost literally control reality. All data received by the main gadget (phone, laptop or tablet) is read by the ring via Bluetooth, and the Ring holds a charge for about two days.
Ring will go on sale this July.
Geak Ring
The developers of Geak Ring relied primarily on security. The ring will store all the necessary information about the owner, which will allow the latter to easily unlock his own phone, car door, or make a payment from a bank card. The creators of the ring promise that the ring can retain information for 99 years - another reason to take your health seriously.
Geak Ring is expected to go on sale by the end of this summer.
Ring Clock
Unlike the above rings, Ring Clock is not overly functional. Engineers used advanced technologies (wireless charging, ultra-thin batteries, energy-saving LEDs) to create the perfect hybrid watch and ring. We must admit, they succeeded in this to the fullest extent: a lightweight, stylish ring powered by a lithium-ion battery will be an excellent addition to the image of a business person.
You can order the Ring Clock on the official website of the developers; the ring will go on sale towards the end of this year.
The R3 smart ring is a very worthy, interesting, and most importantly useful device. An NFC ring with a built-in chip is used to enable mobile phone functions and exchange data using NFC wireless communication technologies. Despite its minimalist design and lightness, it has great functionality. Modern sciencefiction tungsten coating technology is the best material used in electronic devices. In addition, the ring has such noble quality as no discoloration, suitable for men and women and does not cause allergies. Does not require recharging! Service life - 100 years. Main functions: APP lock, business card, Internet link exchange, text exchange, online file transfer, as well as any other available functions for programming on your smartphone.
The device allows you to receive identifiable updates directly from the smartphone and allows users to remotely control it (accept or reject incoming calls, make outgoing calls to pre-entered numbers, turn on the camera, control the player). Using Bluetooth 4.0 technology, the ring allows you to view missed calls, SMS, tweets and notifications from Facebook, Skype, etc. The R3 also has a built-in NFC module, which works great in Russia. The developer reports that this module is guaranteed to function with any device, and in addition, it has a million data rewrite cycles and can store information for 10 years, while ensuring proper security. You just need to have an NFC-enabled smartphone to get started
The smart ring can perform many functions:
With its help, you can save personal data about payment cards, information about accounts, etc. in the notes. You can view these same notes only by holding the ring to your smartphone. Synchronization will occur via NFC. This method is very convenient, and most importantly, it is simple and you do not need to remember a thousand passwords to open a note with important data.
Using Smart Ring R3, you can lock your smartphone and then unlock it using the ring. Setting up this function is built into the proprietary application.
The ring allows you to configure a kind of “smart” button, which, when you bring the gadget to your smartphone, will activate a preset function or open an application.
Using a smart ring, you can quickly and also without unnecessary movements share certain information with a friend by sending him a message on a social network or SMS.
There is no need to press the screen again and waste time. For example, for quick shooting, you just need to bring the ring to the gadget, and the camera will be activated, and you can quickly take the desired frame.
Purpose of Jakcom R3 ring modules
ID module
The "ID" tag here can simulate and copy the frequencies of various types of identification cards (smart chips), such as intercom key, elevator cards, parking cards, smart cards, trading cards, transport cards and other inductive cards. The ring makes it easy to get rid of the different and boring traditional inductive cards. And from now on, without much effort, go to the place you need.
M1 module
The "M1" tag can imitate and copy contactless type IC cards (smart chips), at a frequency of 13.56 MHz Mifare M1 S50, Fudan F08 IC chip cards.
NFC module
The "NFC" recording area is implemented by the new NXP NFC smart chip. 106Kbps data transfer speed, and 100,000 rewrite cycles, can store data for 10 years, and effectively guarantee data security and stability. In addition, it is future-proofed for the next mobile NFC functions.
Phone lock. Set a screen lock and APP lock and let the ring be the only key to your privacy. Safe and fast.
Fast start. Using the ring, you can set up quick access to applications. Free your hands with high efficiency. Exchange of information, business card, internet link.
Information exchange. Business card, Internet connection, message and photos can be transferred to other smartphones using NFS tags.
Specification
1. Item Type: NFC Smart Ring 
2. Features:
Ring material: Titanium, auxiliary metal tungsten
Electronic components coating: Epoxy ceramic
Inserts: Volcanic magnet, Germanium, Energy Stone (FIR stone)
Communication type: NFC; Base frequency: 13.56 MHz
Data transmission distance: no more than 15mm
Working hours: unlimited
Mobile platform: Android (version 4.43 and higher), Windows Phone 8
Operating temperature range: from -50 to +80 ºС
Waterproof class: IP68
3. Parameters
Wall thickness: 2.9 mm
Wall width: 9.1mm(depending on size)
External diameter: 22.8 – 27.9 mm (depending on size)
Inner diameter: 17.2 – 22.3 mm (depending on size)
Weight: 6-7g
Manufacturer country: China
Working with the device
Beginning of work . Jakcom R3 does not require charging and is ready to use once removed from the package.
To exchange data with the ring, you must activate the NFC function on your mobile device.
Jakcom Smart Ring Mobile App
The Jakcom R3 ring works through a phone app. The application is designed for Android (4.43 and higher). Your smartphone must have an NFC function. To synchronize with your phone, you need to activate NFC in the latter's settings. The smart ring works with all smartphones that have a built-in NFC chip. After launching the application, click TASK EDIT and touch the ring to the phone. Everything is ready, you can use all the functions!
For Windows Phone 8, you must use a universal program to work with NFC tags. The available functionality of the smart ring will depend on the capabilities of the specific application. The manufacturer recommends Nokia NFC Tag Creator.
Main window of the Jakcom Smart Ring application
The main application window contains two tabs - Edit Task and Share Info.
Please note: For stable data transfer, the distance between the ring and the mobile device should not exceed 15 mm. The smart ring is equipped with an NFC chip (NFC tag) located on the outside. To write and read data, you must correctly position R3 relative to the mobile device.
Edit Task Tab
The Edit Task tab provides access to the following functions:Quick Start – quick launch of selected applications and sets of applications, opening selected files and contacts when the ring approaches the mobile device.
(“Application blocking”) – blocking the launch of selected applications in the absence of a smart ring near the mobile device.
Screen Lock – unlocks the screen of your mobile device when the smart ring approaches.
Super Alarm – enable/disable the alarm when the ring approaches the mobile device.
IC Card Service is an additional function that allows you to read information from smart cards that support NFC technology (does not require the use of a smart ring).
Share Info tab
The Share Info tab provides access to the following features:
Share Card (“Electronic business card”) – allows you to record an electronic business card on a smart ring containing data about the owner, email address and phone number (total volume - up to 60 bytes).
Share Message – allows you to record a short text message (total volume – up to 130 bytes) on the smart ring. All recorded information can be transferred to the interlocutor when the ring approaches his mobile device (the NFC function must be activated on the receiving device).
Only one set of data can be recorded on the smart ring at a time: business card, link, message. However, an unlimited number of templates prepared in advance can be stored in the application’s memory, which allows you to quickly rewrite information using a mobile device.
The position of the ring determines which of the tags: ID, M1, NFC will be used to perform a particular function.
The short answer is yes.
Last summer, a fundraiser for NFC rings began on Kickstarter (post on Hiktimes). The creators did not promise anything super-innovative, but combining well-known but not popular things into something convenient and familiar is also a good idea. It is not surprising that the collection, although it was not very noticeable, was still successfully completed. For a whole year, the guys wrote letters about their difficulties, about battles and victories, about ups and downs.
As a result, the long-awaited letter, a couple of weeks of waiting, brightened up by Russian Post and the lack of tracking, and now the coveted envelope is in my hands.
I would like to traditionally admit that lately the Russian Post has been delivering parcels quite quickly, but it hasn’t been delivering any mental anguish.
So, a small thick mailing envelope with a natural bubble backing and an elongated black box inside.
I backed up the Collection clause:
Normal NFC Ring, Alpha Ring and the option of a Stealth Bomber Edition Ring
Alpha Ring: Same as a regular ring, only twice as wide.
Stealth Bomber: The first rule of the owner of such a ring is not to talk about this ring.
What I got in the end:
- two regular rings, each with two colored inserts covering the NFC tag: blue + rainbow and black + black.
- three NFC tags for creating your own rings on a 3D printer ( video tutorial, samples on Tinkercad)
- a set of stickers for the phone to indicate where to place the ring.
- a defective wide ring as a gift (the defect concerns the appearance - small chips and cloudy stains. The ring itself works)
- chain
- quick guide
Where is the normal Alpha Ring? Instead, they sent me a promo code for their store with an apology. The alpha rings resisted for a long time, so management decided to send out orders without them, so as not to increase the already lengthy deadlines. Now such rings can be ordered in their store.
What about the Stealth Bomber Edition? One of the regular rings should have been made of black metal (this is exactly the stealth edition) or at least with an insert of a fashionable flake-carbon color, but at the moment when surveys about colors and sizes were sent out, such options were turned off. Now such rings exist only in the form of a render; problems in manufacturing still continue. They promise to win the carbon one, but there is almost no news about the secretive version (but still there is some).
Look at the render of Stealth Bomber
So, having admired it enough and been filled with delight, I put my first “received” checkbox on Kickstarter and proceeded to carefully examine it.
First of all, we need a phone with NFC and an official application installed on it, Android and WinPhone 8 are supported. But there are nuances - Nexus will most likely see the ring, but will be powerless to do anything (). Samsung devices successfully read only Alpha rings.
Blackberry, Android and Raspberry Pi can also work with rings using third party apps or modules.
I was lucky - the official application works on HTC One M8, but periodically crashes after recording :)
If possible, without any special surprises - yes, it can contain a link or text, when reading it shows the text or is immediately sent via the link. Both writing and reading in the application itself are quite convenient - a color scheme with NFC-sensitive areas of the phone is displayed on the screen. On my device, the rings are visible right next to the camera, opposite the flash, so the stickers were not useful.
View color scheme
As promised, you can write two tags on both sides in the ring. It is assumed that one tag will be public - a Facebook or Github profile, for example, or a Bitcoin key (no, seriously, that’s what they say!), and the second will be Read-only with the ability to unlock a phone or open the door of a house.
View menu screenshot
Accordingly, the ring should be worn with the public side up and the other hidden. So it would be nice to order colored inserts on both sides in different colors, rather than black and black.
Let's now look at the rings using some other application to learn more about their pedigree (for example, NFC Tools).
View screenshots of NFC Tools
NFC Tools allows you to do a few more things than the official app. But there is one exclusive only from the creators and only for Android. Drum roll - the ring can unlock the phone. There was a lot of information in the comments on Habré and in questions on Kickterter, which briefly boiled down to “it’s impossible on a non-rooted device.” What is it really?
The two marks on the ring are inherently rewritable. You need to choose which side will be the dark secret, write magic spells on it and make it Read-only. All operations are performed using an additional official application and either according to the guide inside the application, or with an eye to the instructions. In general, nothing complicated - add a ring, set up the lockscreen display and add a PIN code in case the ring is unavailable or the NFC mode is disabled on the phone.
View adding a PIN code
What it looks like: I left my normal unlock enabled. I locked my phone and started unlocking it. At first a standard lockscreen appeared, I entered my password, then a second lockscreen from NFC Ring appeared asking me to unlock it with the ring. No problem, we do the magic pass with a ring - everything works, hurray!
But we won’t stop there, will we? I decided to disable the regular unlock and rely only on the ring. The application showed me a lot of caps and terrible curses, I agreed to its terms and checked again that I had disabled the standard protection. I locked the phone, started unlocking it - but oh-oh-oh, why is this what is this like!
View sudden scary letters
I had to unlock it with a PIN code. In fact, there is a third way to unlock - entering the password to the main Google account of the phone. But in the case of two-factor authentication, this again does not work.
To pull off such adventures - unlocking only with a ring without a standard lockscreen - when using two-factor authentication, you must first prepare and add a specially generated password to the application.
The NFC lockscreen itself has a bunch of settings, the ability to set wallpaper - and the ability to get an unlocked phone after installing bad wallpaper on a bad phone and crashing the application as a result.
View lockscreen settings
And suddenly, a fantastic story about - well, minor vulnerability, perhaps? After some time, the idea came to me to give this application a second chance. I successfully set up everything, checked it twice and, completely calm, having played enough, turned off NFC on my phone.
Turning on the phone before leaving the house was a bit of a surprise. Of the three unlocking options, the ring is not available to me, the password for the main Google account of the phone will again not help due to two-factor authentication, and the pin code... Yes. I forgot my PIN code.
During intense thinking about what information from the phone must be saved, and weighing the likelihood of remembering the PIN code, my hands nervously twirled the device and decided to use the good old “turn off and on” method. Waiting, loading - and happiness, joy, no blocking! I rushed to the settings and turned on the ill-fated NFC a second before the phone locked. And she successfully unlocked it with the ring.
Information about this incident - a few seconds without blocking after a reboot, and you can reboot directly from the lockscreen - was passed on to the author. He considered it insignificant and was probably right. But the thought of using the ring seriously to unlock it no longer occurs to me. Moreover, when it comes to energy consumption, no miracles happened. My HTC lasts for about a day with bluetooth constantly working for pebble. After enabling NFC, the life time was reduced to 5 hours.
Perhaps you can use the ring as a replacement for something like a subway ticket, a pass to study or work? But, for example, this is what my tunnel looks like.
Smart watches and smart bracelets are in trend these days. And this is understandable, the consumer demands something new, more interesting, more convenient. Quite recently, a new product in the series of wearable electronics appeared - “smart” rings. These gadgets claim to be competitors to current wearable smart devices. We bring to your attention five of the most technologically advanced and fashionable smart rings.
Smarty Ring
Smarty Ring is a “smart” ring that, like a smart watch, communicates with a smartphone via Bluetooth. The small screen displays information about calls, SMS messages and social network activity. Of course, the Smarty Ring shows the time just like a regular watch. The new product also works as a timer and can be used to search for a smartphone (if you move some distance away from it, a sound signal is heard).
With remote control capability, the user can hang up a call, launch the camera, and control music without touching the phone. A mobile application is used to configure the accessory. With it, you can select the time zone, set the time, adjust the screen brightness, alarm volume, and more.
The creators of Fin were very careful about the design: the laconic, matte white ring does not look massive and looks great on the hand. With Fin, virtually the user’s entire palm turns into an interface: now almost all necessary equipment can be controlled simply by gestures.
The gadget is compatible with iOS, Android and Windows. Charging is done via a Micro-USB port; one charge should be enough for about a month of use. Fin will be available for purchase this September for $130.
Engineers from the small company Logbar didn’t think very long about the name of their brainchild. However, this gadget can do a lot. Unlike its analogues, iRing can recognize the movements of the owner, which will allow the latter to almost literally control reality. All data received by the main gadget is read via bluetooth, and the Ring holds a charge for about two days.
Thanks to the sensors built into the accessory, the user can enter text information, transmit electronic payment data and receive messages from mobile devices using vibrations and LED lighting.
The developers of Geak Ring relied primarily on safety. The ring will store all the necessary information about the owner, which will allow the latter to easily unlock his own phone, car doors, or make a payment from a bank card. The creators of the ring promise that the ring can retain information for 99 years - another reason to take your health seriously.
Unlike the rings listed above, Ring Clock is not overly functional. Engineers used advanced technologies (wireless charging, ultra-thin batteries, energy-saving LEDs) to create the perfect hybrid watch and ring. I must admit, they succeeded in this to the fullest: a light, stylish ring that runs on a lithium-ion battery will be an excellent addition to the image of a business person.
To be honest, we doubt the popularity of such devices and the ease of their use in everyday life. Do you think such devices will be able to compete with current smart watches and bracelets?
Fidget Cube or heated insoles came out
The wonderful world of Kickstarter and other crowdfunding platforms sometimes reveals such strange devices (take, for example, the Fidget Cube or heated insoles) that you don’t immediately appreciate how viable they are. When Chinese factories copy them, it seems that this is a direct bid for success. For example, this was the case with the Fidget Cube trinket. And so it happened with the NFC Ring project, which in the Chinese version was transformed into the Jakcom Smart Ring R3F NFC ring and came to us for review straight from the Middle Kingdom. In his review, we figure out whether the idea of a “smart” NFC ring and its Chinese incarnation are so good.
What is this?
This is a Chinese allusion to the NFC Ring, which raised £240,000 on Kickstarter to bring it to life. The original was launched in 2013, and you could get it by donating £22 or more to the project (the minimum amount was only a ring, the version for people with thumbs required a donation of £25). Jakcom Smart Ring R3F, the Chinese younger brother, will cost half as much, that is, 12 dollars (800 rubles or 310 hryvnia).
For those who want to know more
This is a presentation of the original NFC Ring that talks about the ring's capabilities (in English, with subtitles and lots of chatter).
But this Jakcom promotional video (also in English and has a lot of text), apparently, the differences from the prototype are cosmetic.
R3F has two brothers: R3, the differences with which we will talk about later, and MJ02 - a model that is mentioned only when loading the application and it is difficult to find additional information.
And what does it look like?
The designers who worked on the Jakcom Smart Ring R3F were definitely inspired by the NFC Ring; the rings are very similar in appearance. Renders showing the NFC Ring hint that it looks more expensive and more interesting, although we didn’t have the opportunity to look at it live, so we can’t say 100% sure.
Jakcom Smart Ring R3F looks budget-friendly. Like the once popular (in my adolescence for sure) rings for teenagers, which allegedly changed color depending on the mood of the wearer.
The manufacturer assures that it uses only environmentally friendly and extremely useful materials in its rings. Among them are germanium, volcanic magma, a certain FIR Energy Stone originally from Korea (available only in the older R3 model), as well as ginseng root, the ear of a black cat and the tripe of a rainbow trout caught at midnight at the crossroads of seven roads.
We had a black ring in our review. It is glossy on the outside and has silver rims around the edges. The top part is subject to scratches, but they are almost invisible. The interior is made as if from polished steel. It has two blotches of black and red. Jakcom Smart Ring R3F is also available in white. In addition to the color and the absence of the Korean miracle stone, it differs from the R3 model in smaller sizes (or the presence of versions with a smaller diameter, this is not clear from the description on the website), a greater number of settings for the NFC chip, “more fashionable” and “more fun” ( This is a quote from the manufacturer's website).
Sizes - from 7 to 12, diameter depending on size - 54-70 millimeters. We received size 7 for review. Suitable for a man's little finger. On the average female hand, it will be at the time of the nameless one. Since we haven’t seen the entire line, we don’t know what the sizing accuracy is in reality: everything is human or like with XXXXL down jackets on Aliexpress, which are just right for our M-size model. Intuition suggests that everything should be fine - Jackom has a large line of devices and a website with descriptions in good English, but the “more fashionable” design and “energy stone” in the device’s characteristics are alarming.
By the way, red and black inclusions are not only a universal remedy for all diseases and to improve immunity, but also chip locations. They are voluminous, but in practice your finger gets so used to them that you still have to twist the ring blindly to find the right point. But the position of the red and black dots can be determined by the stripes on the rim of the ring: one for the red one and two for the black one.
Is it possible to take a shower with him?
The case is protected from dust and moisture according to the IP68 standard. During testing, the device came into contact with water, without any unpleasant consequences. According to the description, the ring should be able to easily withstand falls (height not specified).
And what can it do?
Jakcom Smart Ring R3F can transmit information or trigger a specific action. Open programs, block/unlock a device, share business cards or messages, replace a pass, travel card and other IC cards. The NXP Smart CDX chip is responsible for performing functions related to opening smart locks, access to public transport, and similar operations. The manufacturer's website states that the chip can simulate and completely copy all kinds of IC/ID cards. Interaction with smartphones occurs via NFC, using the NXP Ntag 21x chip. The manufacturer claims that it stores information for 10 years, survives 100 thousand rewrite cycles and transmits information at a speed of 106 kb/s. When paired with a smartphone, the device is ready to perform only two actions.
Even if you don’t understand English, but watched the video at the beginning of this review, from it you probably learned that the Jakcom Smart Ring R3F is practically a ring of omnipotence. This is approximately how it is, but for the magic to work, several conditions are necessary.
First, install the application on your smartphone (there is a QR code for downloading on the package, you can find it on Google Play, but the name is written in hieroglyphs), understand the settings and select the functions you want to use.
Secondly, find him companions with whom the ring will work. Ideally, you should have an Android smartphone with NFC support - this is the only way to fully realize the capabilities of the gadget. In general, the device is compatible with both iOS and Windows Phone. But NFC on the iPhone is closed to third-party applications, so the ring cannot be used to unlock the device and protect applications, and other NFC features. But in the ring management application, you can only edit the data that the Jakcom Smart Ring R3F will send to other devices. There is no such problem with Windows Phone, although the capabilities for this platform are limited compared to Android (presumably the platform itself). If your Android or Windows smartphone does not have NFC, you can still connect the ring. And, as with the iPhone, use it with other devices. Here is a general list of features for all platforms.
The application menu is in English. No surprises in the form of untranslated hieroglyphs. All types of tags are divided into two groups: those that are designed to perform an action on the owner’s smartphone, and those that are intended to perform an action on another device.
In fact, there are a lot of them, to put it mildly. From launching a gallery, a specific track or video, to handing over a business card and replacing cards. All of them are in the screenshots below. Among the shortcomings, we discovered that launching music implies one melody, and not a playlist. And few characters fit into the “name” field (the screenshot below shows how Captain Obvious suffered for the truth).
Since I don’t have smart locks at home, I couldn’t test how convenient it is to open the door with such a wonderful gadget. But it feels like the Jakcom Smart Ring R3F is best suited for this task (although, perhaps, its healing properties were undeservedly not noticed during testing).
The description of the device states that it can serve as a replacement for a bank card, a supermarket discount card, a metro pass and many other things. But the attempt to link a bank card was not successful, just like a loyalty program card - either the settings are not so obvious to do this, or this feature simply does not work. To be honest, the idea of taking such risks with a bank card seems dubious - the manufacturer is not so well known to trust him with such data.
The ability to transfer business cards and files from the ring is good on paper - in practice, it’s hard for me to imagine this situation in action, if only because NFC is not such a common thing. In the business environment, there are many iPhone users among those who can afford it, while pragmatists and low-level clerks use cheap “Chinese” ones who have never heard of NFC. And, to be honest, it’s hard for me to imagine a person in an expensive suit with such a thing on his hand - it looks too cheap.
When using your own smartphone, things are also not so smooth. It's inconvenient when the ring is constantly in contact with NFC and the phone makes sounds or performs programmed actions. You can, of course, carry the Jakcom Smart Ring R3F in your pocket and take it out only in cases where it is required to “decrypt” the application. But to put the ring on your finger the right way, you need to spend time.
How long does it last?
Jakcom Smart Ring R3F does not require charging. It will work, presumably, until force majeure circumstances separate you.
Bottom line
After getting acquainted with the device, I was left with the feeling that the NFC ring is a self-indulgence that is not worth the money (even if it was $5), regardless of where its manufacturer comes from. Firstly, it looks so-so. Unless you are a minor who wants to give yourself some respectability so that you can be allowed into bars, or a hereditary magician and seer of the eightieth level with the appropriate paraphernalia, this thing will look ridiculous on you. Secondly, using a smartphone with NFC enabled when there is a ring on your finger is inconvenient. Thirdly, exchanging data with other people’s devices does not look so elegant - most likely you will spend a long time persuading them to turn on NFC and explain why, look for this option in the menu and in the end you will understand that it will not work with their iPhone. I see only one condition under which the ring will be useful - it is used as a key to a “smart” lock or a pass card. Since the ring on the finger reduces unnecessary movements, eliminating the need to get personal items in public places, and even when your hands are full. In all other cases it is better to use
