Fashion-forward ring connects to your smartphone

Jonathan Bloom Image
ByJonathan Bloom KGO logo
Thursday, June 12, 2014
Ringly introduces stylish new iPhone-connected smart ring
A fresh, new wearable technology design is going on the market that offers a trendy and accessible solution for women who stash their phone in a purse.

A fresh, new wearable technology design is going on the market that offers a trendy and accessible solution for women who struggle with receiving alerts because their phones are stashed away in purses.

Ringly is a fashionable ring that connects to a user's iPhone that vibrates when the user get a call, text, or email so that phones can be kept in purses without missing any alerts.

Christina Mercando, founder and CEO of Ringly, created the stylish piece of jewelry to be in stark contrast to the bulky watches and rubbery armbands that make up today's wearable technology.

Unlike these unfashionable products, Mercando chose to start with the jewelry and then set about squeezing the electronics into it.

"When you talk about fashion, people need to fall in love with what it looks like, and it needs to make them feel good," Mercando said.

Ringly comes in four colors, but for all the style, there's a lot hidden inside.

An app controls exactly which alerts you get and whether or not the tiny multi-colored light is triggered.

The ring even comes with a velvet charging box that mimics a ring box. The ring can be simply put back in its box at night and it will charge.

At $150 it's a little steep, but the pre-orders are rolling in.

The rings will be shipped in the fall.

Of course, there is one group of people Ringly isn't designed to help -- men. For now, the guys will have to make do with that other piece of wearable technology called pockets.