Lots More Information
Author's Note: How Smart Rings Work
We are living in the golden age of vaporware. Thanks to crowdfunding websites like Kickstarter and Indiegogo, aspiring entrepreneurs can raise staggering amounts of cash with nothing more than a great promo video featuring slick digital renderings of a product that doesn't yet exist. Unlike a venture capitalist, who conducts market research before investing, and expects to see prototypes and works in progress from the company, the typical Kickstarter investor just wants first dibs on a groovy gadget that may never really be a viable product. Researching this article, I found tons of breathless blog posts about smart rings, but few contained any hard facts beyond the companies' own press releases. A visit to the Fin Facebook page shows months between posts and several anxious fans asking for updates and possible release dates, with no replies. I'm all for the democratization of startup funding, but with it comes the risk of more fizzled gadget fantasies.
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Sources
- Bluetooth SIG, Inc. "Fast Facts." (June 11, 2015) http://www.bluetooth.com/Pages/Fast-Facts.aspx
- Campbell-Dollaghan, Kelsey. "Sorry, but smart rings aren't the future." Gizmodo. March 11, 2014 (June 11, 2015) http://gizmodo.com/sorry-smart-rings-arent-the-future-1536985137
- Donovan, Joe. "It's More Than the Wallet-Killer: Everything You Need to Know About NFC." Digital Trends. Nov. 6, 2014 (June 11, 2015) http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/nfc-explained/
- Ringly. "Customize" (June 16, 2015) https://ringly.com/