Most smart watches are primarily designed for men or for technology buffs who don't mind wearing a clunky accessory on their wrists. Intel, however, is taking the road less traveled by offering MICA, a smart bracelet designed primarily for women.
MICA, which stands for My Intelligent Communication Assistant, was designed by top fashion brand Opening Ceremony in collaboration with the Council of Fashion Designers of America, while Intel provided the technology that allows its wearer to receive text messages, emails and notifications from various sources. It's not a smart watch, and Intel is careful not to call it that. It's actually a bracelet -- a fashion accessory first, a communication device second.
"MICA captures Intel's philosophy that technology should enhance jewelry in order to make wearable technology truly 'wantable', in addition to seamless and productive," says Ayse Ildeniz, Intel's New Device Group vice president and general manager for business development and strategy.
At $495, the MICA comes with a steep price tag, one that only registers as an impulse buy for most women perusing the fashion racks. For that price, buyers get a nearly two-inch thick bangle bracelet coated in 18-carat gold that comes in two styles: one made with black water snake skin, Chinese pearls and lapis lazuli sourced from Madagascar and the other with white snake skin, Russian obsidian and tiger's eye from South Africa.
That's not to say fashion-forward men cannot wear MICA. Humberto Leon, founder of Opening Ceremony, says he wears the bracelet on some days depending on whether it matches his outfit.
On the inside of the wrist, the curved, sapphire-coated touchscreen shows its wearer the time by default. It doesn't have Bluetooth, which means it can't be connected to a smartphone, a feature that might or might not be considered an advantage.
Without Bluetooth, MICA is equipped with its own SIM card and two years' worth of data with AT&T, which also accounts for the $495 price tag. Users can receive texts from a list of "VIP contacts" whom the wearer thinks are important enough to receive the MICA-exclusive phone number. Without a keyboard or voice control, users can only send up to 50 or so canned messages, such as "I'm at a meeting" or "See you in five minutes", in reply. Aside from texting, wearers can also receive notifications from Gmail and Facebook, such as when it's time for a meeting. MICA is also integrated with Yelp, which can provide restaurant suggestions, and TomTom's for driving directions.
Without a smartphone to connect to, MICA does not have the fancy functionalities found in other smart bands. Without having to do so much, the smart bracelet can last 48 hours, the makers claim. That is far longer than the battery life of smart watches, which can track a user's movements, make calls and do more than MICA. Intel, however, says the 48-hour battery life depends largely on how much the wearer uses the bracelet. Asked how long it would last on heavy use, Intel's answer was "not 48 hours."
MICA will be available sometime "before the holiday season" from Opening Ceremony stores and select Barneys stores in New York. Buyers can also buy the device the Opening Ceremony and Barneys websites.
