Technology companies are the biggest contributors to the stock market and economies of many countries, thanks in part to the rise of artificial intelligence. But over the last two decades, it has been smartphones, and everything related to them, that have catapulted brands like Apple, Xiaomi or Samsung to leaders in markets like Europe.
However, it is normal that these companies are looking for new forms of activity beyond the mobile phone which, little by little, becomes a convenience In other words, in something that we all take for granted and which is no longer as innovative. The mobile phone is starting to seem more like a television than something disruptive. This is not a problem in itself, since everyone wants to have one, but for brands to continue to increase their revenue, they need to sell more.
And that’s why big companies are now starting to focus its innovations on products that continue to revolve around the smartphone but which complement itinstead of trying to replace it. The best example of this is wireless headphones and smart watches, which can be used without using your phone but are designed to be an extension of your phone.
Smart rings
In the same direction, more and more brands are banking on smart rings, small elements that They can serve as a more comfortable sensor system than that of watches.and that bothers a lot of people. For now, smart rings are more of an alternative to a watch than a complement to it, but what are their advantages?
Samsung recently presented its first device of this type in Europe, the Samsung Galaxy Ring, a ring focused on controlling our health as precisely as possible, using a larger battery than the brand’s smart watches and a much less invasive form factor. And this is the first point in their favor, their lightness and their comfort of transport. These rings are no more disturbing than a wedding ring or a normal ring, although it is true that they are a little bulkier, but there is not as much difference as between wearing a watch or not.
In addition, Its autonomy is greater than that of watches like the Apple Watch or the Samsung Galaxy Watch. This autonomy varies a lot from one model to another, and is one of the points on which its price is most noticeable. In the case of the Samsung ring, the autonomy reaches one week, although it could be slightly longer if you also wear a watch from the brand since the ring would make fewer specific measurements of our health parameters.
Another important aspect is that the ring does not distract us with notifications or with a screen. This, which could be considered a disadvantage, is similar to what e-book readers offer us when they allow us to read, but nothing more. No warnings, alarms or distractions. In this case it is the same, we can control our health parameters but without needing to be aware of other things.
But perhaps the biggest benefit for many users is that It’s not uncomfortable to sleep with a ring on. Many people do not want to go to bed with their watch on because it bothers them and prevents them from sleeping well. However, wearing the ring at all times is not a problem for anyone.
Smart watches
Even so, rings are not superior to smartwatches in everything. Watches have many functions that we cannot perform w ith a ring.
The first thing to emphasize watches is that, for the moment, they are much cheaper than rings. The miniaturization of the latter goes against them in addition to being a much more recent product. When brands have been releasing rings for many years as other products are released, it is possible that the price will be similar.
On the other hand, watches They allow us to occasionally do without the cell phone. We can check a notification, reject a call or see the time without having to take the phone out of our pocket. A ring is not designed for that. Of course, so that the watch does not become a source of distraction, you need to know how to configure notifications and not force it to look at it constantly.
Los relojes más avanzados disponen de GPS y de una memoria interna que permite almacenar música. O usar una eSIM. De esta manera, junto con la compatibilidad con auriculares, es posible salir a hacer deporte y escuchar música sin tener que llevar el móvil, lo cual puede ser muy cómodo cuando estamos corriendo, por ejemplo.
Por último, si a lo que más prioridad le damos es a la salud, los relojes tienen también una ventaja por su tamaño, al poder incluir sistemas de detección de caídas con aviso inmediato, o funciones como los electrocardiogramas que, al menos por ahora, sería imposible incorporar en un anillo inteligente.
Con todo, los actuales anillos no se están diseñando como sustitutos de los smartwatches en muchos casos, sino como extensiones de los mismos. Se usan de forma paralela para medirte mejor nuestras constantes, no preocuparnos de si no hemos cargado un día el reloj, etc. Solo hay que esperar a que el precio de los mismos baje para vr si se convierten en un elemento de venta masivo como lo son los relojes, los teléfonos o los auriculares.