With the advent of new smartwatches, the American chipmaker company goes into a different direction with its new foray. MICA bracelet by Intel will be hitting Barney's shelves starting next month, December.
MICA, the acronym for My Intelligent Communication Accessory, is the first wearable device by Intel. The new smart bangle, unveiled last September, is the product of the tech giant's partnership with Opening Ceremony, a New York-based fashion retailer.
Dubbed as "a feminine accessory blending seamlessly into everyday life," MICA bracelet allows its users to know if they received notifications like text messages, Gmail, Yelp, GPS, and Google and Facebook events. Intel and tech buffs have also been keen in drawing the line between the new smart bracelet and the existing smartwatches.
Unlike Samsung's Gear Live and Moto 360, MICA is a standalone wearable device that does not need a smartphone to be able to work. The new smart gadget-accessory, with a curved sapphire touchscreen display, is equipped with its own AT&T SIM card and of course own phone number.
Intel has reportedly struck a deal with the service provider, which includes a two-year exclusive contract of data service that includes international data roaming. After the contract ended, Intel Vice President said MICA users can "re-contract" though the chipmaker company admitted there are no definite details yet about the bracelet's re-application with AT&T.
Opening Ceremony and Intel designed the MICA bracelet with a glance and swipe feature which allows women, or even men, to access their notifications "from the insides of their wrists." Another feature called "Time to go" which syncs "GPS and your calendar events to estimate time it'll take for you to travel from one place to another."
The California-based tech giant also packed MICA bracelet with 18-carat gold coating that makes the device a stylish hybrid of technology and "haute couture." It will also come in two colors, balck and white. The black version has black water snake skin, Chinese pearls, and lapis stones from Madagascar, while the white comes with "white water snake skin, tiger's eye from South Africa, and obsidian from Russia."
MICA smart bracelet will be up for grabs next month, just in time for the December shopping. It will be available at $495 in Barney's online and retail stores.
