NEW YORK: Chipmaker Intel has become the rival of Apple, by unveiling its new smart band that also carries a mobile phone in it.
Developed with fashion brand Opening Ceremony, the snakeskin bracelet is called My Intelligent Communication Accessory, or MICA. It will connect the wearer with Facebook, Google and Yelp via an AT&T data plan without having to carry a smartphone.
‘We really approached this first and foremost about why would a woman want to wear this everyday, and how can it be incorporated into her wardrobe,’ Humberto Leon, creative director at Opening Ceremony, said in a phone interview last week.
As well as lapis stones, obsidian and an 18k gold coating, the devices include a sapphire curved screen on the inside of the wrist that displays text messages, calendar items and events from Google and Facebook, and recommendations of nearby restaurants and stores from Yelp.
After Intel was late to smartphones and tablets in recent years, Chief Executive Brian Krzanich has been determined to make sure the top chipmaker is at the forefront of future trends in mobile computing.
Krzanich gave the green light for the chipmaker to develop the bracelet with Opening Ceremony after his wife wore a prototype for several days and liked it, he recently said.
