From lifestyle monitors to UV detectors, recently we have seen an array of connected wristbands emerge to serve a variety of purposes. In a similar vein, the Haloband is designed to put the convenience of technology within arms reach, but does so by extending the functionality of a smartphone to your wrist.
The device uses Near Field Communication (NFC) technology and a companion app through which users can control their smartphones by tapping them with different parts of the band. The company used surgical-grade silicone to house three units each comprising a chip, an antenna coil, PET substrate, adhesive and backing paper at separate points around the band, dividing it into three sections (A, B and the CloudZone).
Using the app, the device is able to be customized by assigning different move sets to various smartphone functions. For example, "Tap A + B" can be set to pause music playback, or "Tap A x 2" can be set to turn on the flashlight. The company says the functions of the Haloband are only limited to that of your phone, provided of course it is NFC-capable.
With sections A and B to be used to control the smartphone, the CloudZone is intended, as the name suggests, to work as a cloud service dedicated to identity authentication and information exchange. The company says this is currently being refined and it plans on opening up the Application Programming Interface (API) to developers in anticipation of products and services, such as smart keys and cloud payments.
According to the company, the Haloband is waterproof and does not require a separate battery, nor will it drain the battery of your smartphone. It will come in black, purple, red, yellow, green, blue and white, and in five sizes measuring between 16 cm (6.3 in) and 22 cm (8.7 in). The weight will vary in accordance with its size, anywhere between 10 g (0.35 oz) and 15 g (0.5 oz).
The device is compatible with Android NFC phones and tablets (no iOS support, yet) and is the subject of a Kickstarter campaign due to draw to a close on January 16. At the time of writing, $US25 pledges are available with shipping estimated for February 2014.
You can watch Haloband's Kickstarter video below.
Source: Haloband
