The Uno Noteband is the first wearable to make use of Spritz, a technology that aims to increase reading speed by showing individual words in quick succession. It connects via Bluetooth to Android and iOS devices, offering notifications, fitness tracking and (allegedly) long battery life.
The Uno Noteband displays notification, including incoming calls, emails, calendar reminders, social media pings and more. When you receive an alert, you simply tap the screen and the message will be displayed.
What’s interesting about Uno is its use of Spritz, a speed-reading technology that flashes individual words, not only increasing reading speed (up to 600 words a minute), but also eliminating the need to scroll through lengthy messages.
While the Uno’s approach to alerts and messages is a refreshing take, it’s more limited than much of the competition. While platforms like Android Wear allow the user to reply to messages via voice recognition, the Uno is a read-only device (similar to Pebble), meaning you’ll have to get your phone out to actually respond to messages and alerts.
On the plus side, the Uno is fitted with a gyroscope and accelerometer for fitness tracking (calories, sleep and steps), integrating with both iOS' HealthKit and Android's Google Fit. The company is also pitching the wristband to gamers, as it shows notifications, game alerts and friend invites from PlayStation, Steam and Xbox services.
The band also makes use of a battery-friendly OLED display, allowing it to run for (supposedly) more than three days before it needs to be hooked up to its USB charging cable. There’s no word on the resolution of said display, but the device is powered by a 32-bit ARM Cortex processor with 256 KB flash memory and 16 KB RAM.
Aside from its novel approach to the wearable electronics, the Uno Noteband appears to be on the more attractive (if a little bulky) end of the wearable spectrum. Its design is strongly reminiscent of fitness wristbands like the Garmin Vivosmart or Fitbit Charge. It will only be offered in black at launch, with more colors coming in 2015.
If the above hasn’t convinced you that the Uno Noteband is worth a glance, then perhaps its price will. The wearable is currently the subject of a crowdfunding campaign, where you can pick it up for as little as US$59 with an April 2015 shipping estimate – significantly cheaper than the $129 final retail price. The project has already achieved 30 percent of its US$50,000 goal after a single day, with its prospects looking promising.
For more on the Uno Noteband, check out the Indiegogo pitch below.
Sources: Indiegogo, Uno Noteband