There are many smart rings available in the market today—most of which are designed to help users monitor their vitals on a daily basis. While some have more features than others, most smart rings share the same basic capabilities, such as monitoring heart rate, blood oxygen saturation (sP02), and so on. There aren’t that many smart rings made for specific purposes.

For this reason, the Femometer Ring is truly rare. It’s not the only smart ring created for women, but it’s the only one designed to specifically monitor a woman’s fertility period more than other vitals the user has. This makes it the better choice for women who are looking to conceive.

ALSO READ: BEST SMART RINGS FOR WOMEN

In this article, we’ll take a look at the Femometer Ring’s features, how it performs, and if it’s worth spending your money on.

Femometer Ring Quick Summary

Before we start, here’s a quick summary of the Femometer Ring’s functionalities:

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Femometer Ring Review: Specs and Features

The Femometer Ring’s exterior is made using wear-resistant, non-fading oxidized porcelain. This gives the device its shiny white finish, which looks classy and stylish depending on what the user wears. Its inner surface is coated with UV paint to make it more comfortable to wear on the user’s finger for longer.

The smart ring is small. It’s 8mm wide and 3mm thick and weighs 3.8-4.2 grams, depending on the size the user chooses. There are four sizes—6, 7, 8, and 9—and the device only has two silver-plated charging contact points, which are both small enough not to be felt when the device is worn. To get the right fit, Femometer tells buyers to measure their index, middle, and ring fingers, then choose their size based on the second number if the measurements are different.

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The Femometer Ring has accurate temperature sensors, capable of measuring a woman’s basal body temperature (BBT) with an error margin of ±0.1°C between 30°C and 37°C. It can sync within 1 minute and can connect to an iPhone or Android smartphone within 3 meters, as long as there are no obstructions.

The device has an IP68 rating and is waterproof to a depth of 1.5 meters for up to 30 minutes. This means users don’t have to worry about wearing the Femometer Ring while taking a shower or bath, washing hands, and so on, as long as it’s not worn while swimming. The smart ring’s battery can go from 0 to 100% within 20-60 minutes of charging and can last for up to 7 days on a full charge.

The Femometer Smart Ring costs $149, and there are no monthly subscription fees. It works with a companion app and can be used with an iPhone running iOS 8 or later or any Android smartphone running Android 5.0 or later.

ALSO READ: BEST SLEEP TRACKER RINGS

What the Femometer Ring Is Best Used For

As mentioned, the Femometer Ring specializes in a few purposes, unlike other devices that boast general capabilities. Here’s what this device is best used for:

BBT Monitoring

The Femometer Ring can be used to track a user’s BBT while they sleep at night. BBT is used to determine if and when a woman is ovulating. The device’s temperature sensors are very accurate, and users won’t have to worry about it making errors in its BBT readings.

Tracking Ovulation

For women who are actively looking for the perfect time to try and get pregnant discreetly and easily, the Femometer Ring will be a great help. This device will monitor the user’s BBT to predict ovulation. It will also provide her with information regarding her fertility window, daily conception rate, and fertility guidance.

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Cycle Management

Users will be able to use the Femometer Ring to help them prepare for and manage their monthly periods. Using the device, women can gain insights into their period, receive guidance for PMS relief, and also get forecasts for potential menstrual symptoms that could occur.

Sleep Tracking

The Femometer Ring also works as an excellent sleep tracker. It can provide users with expert analysis of their sleep patterns, rate their sleep so they’d know if they are getting enough rest at night, and be informed as to how their sleep patterns change over time. These details can be used to help users improve their sleeping habits and reset their circadian rhythms.

ALSO READ: BEST OURA RING ALTERNATIVES

Femometer Ring: Pros and Cons

Because it is a specialized device created for specific purposes, the Femometer Smart Ring has some advantages and disadvantages that buyers should consider before spending money on it. Here’s a quick look at them.

Pros:

• Classy and stylish feminine looks.
• Durable materials.
• Fashionable and can be worn with different clothing styles.
• The temperature sensor is very accurate.
• Very effective at tracking ovulation and fertility periods.
• Real-time ovulation tracking.
• Personalized guidance for both fertility and PMS management.
• More affordable compared to other smart rings available today.
• No monthly subscription fees.
• All prime features, including fertility classes, are free for the first six months.
• 1-year warranty and 30-day 100% satisfaction guarantee lets buyers try it out worry-free.
• Short charging time, long battery life.

Cons:

• Doesn’t track other things such as heart rate, HRV, Sp02, and other vitals competing smart rings watch out for.
• Only comes in white color. Competitors such as the Evie Ring come in more than one variant.
• It works with women with regular cycles only, ranging from 28 to 35 days. Tracking won’t be accurate for users with cycles with fewer or more days.
• It might feel tight if the user’s finger gets bloated with changes in hormones.
• It holds data for only 5 days at a time.
• Water resistance is limited to a depth of 1.5 meters.

ALSO READ: BEST OURA RING DUPES

Femometer Ring vs. Other Smart Rings

In this section, we’d like to offer a few comparisons to other options you might have. We’ve opted to compare the Femometer Ring to two wearables capable of tracking monthly periods so you can make better choices.

Femometer Ring vs. Oura Ring

The Oura Ring is considered the best smart ring in the market today thanks to its accuracy and its wide range of capabilities. That said, while it is accurate and boasts of many features that come as a result of 10 years of R&D, it does have some caveats. Here are some reasons why you should consider an Oura Ring instead of Femometer:

• Made using durable titanium.
• Has more sensors than the Femometer Smart Ring.
• More accurate measurements whether you’re awake or asleep.
• Tracks movements, whether the user is exercising or not.
• It works with over 40 apps to provide better insight into users’ overall health and fitness.
• Comes in many finishes, both glossy and matte.

Now, here are some reasons why the Femometer Smart Ring is better than the Oura Ring:

• It’s cheaper.
• It doesn’t have monthly subscription fees.
• It’s better for ovulation tracking.

For details, check out our Femometer Ring vs. Oura Ring Review!

Femometer Ring vs. Evie Ring

Movano’s Evie Ring is another smart ring designed for women’s needs. Unlike the Femometer Smart Ring, the Evie Ring also has other features that make it competitive in the smart wearables market. It is a competitor to other brands, including Oura, and deserves to be considered for the purpose. Here are some reasons why:

• Has more features than the Femometer Smart Ring.
• Comes in three colors.
• It can be used to track exercises, moods, energy levels, and vitals.
• Very comfortable even when the user’s fingers bloat with hormonal changes.
• The charger doubles as a carrying case—no worries about dropping or misplacing the device.
• The charger can be used to charge Evie on the go for up to 10 times.

Now, here are some reasons why the Femometer Smart Ring is better than the Evie Ring:

• It’s cheaper.
• It’s better for ovulation tracking.

For details, check out our Femometer Ring vs. Evie Ring Review!

The Verdict: Is The Femometer Smart Ring Worth Buying?

All that said—is the Femometer Ring worth buying at this time? We believe it’s both yes and no. This answer doesn’t consider the price of purchasing the device—what we consider important to choosing the Femometer Ring is your purpose for buying it.

If you’re a woman actively trying to conceive, the Femometer Ring will be useful. It will help you prepare for ovulation, become aware of your fertile periods, and provide you with suggestions on how to maximize your ovulation period. Satisfied users attest to the Femometer Ring’s accuracy and usefulness in this aspect and also mention that it’s comfortable and convenient to use.

This is especially helpful if you’re a career woman who really wants to start a family with your husband—or have more kids if you already have one. The Femometer Ring will help you stay updated regarding your monthly period, be aware of your ovulation days, and be guided when it comes to managing your fertility window and your PMS symptoms, if any.

On the other hand, if you’re looking for a smart ring that can help you monitor your fertility while also keeping track of your fitness and daily activities, the Femometer Ring might not be what you need at this time. It doesn’t have fitness tracking features. There are plenty of options in the market, but we recommend checking out the Oura Ring for better overall tracking or the Evie Ring for period tracking and exercise.

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The post Femometer Ring Review: Is It the Best Smart Ring for Women? first appeared on Smart Ring News.

The Evie Ring, from Movano Health, was created to fill a gap left by health trackers available in the market. Aside from monitoring basic vital stats such as heart rate, blood oxygen saturation (Sp02), and so on, it is also meant to keep track of women’s menstrual cycles, as well as mood and energy levels.

Before we proceed into the specifics, let’s take a quick look at the Evie Ring’s characteristics and specs.

Evie Ring Quick Summary

Before we start, here’s a quick summary of the Evie Ring’s functionalities:

ALSO READ: BEST FITNESS TRACKER RINGS

Evie Ring Review: Specs and Features

First, the Evie Ring is made using a proprietary material its makers call “LiquidMetal.” This is basically a zirconium-based alloy coated with titanium PVD coating for a shiny finish. It measures 8mm wide and 3mm thick and weighs 3.2 to 3.7 grams, depending on the size you choose. It’s available in sizes 5 through 12 and comes in Gold, Rose Gold, and Silver finishes.

The Evie Ring has a unique design—it has an opening on one side of the ring to accommodate daily changes on the wearer’s finger. It’s worth noting that the opening itself has a distinct look, with one end a square and the other end angled like a triangle. The gap created by this opening is very helpful in keeping your finger free in certain situations, such as when you feel bloated in the morning. With the Evie Ring’s gap, you won’t have to resort to using things like soap to remove your smart ring painlessly.

Next, the Evie Ring has several sensors that are used to monitor vitals. These include:

• Optical heart rate sensors (red and green LED)
• Infrared heart rate sensors
• Skin temperature sensor
• Photodiodes
• An accelerometer

All of these sensors are meant to monitor the user’s heart rate, resting heart rate (RHR), heart rate variability (HRV), skin temperature variation, respiration rate, and SpO2 levels. The team behind the Evie Ring claims that it also tracks period and sleep and monitors steps taken, active minutes, distance traveled, and calories burned. Let’s talk about these later.

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The Evie Ring is water resistant to one meter deep, which means users should avoid using it while swimming or beside deep water. Its battery can be charged from 0 to 100% in just 90 minutes and can last for up to 4 days on a single charge. The device comes with a charging case that contains 10+ charges, meaning you can take it with you anywhere without worrying about the battery running out.

The device works with a well-designed companion app for the iPhone. It is not compatible with Android devices at the moment. It costs $269 with no monthly subscription fees, making it more affordable than other more popular brands such as Oura and Ultrahuman.

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What the Evie Ring Is Best Used For

With all of its features, you can use the Evie Ring for the following purposes:

Personalized Health Monitoring

The Evie Ring accounts for differences in vitals between men and women and does its best to measure RHR, HRV, and SpO2 accurately. For instance, healthy women tend to have slightly higher RHR compared to men (78-82 vs. 70-72 beats per minute (BPM)). By getting the right measurements, you will be able to get a better picture of your overall health condition.

The Evie Ring measures your vitals in different ways. It passively measures every five minutes whether you’re awake or asleep, gives you real-time measurement on the spot for a period of 40 seconds, and also keeps track of vitals while you work out.

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Workout and Fitness Tracking

Speaking of working out, you can also use Evie to keep track of your heart rate and HRV while breaking a sweat. These biometrics will give you insights as to whether you can keep going, or if you need to take a break and prioritize recovery. The device can also tell you if you’re under stress so that you can take it easy. However, the device won’t track your workouts automatically. You will need to log in when you are about to start exercising.

Aside from monitoring vitals as you exercise, Evie will also monitor the number of steps you take each day using its built-in accelerometer. It will combine this with your heart rate to tell you how many calories you have burned and give you detailed insights about your overall fitness levels.

Sleep Tracking

If you’re looking for a smart ring to help you improve your sleep patterns, the Evie Ring is a good choice. In addition to tracking biometrics, it will also monitor your sleep patterns, sleeping respiration rate, and the duration of every sleep stage you go through. These data, combined with your biometrics, allow the Evie Ring to determine how your sleep affects your overall health. The Evie app will then provide you with recommendations on how you can improve your sleep.

What’s best about this is that the Evie Ring does this while your fingers remain comfortable, thanks to the ring’s design.

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Menstrual Period Logging

A woman’s menstrual period brings hormonal changes that can affect many things, including sleep quality and overall health. By using your Evie Ring to log and keep track of your menstrual cycle and PMS symptoms, you can get recommendations on how to manage your well-being.

Over time, Evie will use the first date of your last period and cycle length to provide an estimate of your next period, fertility window, and ovulation date, presented in a calendar format. It will also help you identify patterns and gain insight into how your period affects your overall health.

Mood and Energy Monitoring

Evie can also help you understand how your mood and energy levels are affected by your biometrics so that you can manage it better. To do this, you must log your mood and energy levels daily as if you’re writing in a journal. Evie will then use the information over time to help you spot patterns regarding the changes in your mood.

ALSO READ: BEST SMART RINGS FOR WOMEN

Evie Ring Pros and Cons

Just like any other smart ring on the market, the Evie Ring has advantages and disadvantages. You need to consider these before deciding to purchase it—or at least be informed of the following if you’ve already paid for it.

Pros:

• Looks really good as a smart ring. Some may not even notice that it’s a health tracker because of its appearance.
• Gap provides a lot of comfort whether you’re bloating or not, awake or asleep.
• Can be used by men, but it has special features designed specifically for women.
• Able to track patterns better the longer you log more information on it. This means it can provide better recommendations over time.
• App interface is friendlier compared to those from competing smart rings.
• Long battery life, with the ability to charge on the go.
• More affordable compared to other smart rings available today.
• No monthly subscription fees.

Cons:

• As a first-gen smart ring, it still has some issues that need a lot of ironing out.
• It looks good, but it tends to get scratched very easily. You need to avoid doing things that can affect its aesthetics.
• Sleep tracking measurements can be inaccurate at times.
• Ability to count steps taken can be inaccurate at times as well, especially when compared to other devices like the Apple Watch.
• Does not automatically track exercises. If you forget to log your exercises, it won’t store any relevant data.
• Menstrual tracking feature has room for improvement.
• Water resistance is limited to a depth of 1 meter.

ALSO READ: BEST OURA RING DUPES

The Verdict: Is The Evie Ring the Best Women’s Health Tracker?

So, is the Evie Ring worth buying? For us, it’s both a yes and no—yes if you’re a woman and you don’t mind waiting for Movano to drop some updates to improve Evie, and no if you’re already using another smart ring that does its job properly, and has no need for a specialized device to keep track of your monthly periods.

It’s worth considering that Evie is still very new at this point, which means there could be bugs affecting its overall performance. Since it’s their first smart ring, the team behind Evie is sure to make some improvements down the line so that the device will work properly as intended. It has so much promise, and if its makers eventually succeed in making its features work accurately, women everywhere will have a powerful health tracker worn on their fingers, not their wrists.

That said, if you’re already using another smart ring from another company, such as Oura, and are merely considering switching to Evie because of its women-focused features, we suggest waiting for updates to fix the current errors plaguing the device before buying it. You can use other apps to log your periods while you wait for Evie’s menstrual period logging features to improve.

For the latest wearable tech news and updates, follow Smart Ring News on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn.

The post Movano Evie Ring Review: Is It the Best Smart Ring for Women? first appeared on Smart Ring News.

The Circular Ring is designed to have a thin profile on your finger while still being able to do what a smart ring should—monitor health metrics, wake you up at your preferred time, and so on. It’s the latest smart ring from French company Circular, which released two variants—Circular Slim and Circular Pro.

There’s no big difference between the two other than the Pro model’s option to switch the outer shells. In addition, the Pro variant has a bigger battery and a physical button.

The Circular Ring is still new, but we were able to get our hands—er, finger—on it for a quick trial. So, for this review, we’ll be discussing first impressions, how the device looks and feels when you’re wearing it, how it works, and what we actually think about it.

ALSO READ: BEST FITNESS TRACKER RINGS

Circular Ring Quick Summary

Before we start, here’s a quick summary of the Circular Ring’s functionalities:

Circular Ring Review: First Impressions

First, let’s talk about the packaging. The Circular Ring comes in a cleanly designed box with an opening secured using a magnet. There’s not much to see outside the box, which means you’re actually encouraged to open it immediately to get the smart ring inside. Once you open the box, you’ll find the Circular Ring and its charger safely tucked in foam.

The Circular Ring looks simple and unassuming, but it feels premium. It’s very different from its predecessor in terms of appearance because first, there’s no physical rubber button that can be pushed; second, it has a matte finish different from the shiny finish on the Circular Pro’s outer shell; third, the Slim variant is noticeably slimmer; fourth, it has a simple but good-looking logo, which serves as the button; and lastly, its metal prongs that are used to charge the device are smaller compared to the ones found in Circular’s older smart ring.

As for the charger, there are two magnetic terminals that connect to the prongs on the smart rings. It has a USB-C connector, so you can connect it to your laptop, iPhone, or Android smartphone to charge the device. It also has an LED light that tells you if the ring is charging.

ALSO READ: BEST SLEEP TRACKER RINGS

Using the Circular Ring Slim

Like the Circular Pro, the Circular Slim is used with a smartphone app. You will first need to download the app and then connect the Circular Slim to your smartphone using Bluetooth. You will also need to wear the smart ring to take advantage of all of its features, although some will still work while it’s not being worn.

First steps

To set it up, first charge your Circular Slim using the supplied charger. You can attach the charger to any device with a USB-C port, but this could be challenging if you are using your smartphone for the purpose, especially because you will need to use your smartphone in the succeeding steps. This will be easier if you have a USB-C cord extension, which you can also order from Circular.

Next, get the Circular Ring app for the iPhone or Android. Once you have it, you will need to Sign Up for an account with Circular if you don’t have one yet, or Sign In if you’re already have an account and/or are using a Circular Pro smart ring.

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Once you’re already signed in, it’s time to connect the ring to the app. Tap on My Ring at the top-right corner of the screen, then tap on Set up new ring under General. From there, you will need to select Slim, then follow the slew of instructions that appear on the screen.

You might experience some connection issues, as we have. When you do, you might need to do a soft reset on the Circular Slim, remove it from the list of connected or recognized smart rings from the Circular app, and also forget the device in your smartphone’s Bluetooth settings. If you do this, simply connect the device to your smartphone as you did the first time.

ALSO READ: BEST SMART RINGS FOR PAYMENT

What the Circular Slim Is Best Used For

If you succeed in connecting your Circular Slim to the app on your smartphone, congratulations! You are now on your way to enjoying its features, some of which can be compared to similar features on more expensive devices. We’ve tried it and can vouch for its effectiveness.

Health Monitoring

The Circular Slim smart ring is fitted with a slew of sensors used to measure your health statistics. The device accurately monitors your heart rate, HRV (heart rate variability), breathing rate, blood oxygen (SpO2), and the intensity of your current activity. Don’t worry about the information’s accuracy—the Circular app will give you tips on how to get these statistics best.

In our case, we were advised to clench our fists while the smart ring was measuring. The app showed that the data accuracy was “poor,” so we had to wait a bit longer for the data to become more accurate. Eventually, we decided to remove the Circular Slim, wait a few seconds, and then put it back on, but this time, it was in a relaxed position. The app indicated that the information is now more accurate, and we have confirmed it using other health monitoring devices. For reference, we wore the Slim on our right index finger.

Aside from the usual stats like heart rate, the Circular Ring also monitors your body temperature to help detect certain conditions, like a fever. It monitors your stats 24/7—as long as it has a battery—and gives you tips on how to improve your health.

ALSO READ: BEST OURA RING DUPES

On-Demand Measurement

While the Circular Ring monitors your health stats every minute, you have the option to get measurements on demand. This gives you instant access to the information you need at the time you need it, allowing you to stay on top of your health condition.

Monitoring and Handling Stress

The Circular Ring provides live stress score feedback and stress predictions based on the stats it measures while you engage in activities. It can then give you guided breathing exercises to help you relax, whether you’re still doing activities or are already preparing to sleep.

Improving Sleeping and Waking

Speaking of sleep, the Circular Ring is designed to help improve your sleep. It helps you ease into sleep by giving you notifications about your set bedtime. Then, it monitors your sleeping stages (REM, light sleep, deep sleep) and napping habits and provides tips on how they can be better. It also has a Smart Alarm feature that gently nudges you before your set alarm time so that you wake up gently and refreshed instead of abruptly due to strong vibrations.

Wellness Recommendations

Aside from the above, the Circular Ring also monitors your energy and provides you with helpful recommendations to improve your overall health and wellness. These include recommendations such as getting some sun, getting a cup of coffee, and working in what Circular calls your “Productivity Zone.” It also reminds you of your medications, if you have any, and alerts you if there’s anything wrong with your vitals.

Keeping track of time

While the Circular Ring is not a watch, you can use it to keep track of time. Simply set the alarm and Slim will vibrate at your specified time. This is perfect for instances when you aren’t wearing a watch and do not want loud noises to wake you up, like a blaring alarm from your phone. Use case scenarios include when you’re sleeping, driving, in a meeting, or in a noise-free zone.

ALSO READ: BEST SMART RINGS FOR WOMEN

Circular Ring Slim Pros and Cons

All that said, Circular Slim has some advantages and disadvantages. Here are some of the smart ring’s pros:

• 2.2mm-thin profile and 2-gram weight make it very comfortable to wear
• Aluminum build makes it durable
• IPX8 rating lets you use it while swimming for 30 minutes

Now, some of its downsides:

• You might forget you’re wearing it and end up doing something that can damage the ring
• Matte finish scratches easily
• You might forget that you’re not wearing it and end up having to reset it to reconnect
• Disconnection issues can be very annoying
• Slow to produce accurate measurements at times
• Does not track workouts or exercise
• No third-party integrations (does not work with Apple Health or Google Fit, and other apps)
• Circular app could be better
• Battery doesn’t last as long as Circular claims

The Verdict: Is Circular Ring Worth It?

Perhaps by now, it’s painfully obvious that the $297 Circular Slim looks and sounds good at first glance, but it’s not a powerhouse like other devices. It’s mainly used as a health tracker for everyday activities, a sleep tracker to help you get better sleep, and an alarm for when you want to wake up or be notified of certain times without any noise. It has some potential, as indicated on paper, but our user experience leaves a lot to be desired.

If you’re looking for a wearable that does these three things, don’t mind spending a week or so to let the device get acquainted with your habits, and don’t want to spend on more expensive but more powerful options, then Circular Slim might be good enough for your needs. But if you’re looking for something more reliable and do not mind spending more to get your money’s worth, get the Ultrahuman Ring Air, Oura Ring, or check out other smart rings.

Get the Circular Ring here!

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The post Circular Ring Review: Is It Worth It? first appeared on Smart Ring News.

Better known as contactless payment rings or pay rings, these types of smart rings use NFC (near-field communication) technology to connect them to a point of sale (POS)  machine. Much a like a credit or debit card that you just tap close to the terminal to pay, these contactless payment rings work the same. All you need to do is register your debit or credit card through your chosen ring’s app and start tapping to pay. That is how convenient it is to use contactless payment rings, so there’s no surprise why it is the most popular wearable for payments.

Contactless payment rings are still emerging with McLear leading the way. But there are other players sprouting that I think can give McLear users a run for their money. If you are looking for the best contactless payment rings in 2024, Smart Ring News breaks down the 5 Best Smart Rings for Payment:

1. Quontic Pay Ring (U.S.)

The Quontic Pay Ring is the first wearable payment smart ring offered by a bank in the U.S. However, this ring is not commercially available. Instead, Quontic Bank offers the Quontic Pay Ring exclusively to their checking account customers for free. The Quontic Pay Ring is as secure as using your debit card. If you lose it, you have the option to temporarily disable your ring until you find it.

You can also customize transaction amount limits and control where and how to use it right through Quontic’s app. Like most NFC rings, the Quontic Pay Ring is a passive device, which means you don’t have to charge it to use it. It is always ready anytime you want to use it at terminals.

The Quontic Pay Ring is a rebranded McLear RingPay. If you haven’t heard of McLear already, it is the leading contactless payment ring in the U.K. and Europe right now with similar features as the Quontic Pay Ring. Like the McLear smart ring, the Quontic Pay Ring is made from high-purity zirconia ceramic, making it water-proof, scratch-resistant, and durable enough to be used day in and day out. If you are based in the U.S., simply open a checking account with Quontic Bank to get this ring.

2. McLear RingPay 2 (U.K.)

A pioneer in payment rings, McLear is the most popular and established of all payment rings. McLear RingPay 2 is a passive device, which means it requires no charging at all. You may add and manage up to 4 rings as well if you want to use different rings for different purposes (personal, business, etc.) or for different people (spouse, children, parents, etc.). You are also allowed to transfer funds between these rings.

If you are too afraid of losing your ring, the McLear RingPay app allows you to suspend and unsuspend your ring at any time. If you are concerned about unauthorized transactions, you can set up a PIN for all transactions that go above your contactless limit. Other useful RingPay features include expenditure tracking, automatic top-ups, a cashback rewards program, and donation to your chosen charity.

However, McLear RingPay 2 is only available to select bank customers in the U.K. for now. But you may also use it at payment terminals outside the U.K. as long as they have the contactless payment sign. Another significant downside to consider is that the ring is valid only after 36 months.

The McLear RingPay 2 costs £99.99 for the black and white variants and £119.99 for the silver variant. It is available in sizes from 4.5-16mm. Check out the McClear RingPay 2!

3. Cnick (Europe)

The only contactless payment ring available widely in most European countries, Cnick is the perfect choice if you live within this region, such as the U.K., Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Finland, Norway, Denmark, and Sweden. Nevertheless, you can still use Cnick outside Europe where Visa and MasterCard are accepted.

Unlike other contactless payment rings that depend on top-ups and wallets, Cnick connects your payment cards so your card will be charged. In terms of security, Cnick uses a token for your payment card in place of your account number or card number. Therefore, you can guarantee that your account numbers will not be used or stolen while you use the ring.

Cnick costs €119 for basic models, while the more sophisticated variants cost €139. You also have the option to customize your ring starting at €135. Check out Cnick!

4. Evering (Japan)

The Evering is the first contactless payment ring in Japan available exclusively to credit card users. Regardless of brand, whether it’s Visa, MasterCard, JBC, Amex, or Diners, as long as your card is issued in Japan, you can connect it to your Evering. However, it does not work with debit and prepaid cards for now. It does work with any payment terminals that have the contactless payment symbol.

Users may use the ring without keying a PIN. In case it gets lost or stolen, users may disable their ring through the Evering app. The monthly floor limit of the Evering is 120,000 yen (~1,000 USD). The lifetime limit of the ring is 1 million yen (~9,100 USD). Once used up within the expiration date, users will receive a new Evering.

Made from zirconia ceramic, the Evering is passive and requires no charging. It is available in black color only with sizes from 4.5 to 12 mm.

Evering costs 19,800 yen for the black and white variants and 21,450 yen for the silver variant, inclusive of tax. Other color variants like orange, pink, and purple are available for monthly plans. Check out the Evering!

5. Oura (Worldwide – Coming Soon!)

Now let’s set the record straight—contactless payment is not yet available with the Oura Ring. But what we’ve heard so far is that the Finnish company will soon be incorporating it into the fourth-generation Oura Ring, which I think is a game-changing move considering its already powerful sleep and recovery tracking capabilities. We have yet to wait for Oura’s official announcement, but for now, I hope contactless payment will see the light of day with Oura 4. Check out the Oura Ring!

Best Contactless Payment Rings

Other smart rings for payments available for purchases include Esos Ring (U.S.), K Ring, and Laks Ring2Pay (India). There are also a couple of soon-to-be-released crowdfunded pay rings such as Tapster and Xenso S-Ring.

Overall, there’s not much competition on the market right now for contactless payment rings. Choosing a pay ring right now mostly depends on whether it is available in your country or not. Many wearable tech brands have expressed interest to foray into the contactless payment space. But we have yet to see them work.

Have you used any of these pay rings? What do you think of them? Let us know in the comments!

The post 5 Best Smart Rings for Payment in 2024 first appeared on Smart Ring News.

At the end of this review, you should be able to understand whether Ultrahuman Ring Air is worth buying over other smart rings. But before that, let’s get down to the nitty-gritty of this wearable first, including its features and functionalities.

What Is Ultrahuman Ring Air?

Developed by Bangalore-based health technology company of the same name, Ultrahuman Ring Air is marketed as a real-time nutrition and fitness tracking device. Unlike most smart rings, Ultrahuman Ring Air’s core functionality is to provide a range of health insights and metrics that directly affect your metabolism.

Factors like sleep quality, sleep zones, stress levels (largely based on heart rate variability (HRV)), and activity distribution contribute to the smart ring’s overall health and wellness index. In essence, you can use Ultrahuman Ring Air for tracking sleep, activities, heart rate metrics, and skin temperature. Here’s a quick summary of Ultrahuman Ring Air’s features:

Ultrahuman Ring Air Review: What Does Ultrahuman Ring Air Measure?

To understand how Ultrahuman Ring Air works, here are the highlights of the smart ring:

Sleep Index

Your sleep health is presented through its Sleep Index, which includes metrics like total sleep duration, resting heart rate (RHR), and restfulness. You also get insights after your sleep if you need to slow down for the day or do more based on your sleep patterns. Compared to Oura Ring, everything is pretty much the same, giving you almost similar metrics and a breakdown of sleep stages.

Circadian Phase Alignment

This is something unique to Ultrahuman Ring Air. Honestly, it’s the first time to get a glimpse of this kind of feature, so I have no baseline as to whether it’s really working or not. Basically, the Circadian Phase Alignment mode looks at how factors like light exposure, food intake at certain times of the day, and physical exercise negatively impact your circadian rhythm. These factors affect your sleep and wake-up times, so it’s good to be aware of these factors in a clear presentation.

Also Read: Apple Watch vs. Oura: Which Is the Best Health and Wellness Companion?

Stimulants Permissible Window

A similar feature is the Stimulants Permissible Window, which tells you when to consume stimulants like coffee and soda. The goal is to boost your productivity, enhance your mood, and improve your mental clarity. You won’t see this from other wearables.

Movement Index

Of course, Ultrahuman Ring Air comes with fitness-tracking capabilities. Metrics like steps, calorie burn, active hours, and workout frequency are presented on the app through its Movement Index, which is designed to keep you moving to maximize your glucose metabolism. The step tracking is pretty much in line with the data from my Oura Ring and Apple Watch SE 2. If you use the MyFitnessPal app like me, Ultrahuman supports it along with several others.

Also Read: Garmin Venu 3 Review: Is It a Good Fitness and Health Wearable?

Recovery Monitoring

Like most health and fitness wearables, the smart ring comes with a recovery monitoring feature. Do note that they are not all definitive, including this one, but it certainly does help when it comes to getting an idea about your readiness.

Heart Rate Variability

A variety of heart rate metrics are available on the Ultrahuman app, including HRV, which is largely tied to your recovery. So far, Ultrahuman Ring Air returns pretty good heart rate data like my other wearables.

Also Read: 5 Best Smartwatches for Sleep Tracking in 2023

Ultrahuman App

The mobile app is one of the most important things for these health and fitness wearables. The good news is the Ultrahuman app is as good as the apps of Oura and Garmin. In fact, it looks a lot like Oura’s, so you can imagine how user-friendly the data presentation is. The app also comes with extras to boost fitness goals, such as workouts, meditations, and sleep stories.

Also Read: Oura Ring 3 vs. Garmin Fenix 7 Review: Which Device Fits You Best?

Ultrahuman Ring Air Review: Specs and Design

Is the ring comfortable? Can I wear it in style? Ultrahuman Ring Air weighs 2.4-3.6 grams, depending on the ring size. Regardless, it’s lightweight and slender suitable to be used for any occasion without worries.

The ring’s build is almost the same as the Oura Ring. The outer shell of Ultrahuman Ring Air is made from fighter jet-grade titanium and coated in tungsten carbide carbon, while the inner shell is coated with medical-grade hypoallergenic epoxy resin. Overall, it’s comfortable enough to wear day in and day out.

Also Read: RingConn vs. Oura Ring 3 Review: Battle of Health Monitoring Smart Rings

However, in terms of style, it’s not the most stylish at all. It looks ordinary to me compared to Oura Ring’s elegant finish.

In terms of battery, you can use it for up to 6 days. Each full charge takes about 2 hours to finish. The standard battery life of a smart ring is up to 7 days, so this one’s right within the range.

It’s also worth noting that the ring is water-resistant up to 100 meters. Therefore, you can swim, snorkel, or dive with it.

Also Read: RingConn Smart Ring Review: Is It Worth It?

Ultrahuman Ring Air Review: Pricing and Availability

Ultrahuman Ring Air costs $349 and is available in aster black, matte black, bionic gold, and space silver. Ultrahuman does not have a membership. You get all features on a single purchase, unlike Oura Ring, Whoop, and many other wearables. They also have a trade-in program that allows you to swap your Oura Ring Gen 3, Oura Ring Gen 2, and Ultrahuman R1 for credits toward your Ultrahuman Ring Air. Get Ultrahuman Ring Air here!

Also Read: Oura vs. Apple Watch vs. Whoop: Which Is the Ultimate Health and Fitness Device?

The Verdict: Is Ultrahuman Ring Air Worth It?

Overall, Ultrahuman Ring Air is a promising smart ring. It’s not an Oura Ring killer at all. It’s just another option available for you. So, should you get it?

If you are currently using Oura Ring Gen 3, you don’t need to switch to Ultrahuman Ring Air. If you are currently using Oura Ring Gen 2, Ultrahuman Ring Air is a significant upgrade. And if this is your first time using a smart ring, Ultrahuman Ring Air is definitely worth buying if you want to improve your sleep and fitness.

For the latest wearable tech news and updates, follow Smart Ring News on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn.

The post Ultrahuman Ring Air Review: Should You Buy It? first appeared on Smart Ring News.

Researchers from UC San Francisco used the Oura Ring in an attempt to anticipate COVID-19 in healthcare workers. The NBA and WNBA bought 2,000 Oura Rings for their players. And Nascar gave away Oura Rings for their drivers and staff. A bunch of celebrities have been vocal about how they loved the smart ring, while some have been spotted wearing this tiny device. But what is the hype around it all about? Here’s everything you need to know about the Oura Ring:

What Does Oura Ring Do?

The Oura Ring is a sleep tracker designed to keep tabs on the user’s natural body clock (called the circadian rhythm) and nightly rests. On top of sleep tracking, the ring also has a host of other sensors that measure the user’s daily activities, heart rate zones, and body temperature. Each morning, you get a Sleep Score measuring how good your sleep is and a Readine Score measuring how recovered your body is. You also get an Activity Score gauging how much you’ve been moving throughout the day.

ALSO READ: WHAT EXACTLY DOES THE OURA RING DO?

How Does Oura Ring Work?

The Oura Ring packs several tiny activity and body sensors for different purposes into its 6-gram body. These include infrared photoplethysmography (PPG) sensors for heart rate and respiration, a negative temperature coefficient (NTC) sensor for body temperature, and a 3D accelerometer for movements. All these sensors are instrumental for the Oura mobile app to come up with daily insights and recommendations about your sleep, activity, and readiness.

The fact alone that the manufacturer managed to roll three sensors into one infinitesimal wearable is quite impressive. But do they really work as intended? Learn more about the features of the Oura ring in the following sections.

ALSO READ: WHY DO PEOPLE LOVE OURA RING? 5 COMMON REASONS

Oura Ring Features

We’ve talked a little about the Oura Ring sensors. Now let’s shed light on what these sensors do and how you can take advantage of them to improve your daily life.

Personalized Insights

Rather than overwhelm you with raw data, the Oura app is the partner tool of your ring to interpret collected health data. Through the app, you may see deviations from your own baseline, so Oura will suggest things you can do or change in order to improve your current situation. For instance, some users might find it startling to have a heart rate spike to 150. But that’s quite normal if you are doing strenuous activities like running or cycling. This is where the free mobile app (available for Android and iOS devices) comes in handy. You can check all the data, including sleep stages, steps, heart rate, and body temperature deviation, summarized in three different scores: Readiness, Sleep, and Activity.

ALSO READ: BEST SMART RINGS YOU CAN BUY

Readiness Score

The Readiness Score takes into account factors like resting heart rate, heart rate, respiratory rate, activity levels, and sleep to tell you how ready you are to take on your day — physically, mentally, and emotionally. The good thing is the Readiness Score is compared against your own baseline rather than the general population’s.

Sleep Score

The Sleep Score helps you understand the overall quality of your sleep. It’s measured by a combination of deep sleep, REM sleep, light sleep, sleep timing, and heart rate insights. For people suffering from sleep apnea, Oura can be of great help to manage their condition. Since the ring sits comfortably on your finger at night, it’s easier for people with sleep-related disorders to monitor their sleep duration, sleep quality, and how much time is spent in various stages.

ALSO READ: BEST OURA RING ALTERNATIVES

Activity Score

The Activity Score tells you how to strike a balance between physical activity and recovery. It’s based on inactivity alerts, daily activity goals, and movements.

Oura Ring for Meditation

As someone who practices meditation, Oura’s Moments is something I find fairly useful. Moments helps you get a grip of how effective different mindfulness activities are by comparing your results over time. For instance, Moments can show you which breathing exercise or soundscape helps tone down your resting heart rate. This way, you would know which mindfulness exercises work best for your productivity and recovery.

ALSO READ: BEST OURA RING DUPES

Oura Ring for Birth Control

One of the most recent developments in the smart ring market is the addition of birth control as part of its feature set. The Oura ring has made history as the first wearable technology to have such a powerful functionality that enables women to use their rings to know their fertility or the lack thereof. This functionality works with the Natural Cycles app, which imports and interprets the user’s body temperature data and provides sound conclusions. With Oura, women no longer need to use an oral thermometer for days every month to know if they are fertile or not, which is more convenient and accurate since the ring can be snugly worn 24/7.

Oura Ring for COVID-19 Detection

Back in March 2020, the news broke out that Oura was able to detect early symptoms of Covid-19, resulting in the ring getting too much hype. It’s misleading to say that the ring in itself can detect COVID-19 because it cannot. That’s for sure. However, it’s accurate enough to tell you your body temperature and if your body is ready for the day. The ring can only tell you if your body is okay based on your vital signs and the scores it draws up, but you still need to do due diligence and have yourself properly tested if you want to know if you contracted the virus. So, no — the Oura ring cannot detect COVID-19. But it does help in identifying early symptoms of the disease.

ALSO READ: WHAT ARE SMART RINGS? HOW DO THEY WORK?

Oura Ring Price and Availability

The Oura Ring costs $299 or €246. It is available in two styles–Heritage and Horizon. Heritage is available in silver, black, stealth, and gold colors, while Horizon is available in these colors plus rose gold and brushed titanium. The ring’s inner surface is made of hypoallergenic materials, while the entire body is fully sealed titanium metal, thereby protecting the electronics and sensors inside against dust, scratch, moisture, and liquid. Even if you take Oura for a sweaty run or a swim, no worries as it is waterproof up to 100 meters.

The ring also comes with a charger and a sizing kit. The Oura ring can last for seven days per charge. Before sending you the real deal, Oura will send you a sizing kit with eight sizes from 6 mm to 13 mm and ask you to wear the right ring size on your finger of choice for 24 hours. Do note that our fingers swell when we work out and sleep. Once you have decided, Oura will send you the real thing, but you need to be extra patient as the ring needs enough time to understand how your body works. It usually takes at least 14 days for the ring to get your baseline metrics.

Oura Ring Review: Is Oura Ring Worth It?

The Oura Ring is like no other fitness and sleep tracker wearables devices I have seen. It’s unique in a way that you can’t swipe through your stats like you would on a smartwatch. But I like how unobtrusive it is, that it sometimes feels like you are not wearing anything at all. And what I love most about Oura is its unique algorithm. Most wearables take your metrics and measure your fitness on any given day without taking your history into account. This is where Oura is different; it takes note of your baseline metrics.

Is the Oura ring worth it, though? Generally, yes! Oura is best for people with sleeping problems and people who are trying to do better with their overall health and well-being. Otherwise, Oura might just end up like a fancy wearable that you wear because it’s what’s trendy right now. If you are looking for the smart ring’s actual test, check out our Oura Ring Test!

For the latest wearable tech news and updates, follow Smart Ring News on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

The post Oura Ring Review 2024: Is It Worth It? first appeared on Smart Ring News.

An Oura Ring challenger has finally arrived! After 6 years in research and development and 2 years in crowdfunding, RingConn has shown to be a worthy contender, packed with very familiar features and functionalities. If you have been up to speed on smart rings, looking at RingConn right now, you know that it looks just like another health and fitness wearable coming for Oura. Although there’s nothing with that (we love options by the way!), it looks to me like RingConn has some proving to do at this point. How does it stack up?

Well, I dug deeper into the technology inside the smart ring to find out how accurate it is and whether it’s worth buying over Oura or other options available on the market. I found a couple of interesting things that you might want to know. So you better read on!

What Is RingConn Smart Ring?

Before diving into the nitty-gritty, what is RingConn anyway? What is it trying to achieve? Simple. RingConn markets itself as a health and wellness device promising to deliver accurate data. Pretty much Oura, to be honest. But of course, RingConn is trying to carve a niche of its own.

RingConn puts heavy emphasis on its no-subscription fee business model. It sounds nice considering premium memberships have become a thing in the past couple of years among wearables. But do not veer away from the real issue here and look at how the device fare. Does it really measure up to its claim as the ultimate health and fitness wearable device? You’re about to find out!

Features and Functionalities: What Does RingConn Do?

Sleep Tracking

RingConn can automatically track your sleep, from the moment you turn in until you wake up. It records and analyzes your sleep patterns, including light, deep sleep, and REM stages. RingConn uses 4 temperature sensors and a 3-axis accelerometer to detect your sleep as well as its quality. 

Some metrics it produces include sleeping heart rate (your heart rate while sleeping), sleeping skin temperature (your skin temperature while sleeping), sleep duration, and sleep time ratio. RingConn rates how excellent, good, or bad it is based on the data it pulled from your body.

One thing I like about its sleep tracking is the graph showing the number of hours and minutes you spend on the stages of your sleep on top of the shared percentages. This is clearer and more understandable to the average user.

Heart Rate Tracking

RingConn can monitor heart rate continuously and store data 24/7 that you can access at any time. It also keeps track of your resting heart rate (RHR), heart rate range, as well as your average heart rate to make sure you get a comprehensive view of your vitals. If you have a heart-related disease, RingConn is a useful device to help you keep tabs on your heart rate.

ALSO READ: Oura Ring Test – What’s the Verdict After Using it for 30 Days

Blood Oxygen Level (Sp02) Monitoring

RingConn is packed with 4 photoplethysmograph (PPG) modules for tracking your blood oxygen saturation levels or simply the amount of oxygen in your blood. The normal blood oxygen level is between 95%-100%, although it may vary among people. For people suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, pneumonia, lung cancer, anemia, heart failure, heart attack, and other cardiopulmonary disorders, RingConn proves useful. Although it’s not a medical-grade blood oxygen device, RingConn delivers useful data just like a pulse oximeter.

Stress Management

There’s no single sensor that monitors how stressed a person is. Instead, wearable devices rely on a bunch of metrics to deliver data on your recovery. These metrics include ones related to your heart rates, sleep, and activities, that’s why the accuracy of each tracking functionality is fairly important to return an accurate interpretation of recovery. On top of those metrics, RingConn uses 4 temperature sensors to assess how your body is feeling, ultimately helping provide better information on blood pressure, heart rate, sleep, exercise, and over-metabolism.

Fitness Tracking

Using a 3-axis accelerometer, RingConn can detect your activities. Unlike many wearables (ahem, Oura), RingConn’s accelerometer is accurate enough to automatically detect activities, whether you are cycling, skiing, running, or swimming. RingConn can count your steps and calorie burn. Adding to your active metabolic rate is your basal metabolic rate (BMR) or resting metabolism rate (RMR), which is the number of calories you burn as your body does basic activities like lying in bed or driving.

ALSO READ: 5 Best Smart Rings for Payment

RingConn Smart Ring Review: Specs and Design

Design

RingConn is made from high-quality PVD-coated titanium metal, that’s why it’s tougher and lighter only weighing 3-5 grams. Its sleek and slender design is perfect for people who don’t want an obtrusive ring, so it looks like your regular ring—only packed with powerful electronics inside.

Battery

Like most battery-dependent smart rings, RingConn can last for up to 7 days. It does come with a portable charging case, enabling your ring to survive for up to 150 days. So even if you don’t charge it for months and months, as long as your charging case is there, you’re good!

Protection

RingConn is IP68-rated, which means it is water-resistant for up to 50 meters and is dust-proof, hence there is no need for cover to protect the electronics inside the device. This test is usually done on freshwater, so these companies don’t recommend freediving or scuba diving with your smart ring. However, I used mine while freediving several times and I had no problems so far. Although, you need to take note that saltwater can quickly erode your device.

Comfort

In terms of comfort, there’s no question about it. Smart rings work just like any other regular ring. As long as you are wearing the right size, you should have no problem with it. When used for sleep, a smart ring is always more comfortable than a smartwatch—that’s for sure!

ALSO READ: Smart Ring vs. Smartwatch: Which Is the Best Fitness and Activity Tracker?

RingConn Smart Ring Review: Pricing and Availability

RingConn costs $279 with free shipping. For a limited time, they are offering a $30 discount until August 31. The smart ring is available in moonlit black, midnight black, and pale gold, in sizes 6-14 mm.

Each ring comes with a charging case, a USB-C charging cord, and an instruction manual. If you don’t know your ring size yet, they can send you a free sizing kit for free before sending the actual ring. Your smart ring will be covered with a 1-year warranty.

Unfortunately, RingConn is not available worldwide. RingConn is currently available to 22 countries and territories, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, France, Spain, Germany, Italy, Singapore, Japan, Hong Kong, and China. It should be available to more countries and territories soon.

To order RingConn, visit their website.

The Verdict: How Accurate Is RingConn Smart Ring? Is RingConn Worth It?

Since RingConn is still in its early stages, it’s difficult to judge whether it’s accurate or as accurate as the other wearables of its kind. But I will say this though—RingConn returns very impressive metrics on heart rate variability with an 86% correlation with Garmin and Whoop based on our tests. For sleep tracking, the correlation between these devices is 85%.

If you are considering buying a smart ring for the first time, getting RingConn is a viable option. If you have been using similar smart rings, you’re fine without RingConn. Really, it’s just another Oura Ring, except it’s $20 cheaper.

Is RingConn worth it? Yes, it’s a robust health and wellness wearable device packed with features and functionalities instrumental to meeting your overall health goals.

What do you think of RingConn?

The post RingConn Smart Ring Review: Is It Worth It? first appeared on Smart Ring News.

Who is CNICK?

CNICK is an experienced hardware company producing and designing wearable electronics such as smart rings and bracelets. CNICK was founded in 2016 and the team is located in Tbilisi, in the country of Georgia, Europe. 

CNICK rings are made from eco-friendly, exotic woods and stone inlays. All CNICK smart rings are waterproof and biodegradable and they never need charging. CNICK’s smart rings are also fully customizable since the company produces their handcrafted products in-house at their facilities. 

Currently, CNICK offers rings and bracelets with an NFC-based contactless Tesla smart key and payment functionalities.

Tesla Ring 

CNICK’s Tesla Ring gives its user two main functionalities. It is a smart key for Tesla cars that works all over the world and contactless payment device for purchasing things in retail stores and kiosks in 32 European countries. You can get the ring with the Tesla smart key functionality only or with both functionalities, the Tesla smart key + contactless payment. Here’s a rundown of both sides. 

Tesla Smart Key Ring 

You can use Tesla Ring as a smart key to unlock your Tesla car with a single, gentle tap on the front door. You can also use the ring  as a contactless payment device in Europe. So, even if you don’t own a Tesla car, you can still use the payment functionality.

CNICK Tesla Smart Ring Accessories: Ceramic Ring for Model...

$119.99

Buy on Amazon

How does it work?

Tesla Ring uses the standard NFC (near field communication) technology. It is a passive device, i.e., the electric energy required for the ring to work is induced from the car’s smart lock system when the ring is placed within a few centimeters distance from the lock. So, Tesla Ring doesn’t need charging ever. Here you can learn more about NFC-enabled rings and technologies.

Tesla Ring works with Tesla Model 3 and Model Y and those Model S and Model X cars manufactured in 2021 and after. 

How to Set up Tesla Ring? 

Using the Tesla Ring is as easy and intuitive as using the Tesla car itself. First you need to activate the ring as a key for your Tesla car. The procedure is very simple, just like adding any Tesla keycard: go to the locks menu of the car, press the little plus icon, and follow the instructions thereafter.

How to Use Tesla Ring? 

Opening the door with a Tesla Ring happens simply by gently touching the glass at the rear end (B pillar) of the front door, just under the driver side camera, with your knuckles. The only thing you have to pay a little attention to is your hand position. The antenna of the ring works best if you tap the door with the knuckles of your fingers, not with the ring itself. The “how it works” video gives you a full introduction.

Contactless Payments

The contactless payment side of the ring connects your credit and debit cards and your CNICK payment ring through the Fidesmo Pay system, simplifying the way you purchase while fulfilling the international security standards to protect your money. The ring uses standard NFC technology to perform secure payment transactions when the ring is placed near (a few centimeters away from) a contactless card reader at a retail store or kiosk. CNICK rings are approved by Mastercard and the payment functionalities are available in 32 European countries. See the list of banks partnering with CNICK. 

STUDY: Contactless Payment Ring is the Most Popular Wearable for Paying

Security 

Security is crucial for contactless payment devices and smart keys, such as CNICK’s Tesla Ring. If compromised, a poorly protected device can cost you your savings or car! The CNICK Tesla Ring is built on the same type of integrated circuit that is used on Tesla’s smart card key. The ring also contains the official Tesla applet, which is required for it to function with Tesla cars safely. In principle, you could use also other NFC smart rings with your Tesla, but it is recommended to use well-known, tested, and validated products such as CNICK’s Tesla ring for security reasons. 

Materials 

Tesla Ring is made of wood just like the other CNICK rings. According to CNICK, they are not milled from wood blanks but circularly bending high-quality wood strips and applying a waterproof surface coating. This makes the ring more durable and comfortable to wear. 

According to CNICK, it’s almost impossible to break their ring by dropping or gripping. However, the company recommends avoiding exposure to harsh chemicals, lifting heavy weight, or operating machinery while wearing it. It is important to maintain the ring’s coating in good condition to not let water penetrate inside the wooden embodiment. The Tesla Ring does withstand shower, hand wash, and swimming, but it is recommended to take it off during washing dishes, for example.

Pricing 

Tesla Ring pricing starts from $119, regardless of whether you want the Tesla smart key only version, or the smart key and payment version. The price is slightly higher compared to many other NFC payment rings out there. However, CNICK’s design is superior compared to any other payment ring we’ve seen, and, additionally, you get a smart key for Tesla! So, considering its multi-use function, gorgeous design, customization possibilities, and contactless payments support in 32 European countries, Tesla Ring is clearly worth the price! 

Should you buy it? Definitely yes, if you are a Tesla owner. If you don’t have a Tesla car, CNICK’s smart ring is still a good investment thanks to its broad banking coverage in Europe, cool design, and customization! 

If you want the Tesla smart key only version, check out all the rings and bracelets here! 

If you want the Tesla smart key + payment version, check out all rings & bracelets here!

The post Tesla Ring Review: A Smart Tesla Key and Contactless Payments on the Same Finger first appeared on Smart Ring News.

What does the PAGO payment ring do?

The PAGO is a contactless payment ring developed by the German startup PAGOPACE. The smart wearable eliminates the need to fumble for your credit card at the checkout, allowing you to pay on the go by simply holding your hand in front of the payment terminal. 

How does paying with PAGO work?

Like most credit cards, the smart payment ring contains a passive payment chip that uses NFC technology to transfer the users’ payment data quickly and securely. This means the NFC smart ring works without any power supply. To the payment terminal, the PAGO appears like an ordinary credit card and can therefore be used in any store that accepts credit cards worldwide. NFC technology is designed to exclusively work within a limited distance, ensuring that only intended payments are transmitted from the PAGO to the terminal. In tests, the PAGO ring worked reliably at NFC-enabled credit card terminals in various stores, triggering a payment only when held close to the terminal at a certain angle with a clenched fist. For payments under 50 €, no PIN entry or even touching the terminal is required, ensuring hygienic, contactless payment. For higher payments, a PIN is required and you can set it up in the VIMpay app. As security is commonly considered the most important attribute of contactless payment applications, PAGOPACE has had its smart rings certified by MasterCard and Visa to fulfill the highest security standards.

RELATED: Top 10 Countries for Contactless Payments

How to get started with the PAGO payment ring 

The ring works with a virtual MasterCard powered by the VIMpay app for iOS and Android. Therefore, creating a free VIMpay account with a virtual debit MasterCard is required to use the contactless payment gadget. The PAGOPACE team connects each ring to their customer’s credit card before shipping. Once delivered, the VIMpay account can be topped up via bank transfer and the desired amount can then be sent to the debit card-based ring using the VIMpay app, enabled by PAGOPACE’s partnership with Fidesmo Pay. This process might seem complex, but a field test showed that it is completed within a minute using express bank transfer. In case of loss, the money transferred to the PAGO can be rebooked to the VIMpay account within seconds if the phone is connected to the internet.

Materials and usability 

A ceramic shell protects the technology from any external damage, ensuring high durability and long-life functioning. Ceramics are well-known for their resistance to water, heat, and scratch. The durability of this material is also evident in everyday life – just think of the fact that even dental implants, which are heavily exposed to all sorts of influences on a daily basis, are made of ceramics.
 In everyday life, the PAGO has proven itself as a useful gadget in different situations. Thanks to its saltwater resistance, a swim in the sea can be enjoyed without worrying about leaving your money on the shore. Even when the contactless payment ring was exposed to sweat and sports equipment during an intense workout session, these activities neither impacted the payment function nor left any scratches on the piece of jewelry.

SURVEY: Contactless Payment Ring is the Most Popular Wearable for Paying

Availability, Sizing, Design

Currently, the PAGO ring is available for purchase in Germany and Switzerland for 89 € or 104 CHF and for now is only compatible with a virtual MasterCard from VIMpay (DE) or CEMBRA (CH). Customers can choose between five different designs: black, white, pink, blue, and black matte, as well as eight sizes ranging from US 6 to US 13. If in doubt about the size, a starter kit can be ordered without premium. This kit includes a ring sizer. It is even possible to batch the same credit card onto different rings for those who can’t decide on one color.

The Verdict 

The wide acceptance of credit card payment combined with the technical quality of the device itself makes the PAGO convenient and safe to use for vacations, sports, sauna visits, nightlife, events, or spontaneous purchases on the go. The certification by MasterCard and Visa especially provides the user with a feeling of security. On top of that, paying with a PAGO is guaranteed to attract curious glances at the cash register. However, the use of PAGO currently is still limited to VIMpay credit cards, but PAGOPACE is working on collaborating with further partners to offer users more options and simplify the setup process.

The post Reviewing PAGOPACE – The First Contactless Payment Ring Made in Germany first appeared on Smart Ring News.

Read this article for a complete review and seven ways SECORA™ Connect can help you develop contactless wearables!

Contactless Payments Surging Worldwide

Mastercard’s research published in May 2020 (right in the middle of the peaking COVID-19 pandemic) found that 82% of respondents consider contactless a cleaner way to pay their purchases. The company reported a whopping 40% growth in worldwide contactless transactions in the first quarter of 2020 due to people avoiding touching public-use payment terminals during the pandemic.

Europeans have been well accustomed to contactless transactions for many years already. Now they are transferring this tap to pay behavior from cards to wearable devices at record speed. Contactless payment transactions made with wearables – including smartwatches, bracelets, key-fobs, and smart rings grew eight-fold in Europe in 2019!  

SURVEY: Contactless Payment Ring voted as the most popular wearable for paying

Contactless – The Easy and Hygienic Way to Pay!

Contactless payment is the fastest growing payment method today. Users and merchants fell in love with its ultimate ease-of-use, safety, and the clean, germ-free way to carry out transactions. Governments are encouraging the use of contactless paying – over 30 countries increased contactless payment limits just recently.

PRODUCT COMPARISON: 5 Popular Contactless Payment Rings

VIDEO: How contactless payment works with a smart ring, and which are the main components and technologies involved in the payment transaction.

Device Makers’ Challenges

Wearable companies are trying to satisfy the growing demand by pushing new NFC-enabled, contactless payment devices out on the markets. However, many device makers have had to give up their dream of launching a sleek, world-famous payment gadget before it even hit the market. Because building a highly secure, contactless device with a smooth, frictionless payment-experience and global scalability is hard.

The biggest challenges most device makers bump into are, first and foremost, how to provide robust, hardware-based data security and device integrity? Or, how to build a device with a long enough battery life? How to cram all hardware into a tiny wearable form-factor? And, how to do all this, and more, while hitting the right consumer price point?

Infineon’s SECORA™ Connect, and the service enrolment partner ecosystem could be the all-in-one solution device makers have been searching for!

Review: Infineon SECORA™ Connect

What’s SECORA™ Connect?

Infineon is a company that needs no introductions within the global wearable and IoT device maker community. As the leading semiconductor innovator and provider of security chipsets and modules, its products enable a significant share of the world’s wearables, IoT devices, sensors, and roughly half of the world’s smart cards. The company leads the contactless payments market, too.

SECORA™ Connect is Infineon’s latest addition to its secured NFC-enabled System-on-Chip (SoC) solutions portfolio targeting smart wearables and IoT devices. Device makers can embed it to enable contactless and secured payments, digital identification, public transit tickets, access badge, smart key, and other applications via NFC.

SECORA™ Connect is a turnkey solution that aims to help you develop small, power-efficient, secured contactless wearables and IoT devices, which can scale for the global consumer markets. It includes all crucial components a designer needs – security chip, certified operating system, Java Card applets, and optionally an antenna, and more. On top of all the hardware and software, you get complementary enablement services delivered by Infineon and its ecosystem partners. You can use the same hardware, software, and enablement services for developing both active/boosted and passive NFC devices – which saves R&D costs and time to market. Even system designers with no security or antenna design experience can use it to integrate a power-frugal, secured, and standards-compliant NFC device with a minimal PCB footprint.

SECORA Connect Product Family – Comparison Table

The solution family consists of four products and services optimized for various connected devices and applications. Here’s a quick comparison table of key features.

The 7 Advantages for Developers and Designers

1. Power Consumption

As you know, battery life is one of the key decision points for consumers today. Everyone wants effortless usability. So, products that need frequent charging can simply turn-off your buyers!

With SECORA™ Connect, your product will have an advantage over the competition when it comes to battery life. The chipset has an ultra-low power consumption in standby mode – with only 4-6uA with boosted NFC.

According to Infineon, this is at least 50% lower than the competing alternatives while meeting security and tamper-resistance standards and delivering reliable contactless transactions in both the battery-less and low-power active NFC operation.

2. Ultra-Small Dimensions

Size, weight, and dimensions are critical when designing tiny wearables and IoT devices with complex form-factors. Using hardware components with small sizes and flexible dimensions, you can build smaller, slender form-factors and cram in more functionality into the product.

SECORA™ Connect makes the hardware design work easier for you. The boosted NFC version packs all its secured system components and functionalities into ultra-small package dimensions of 5×5 mm – occupying a PCB area of only 13.6 mm2 with SECORA Connect boosted SiP (System-in-Package). This already contains NFC front-end, so no need for an additional NFC modem chip.

If you design products with specific form-factors and materials, the SECORA™ Connect boosted MCP (multi-chip-package) with dimensions of 4×4 mm could be the right choice. The antenna design, contactless performance, and power consumption can be perfectly optimized to the various requirements of your device.

The ultra-compact footprint of SECORA™ Connect gives you more freedom in terms of design choices, allows smaller products, or more space for other components.

3. Security Chip

As said, the most critical challenge for contactless wearable and IoT device designers is security. And it’s becoming even more challenging for two reasons. Firstly, contactless payment devices generate more sensitive data than ever before, and the value of the transactions increases rapidly. Secondly, because of the flexible device platforms, you, as a hardware manufacturer, don’t have full control over the other applications that the user may install on their device. Also, it is hard, if not impossible, to provide robust security throughout the product life due to continuous OS and 3rd party application updates.

This means that the underlying hardware will have to meet even more robust security requirements. That’s why the tamper-resistant, hardware-based security chips and efficient SE field management included in Infineon’s SECORA™ Connect are crucial for you as a developer to manage the various security-critical contactless use-cases.

4. Shared Software & Hardware

As a contactless device and application developer, the worst thing you know is to develop the same thing twice for active and passive NFC! No need to worry. With SECORA™ Connect, both active and passive share the same software and system. This reduces R&D costs and development time because of easy and quick system integration without implementing separate software stacks for active and passive NFC devices and applications.

5. Host Integration

The NFC architecture without a modem is optimized for fast and easy host integration – so you can avoid compromises in product functionalities and design. Simple integration with APDU over ISO7816 or I²C commands speeds up development, too.

The SECORA™ Connect evaluation board is based on the Cypress PSoC 6 host controller. This means that you can onboard SECORA™ Connect wherever PSoC is already in use. (Infineon’s host controller portfolio follows its acquisition of Cypress Semiconductor Corporation.)

6. Pre-Approved & Pre-Certified

Even if you have all software and hardware designed, done, and tested, your contactless payment product is far from ready – as long as you have not carried out all the global approvals and certifications.  These can include EMV, type approvals, and solution approval for end-to-end service enablement. When you reach this point, Infineon and its partnerships can help with security and functional certifications and remove many headaches from your work. Pre-approved EMV solutions shorten certification and qualification processes and lower your risks.

7. Future Roadmap

As you can already see, people will deal more with various digital services in the future. Trusting them to remember all passwords and PIN codes won’t scale in terms of security and privacy. Biometric authentication and passwordless login are becoming the de-facto ways to authenticate users. As a product maker, you don’t want to miss out on these types of emerging technologies. Using a global development ecosystem, which SECORA™ Connect essentially is, provides developers a concrete roadmap of the key technologies in the future – such as support for biometric authentication and passwordless login!

In Conclusion

The time is ripe for contactless payments. Transactions have been surging in several parts of the world already for years. The global pandemic finally showed the full potential of contactless technologies. However, building a contactless payment wearable is not a walk in the park – not least because of the stringent security requirements. Based on this review, Infineon’s SECORA™ Connect covers all aspects of contactless wearable development. For you as a device maker, it simplifies your development work with many critical features such as energy efficiency, compact size, robust security, and global service enrolment – which typically take several man-years to build.  

The post Reviewing Infineon SECORA™ Connect – Seven Ways It Simplifies Development Work for Contactless NFC Wearables first appeared on Smart Ring News.