@Intel’s US$1000 MICA Stylish Bracelet – Pret-a-porter Alert Bracelet for the Nouveau Fashionistas

“As a feminine accessory blending seamlessly into everyday life, MICA ushers in a new era converging fashion and technology by integrating a woman's luxury accessory with technology in order to complement and enhance a woman's work and social life”

Intel Statement on the MICA Smart Bracelet during the launch at the Opening Ceremony Spring/Summer 2015 fashion show during New York's Fashion Week

The world of Fashion meets Technology to propel Wearables to haute couture fashion.

Enter the Intel MICA Bracelet that both fashionable and serves as an alert bracelet for all kinds of messaging as stated in the article “Intel Unveils its Bejeweled Smart Bracelet 'MICA'” published SEPTEMBER 3, 2014 10:30PM EST by  DAMON POETER, PC Magazine. 

Unveiled at the Opening Ceremony Spring/Summer 2015 fashion show during New York's Fashion Week by Intel, MICA stands for “My Intelligent Communication Accessory”.

It’s a Wearables devices that is the result of a partnership between Intel, Opening Ceremony and Barneys. The MICA reminds me of Kickstarter funded Embrace+ Bracelet that does the exact same thing only with a higher price tag as stated in my blog article entitled “Kickstarter Project Embrace+Bracelet lights up for your smartphone notifications - Inspiration for our local Innovators to Shine Like a Diamond Rihanna Style”.

Specs for the Intel MICA – Sapphire Screen Message Alert Bracelet that got its own 3G

It’s designed to receive the following messages:

1.      SMS (Short Messaging Service) or Text messages

2.      Calendar reminders

3.      Meeting alerts

4.      Social Media Alerts

The MICA opens via a clasp and has a 1.6” Sapphire Touch Screen that sits at the bottom of the wrist as described in “Intel reveals MICA, its first luxury smart bracelet”, published September 3, 2014 3:00 PM PDT by Ben Fox Rubin, CNET News. Aside from this not much is known about the specs, despite my best efforts to find out.  However, good to note here that it can work independently of a smartphone as it has a built in 3G Radio or it can be paired with a smartphone via Bluetooth.

It most likely alerts you by vibrating on your wrist or flashing a colour to get your attention politely, disabling the ringer from your smartphone so that when these messages come in they don’t disturb that Banquet you just happened to be attending.

Even more pret-a-porter is the charging options; USB for the tech-fahionable located by opening the clasp of the MICA or Wireless Charging for the more nouveau fashionista who dislikes fiddling with cables.

Intel’s US$1000 MICA Stylish Bracelet – Pret-a-porter Alert Bracelet for the Nouveau Fashionistas

Costing US$1000, it’s most likely being pitched at those Apple iPhone toting fashionistas. Even the styles that it comes in suggest this:

1.      Black water-snake skin, pearls from China, and lapis stones from Madagascar

2.      White water-snake skin, tiger's eye from South Africa, and obsidian from Russia

Apparently Intel is taking a stab at wearables in a bid to expand into this market instead of playing catch-up as they're currently in the Tablets and smartphones market with the Intel Core M Processor as explained in my blog article entitled “Intel Core M Processor codenamed Broadwell – How Fanless, Smaller and Thinner proves that If Life Gives you Lemons, Make Lemonade”.

So is this gonna be a win for Intel? It'll break them into high fashion for sure as Wearables are now a hot new Trend. Also the more stylish the device the more it tends to sell, as it can accessorize well with your wardrobe. I just wish it came in more fashionable designs than the two mentioned thus far.