Ten Pieces of Tech That Every Fashionable Woman Should Know About

I’m always looking for tech items that are feminine and fashionable, and since I’ve recently been doing a bit of research for myself, I thought I’d share the results with you all. Whether you’re looking for yourself, or you need ideas for your sweetheart, these are sure to please.

Ringly Ring

Ringly Rings are smart rings vibrate and flash when you receive calls or notifications. You can leave your phone in the bottom of your purse until an important call, text, or app notification comes in; based on the color of your ring’s flash, you can decide whether or not you need to dig the phone out.

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Best of all, Ringly Rings don’t look cheap and ugly; they are beautiful. Made with real gemstones and either a gunmetal plated brass setting (nickel-free) …

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… or 18K plated brass, these rings look pretty enough to wear simply as fashionable jewelry, but the fact that they are smart is an added bonus. Ringly Rings aren’t waterproof, so you won’t want to wear yours in the shower or while swimming, but it is splash-proof and okay to wear when washing your hands.

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Ringly Rings are available in US ring sizes 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9; they have an internal battery that lasts 24 – 48 hours, and they come with a ring box that also serves as a charger and an extended battery (it lasts about a week).

Ringly works with iOS and Android devices, and it has an app where you can set which notifications you want to receive and where you can assign colors for different type notifications.

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Ringly Rings are available now; prices start at $195 for most styles, and they go up to $260 for the Emerald and gold ring.

Ringly Bracelet

If you’ve already got a ring that you prefer wearing, and if you’d like to add step tracking that syncs with Apple Health Kit, you should look at the brand new Ringly Bracelet.

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Available in two sizes, 6.5″ or 7.5″, the gold-plated bracelet comes in a choice of four stones.

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It looks really pretty, right? Not only that, but it also has five subtle notification colors and 4 vibration patterns so you can easily tell whether checking your phone is absolutely necessary or not.

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Step tracking with Apple Health Kit integration makes the Ringly Bracelet one of the best-looking fitness bracelets I’ve seen. Like the Ring, it isn’t waterproof, but it is okay to wear when washing your hands.

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Bonus: The first 1,000 bracelet pre-orders will receive a real diamond on the side of the bracelet where the light shines.”

The Ringly Bracelet will be $279 when it launches in August, but you can pre-order now for $195.

WiseWear Bracelets

WiseWear bracelets offer vibration notifications, step tracking, and they have a built-in “distress messaging” feature.

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There are basically three styles, each is available plated in “precious metals such as 18k Gold and Palladium, and they have an inner circumference of 6.7 inches. All bracelets will comfortably fit any person with a wrist circumference of 6.5 inches or less.

The $325 Calder has a striking architectural look …

The $295 Kingston is very simple and minimalistic. It would look great stacked with some other bangles.

The $345 Duchess has a green stone inlay.

The WiseWear bracelet has up to a 3-day battery life; it is water and tarnish resistant, and it also connects with an Android or iOS app.

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As for the distress messaging feature, it works like this:

In an urgent situation, tap the bottom half of your bracelet to notify your emergency contacts with a text message and your GPS location.

The WiseWear bracelet notifications “support incoming calls, text messages, emails, calendar reminders, and low phone battery.” It’s not clear from the WiseWare site if the app communicates with Apple Health Kit, so that might be worth emailing them about if it matters to you.

Vinaya ALTRUIS Necklace

If rings and necklaces that gently notify you aren’t striking your fancy, take a look at the $430 Vinaya ALTRUIS Necklace. This Bluetooth-connected necklace will gently notify you when your most important texts or calls come through. The necklace “filters your notifications based on ‘Profiles’ and ‘Secret Words’ via [an] iOS app.”

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Unlike the other smart jewelry in this post, the ALTRUIS necklace has a battery that can last for up to a month. It is also “rain, splash and sweat-proof. However, [they] do not recommend submerging it in water or any deep diving! Also, note that prolonged exposure to salt water or chemically treated water will reduce water resistance.”

Right now, the Vinaya ALTRUIS necklace is only available for iOS, but they are working on an Android app. There are several different ceramic zirconia stone and metal color combos available; they also have a variety of $345 rings and $385 bracelets that offer the same subtle notifications as the necklace.

Rebecca Minkoff Lightning Cable Bracelet

If you’re always looking for a Lightning cable to top off your iOS device, the Rebecca Minkoff Lightning Cable Bracelet is a clever fashion option.

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Available in gold and black, the $60 bracelet hides a 7.5″ Lightning cable.

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That’s all it does, but it will look great in your bracelet stack while doing it.

Kate Spade Frieda Purse

With its $698 price tag, the Frieda is an investment, for sure. But what you get is a stylish Kate Spade cowhide leather bag with 14K plated hardware that has a built-in Lightning connector iPhone charging pocket and custom sleeves for the iPhone 5/5S, 6/6S, and the 6 Plus/6S Plus.

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The Kate Spade Frieda is a collaboration with Everpurse, the company that got its start on Kickstarter. In fact, Carly wrote about their original iPhone charging purse campaign in 2012. The Kate Spade collaboration improves upon their original designs.

Charging the Frieda bag is easy — you just set it on the included charging mat when you walk in the door. There are no wires or plugs to deal with.

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The Kate Spade Frieda measures 13.8″ wide by 9.4″ tall by 6.2″ deep. It weighs 3.5 pounds, and it has a 5″ strap drop, so it can be carried on your arm or on your shoulder. This is probably one of the best looking “smart bags” that I’ve ever seen; if I weren’t just a wee bit concerned that Apple might do away with Lightning connectors in their next iPhone update, I would have this on my Amazon wish list.

Kate Spade Quentin Wristlet Pouch

If the Kate Spade Frieda is a bit too rich or too big for your tastes, take a look at the $198 black Saffiano leather Quintin Wristlet Pouch; it’s also available in French Navy.

Measuring 10″ wide by 8″ high by 1″ deep, and weighing 1.4 pounds, the Quintin Wristlet Pouch is perfect for carrying on its own or slipping inside a larger tote. It also comes with inserts to fit the iPhone 5/5S, 6/6S, and the iPhone 6 Plus/6S Plus.

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The Quintin has 14K plated hardware, and the wrist strap is removable.

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Just like the Frieda, the Quintin is cable-free; you charge it by laying it on the included wireless charger.

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Because of the internal batteries in the Frieda and Quintin, neither bag is able to ship to CA, WA, HI, AL, or British Columbia.

The Pebble Time Round

The Pebble Time Round is the newest member of the Pebble Watch lineup; it’s certainly the most feminine one that they’ve released, and it is just as smart as the other versions.

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The Pebble Time Round can track your steps and sleep; it also gives notifications for texts, calls, and social apps. The color e-Ink display looks great, and a 15-minute charge is supposed to give you a full day’s use, which is good since the battery lasts about 2 days.

At $199.99 for a watch with a leather band or $229 for a mesh metal band, the Pebble Time Round will look great on even the most petite woman’s wrist.

The Mira Bracelet

This is a step-tracking bracelet that I’ve had my eye on for some time. It’s not only fashionable and sharp-looking, it’s smart; it will also look good in a stack of bracelets.

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The Mira tracks steps, calories, distance and elevation; it also tells the time, so it can replace your watch (if, like me, you still wear one).

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You can even remove the “opal” brain from the bracelet to swap out to other style bracelets or wear on its own with a clip.

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Available in petite, small, and medium wrist sizes, the $169 Mira comes in stainless steel that has been color-treated to be gold, chocolate, black, satin rosé, and polished rosé. It works with iOS and Android devices, and its battery can last up to 5 days. The Mira is sweatproof, but it is not waterproof — don’t wear it when bathing, swimming, or showering. You can buy additional bands in other finishes for $99 each.

PunchCase Power Wallet

PunchCase makes wallets, clutches, cross-body bags, and totes that have built-in batteries for charging your phone. Their Power Wallets appeal to me because they are fun and functional.

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Built into each wallet is a 1500mAh battery; it’s not going to be enough to fully charge your device if it is drained, but it is enough to give you an extra boost if you’ve run out of power at the end of the day and you need just a bit more.

The Power Wallet has a two credit or ID slots and a spot to slide in your phone. A back zipped compartment handles cash and coins, as well as the cable necessary for charging your device. You can use the Power Wallet with any phone that falls in the general size of 3.4″ wide by 5.6″ tall by 0.5″ thick.

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Priced from $119 to $164 and available in a variety of colors and patterns, there is a PunchCase for almost every budget.

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What do you think? Did you see something you like? Did I miss anything? 🙂

 

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About the Author

Judie Lipsett Stanford
Judie is the co-owner and Editor-in-Chief of Gear Diary, which she founded in September 2006. She started in 1999 writing software reviews at the now-defunct smaller.com; from mid-2000 through 2006, she wrote hardware reviews for and co-edited at The Gadgeteer. A recipient of the Sigma Kappa Colby Award for Technology, Judie is best known for her device-agnostic approach, deep-dive reviews, and enjoyment of exploring the latest tech, gadgets, and gear.