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Logbar’s new Ring promises wizard-like powers over the smart home

If you’ve ever waited for a train door to open so you can swish your hand in front of it and pretend you’ve got Jedi powers, then Logbar’s new smart Ring should be in your inventory. 

The Ring is a ‘wearable cloudcontrol device’ that’s been doing the rounds at CES 2015 and has already scooped up a nomination for innovation. The idea is that you pop it on your finger and with a wave of your hand trigger actions like turning on smart lights or opening motorised curtains. 

This is actually the second time that Logjar has had a go at making its Tolkien-esque wearables the centre of the smart home. 

Logbar’s latest edition promises improvements on the original which was pretty poorly received by its initial backers. Our colleagues at Recombu Mobile reported on the moans logged by early backers who’d parted with good cash to smash Logbar’s Kickstarter target of $250,000 (£165,810) last December.  

Gripes included its bulky size, the fact it was made of zinc (which screws around with phone signals) combined with the fact that you had to open up a phone app to use the thing rather than it working automatically. 

The new improved Ring is spun from non-interfering materials, is smaller and will go on sale in March for $130 (£87), which is nearly a hundred quid cheaper than the price of the original, which costs a whopping $269 (£178) plus shipping from Logjar.jp. You can see the new-look Ring above on the left. 

While it does look a bit silly and there’s clearly been some teething problems, we think the concept is interesting. 

There’s definitely scope for the Ring to be a transformative for customers with accessibility issues. Then again, perhaps controlling devices in the home via a smart watch, which remains strapped to your wrist, as opposed to a ring (which could easily fall off), might be more sensible. 

If you think the Ring is one of the worst ideas since the decision to expand The Hobbit into three movies let us know in the comments. Equally, if you’re intrigued by the possibilities and think there’s room for improvement, have your say. In the meantime, check out Logjar’s concept video from last year below. 

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