In brief
Ring Zero lets you control a phone and compatible smart home appliances using custom finger gestures. Pair it with your phone via Bluetooth, configure gestures in the app, then hold the ring’s button while drawing a preset pattern in the air.
Last month, the official launch of Apple Watch sparked greater interest in smart wearable devices, or “wearables”. But wearables extend well beyond smartwatches. In addition to Google Glass and smart wristbands, the Ring Zero smart ring has recently been introduced to Hong Kong from Japan. Once you put it on, a simple movement of your finger in the air lets you remotely control your phone and even household appliances—looking every bit as stylish as Tony Stark operating a computer with mid-air gestures in Iron Man.
Ring Zero has a simple design, with a touch button and a small indicator light on its compact plastic band. It also incorporates the proprietary Maestro motion-detection engine. Used with a mobile app, it lets you remotely control your phone or other electrical appliances. Operation and setup are straightforward and should present little difficulty for regular app users. Simply pair it with your phone as you would any other Bluetooth device, then use the app to assign your own gesture patterns to each function.
After setup, hold down the button on the ring with your thumb while drawing a preset pattern in the air, then release the button. Hands-on testing found a fairly high success rate and a quick response: the gesture was recognised and the command carried out about one second after the pattern was completed. According to those involved in bringing the ring to Hong Kong, Ring Zero is actually the second-generation model. Its response speed is nearly ten times that of the previous version, while its accuracy has improved threefold, making it considerably more practical.
As a wearable, Ring Zero can do more than operate a phone. When paired with smart home appliances, it also makes it easy to remotely switch off lights or turn on a television with a flick of your finger. Using Philips Hue smart bulbs and Belkin’s WeMo SWITCH power controller is much the same as operating a phone. Philips Hue allows you to switch lights on and off and change their colour by moving your finger up, down, left or right. WeMo SWITCH, meanwhile, offers a convenient way to switch various electrical appliances on and off.