When we think about wearables today, most of us probably think about the myriad of smartwatch options and fitness bands that are starting to flood into the market. While many of them are extremely compelling and offer something to just about anyone, they still lack the capability to do more for some people. This isn’t a reflection of the quality, but rather due to limitations of the hardware and the software. Most wearable smartwatches are limited by small displays, so you can’t really fully enjoy the experience with apps and other features. Fitness bands are much the same, only their displays are even smaller because they’re meant more for tracking data than letting you interface with them directly.
A new product up on indiegogo right now aims to offer people an option to get the interaction they want out of a wearable that is stylish and functional. The Rufus Cuff is not just a wearable however, it’s more of a wrist communicator as the team at Rufus Labs calls it, and it has plenty to offer that other wearables do not. A large face display for instance, but it’s more than that. It truly does what all other wearables will do and more. Because of the large screen display, anything you do will be easy to interact with and become much more enjoyable. It has a built in mic and a camera on the face, so things like photos or a quick video call to find out what you might need to pick up from the store on the way home are simple and fast, and that’s just the beginning. Because it has a built in web browser, you can even enjoy things like surfing your favorite sites or even check out the latest cat video that the team from your office is begging you to watch. You don’t have to admit you like it, but lets be honest with ourselves, some of them are so damn cute. There I said it.
Just like other wearables, the Rufus Cuff has plenty to offer the fitness buff and health nut. It has the built in gyroscope and acccelerometer, as well as GPS so you can do things like track your steps, calories burned and more. It even supports popular apps like Strava and RunTracker, and my personal favorite, Endomondo. I have written about the wonders of Endomondo before, but seriously, if you use a fitness app or are on the hunt for a new one, it’s time to check out Endomondo. Now that we’re on the subject of apps, let’s talk about what else this thing can do. Well for starters, it runs a full working version of the Android OS, so it won’t just run Endomondo, it’ll run pretty much anything. The Play Store? Yep, it has access to that as well, so you really have almost no limit on apps. That means not only can you catch up on your favorite news site(Android Headlines)with apps like PlayNewsstand and G+, but you can even send messages through apps like Whatsapp or Groupme. Because the Rufus Cuff has built in Bluetooth 4.0, it can connect to your phone for total control and management of things like your phones music playlist, or even trigger the camera to snap a picture remotely.
I could go on and on about the Rufus Cuff. There are just so many things that it can do and so much that it has to offer that we could probably almost write a novel on it. I fell like the main points speak for themselves though. It’s a wrist communicator that has a large 3-inch display making this a truly unique wearable, that even has built in WiFi for those times where your smartphone isn’t around to connect to,(perhaps the battery died?)and the water resistance of the device means that you don’t have to worry about sweating all over this thing when you take it out for a run. The team at Rufus Labs is even working on getting the Cuff certified with an IPX7 rating for more water resistance. The Rufus Cuff certainly won’t be for everyone, that’s a given. For those who want a fully functional wearable though that can boast things like 2GB of RAM and 16GB of onboard storage, plus everything else it has to offer, the Rufus Cuff is definitely worth the time to check it out. Did we mention it runs Android 4.4 Kit Kat? There are just 8 days left if you want to get in on the indiegogo campaign, so we won’t keep you any longer. You can check out the link below for tons more details on the Rufus Cuff like customization options, more features, and pledge to the project funding if you’re interested. If you’re looking for something truly innovative and completely full featured, the Rufus Cuff is what you’re after.
