While the Moto X certainly wasn’t the most powerful device of 2013, it launched with a lot of interesting features to enhance the way we use our smartphones every day. You could talk to it whenever you wanted, it was great in the car and handled notifications in a slicker manner than other devices. It also launched with a very healthy range of accessories direct from Motorola and others. One of these accessories was the Moto Skip, a small clip that could be attached to your jeans or your belt that featured an NFC tag that unlocked your device without the use of a pin or pattern.
The Skip was an interesting idea, and it wasn’t all that expensive, but it was hardly the most fashionable accessory we’ve seen for a smartphone. Still, it seems that making life easier for users unlocking their smartphone is going to become a thing going forward. LG have introduced their Knock Code in the G3 in order to make it still secure yet easier to unlock your device and in Android L, Google will be introducing the idea of turning the pattern lock off when connected to a trusted device, like an Android Wear watch. We can already do this using the Pebble Locker app, but Motorola has partnered with VivaLnk for a more subtle way of unlocking your device easily. The new digital tattoo from Moto X and VivaLnk is cool and all, but an NFC chip could easily be placed in an Android Wear watch to serve the same purpose, Sony’s SmartWatch 2 featured an NFC chip for easy pairing so this could easily be included in the Moto 360.
This new ‘Digital Tattoo’ is a thin piece of plastic that one sticks to their skin, that unlocks a Moto X when touched together without the need of a pattern or pin lock. It’s a cool idea, but these tattoos aren’t permanent as the name would suggest. Each one lasts for around 5 days before they degrade, and while they can be used while swimming and whatever else you do throughout your day, they do cost $10 for a pack of 10. If you plan on using one every day for a month, that’s three packs or so a month, making this added convenience fairly pricey. If you’re interested though, they can be produced directly from VivaLnk.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15uIFmysZV4