Wearable technology, particularly of the watch and fitness tracker varieties, is going to be big in 2015. Not because there’s been a massive shift in what these little trackers can do, but because they’re becoming more affordable and more importantly for a lot of people, they’re becoming more fashionable. As CES 2015 is just getting started, it’s no surprise that we’ve started to see a number of wearables and smartwatches break cover on the show floor. A new partnership between Misfit and Swarovski however, might be just what you were looking for, or a massive step in the wrong direction.
The company known for their fitness tracker, the Shine, is introducing two new variants of the device during CES 2015, costing between $169.99 and $249.99. The crystal work from Swarovski is what makes the standard white version (pictured above) more expensive than the normal Shine, but the $249.99 model is an intriguing piece of technology. It’s not as understated as the standard version, what with it being blue and all, but this version doesn’t need to be charged, ever. It gets its power from the sun, harnessing solar energy using glass from Swarovski to keep the battery topped up all day. Misfit CEO, Sonny Vu, said that while normal solar power wouldn’t be good enough, Swarovski’s “crystal actually refocuses light back onto the cell. The design works in tandem with the technology.”
There’s also going to be a range of accessories from Swarovski to work with the Swarovski Shine (or the original version) like pendants, wrist bands and more. While these do sort of like like they’re trying too hard to be fashionable, I can see my girlfriend wearing something like this at work as well as in the evening without feeling conscious about it. It’s physical size is still a polarizing factor of course, but this is a good start. Of course, if Swarovski sounds like nails on a chalkboard to you then this isn’t going to appeal to you at all. This is either going to make some women think twice about wearing a fitness tracker 24/7 or completely put them off, but we suppose somebody had to be first to release a Swarovski fitness tracker.
