Want a smart watch but hate smartwatches? The T-Band smart strap could be for you

By Andy Boxall Updated November 24, 2014

kairos smart watch bands news campaign blue 2

If you’re attached to your regular wristwatch, but really like the idea of a smartwatch, then take a look at this new Indiegogo crowd-funding campaign. It’s called the T-Band and it’s being made by a firm called Kairos. The idea is simple, it’s a high-tech watch band to convert your dumb watch into a smartwatch.

The adjustable rubber strap comes with a special adaptor to fits watches with a strap between 18mm and 24mm, and adds all the usual smart features seen on hardware from Samsung, LG, and Motorola. There are three different models, so you can choose how much functionality you want to bestow on your watch.

Kairos’ starter T-Band ND works more like a fitness band than a smartwatch, measuring activity, sleep, and even the temperature of your skin. A set of LEDs and a vibrate function provide basic notifications provided the strap is connected with Bluetooth to your phone. Next is the T-Band HD, which adds a simple touchscreen to the strap for displaying alerts. Cleverly, it stays hidden until a notification arrives, maintaining the clean looks of the standard ND version.

At the top of the list is the T-Band OD. It has a curved, Plastic-OLED color touchscreen on the strap, and will show more detailed notifications, along with additional functions from auto-start for cars, and hands-free calling using the microphone and speaker. All three bands are powered by an ARM Cortex M4 processor, are water and dust resistant to IP67 standards, and the battery inside should last for up to three days.

Kairos has developed its own operating system for the T-Band, and the straps will be compatible with iOS, Android and Windows Phone devices. Additionally, the company will also sell you specially designed watch bodies to complement the T-Band straps, if you don’t feel your own matches the style.

Backers who manage to grab one of the early bird offers will pay $130 for the T-Band ND, $160 for the T-Band HD, and $180 for the T-Band OD. If you’d like to pair the T-Band up with a Kairos watch body, prices range between $500 and $1150. The campaign has only just begun, and should it reach the $50,000 goal, deliveries will take place between April and June next year, depending on your choice of model.

Topics

Senior Mobile Writer

Andy is a Senior Writer at Digital Trends, where he concentrates on mobile technology, a subject he has written about for…

Mobile

Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 vs. Fitbit Sense

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 smartwatch, worn on a person's wrist.

The Galaxy Watch 4 is Samsung's take on a modern, hi-tech wearable that doesn't imitate an old-school analog wristwatch. It eschews the classic design of its predecessors for a sleeker, more streamlined look, while also providing some excellent hardware and features. These include a Super AMOLED touchscreen, 16GB of internal storage, generous battery life, and some great health-tracking software.

It's certainly one of the best smartwatches out there, but in a market saturated by Apple Watches and various Android equivalents, it certainly isn't without competitors. One of these is the Fitbit Sense, which in 2020 emerged to offer a premium version of the core Fitbit experience, replete with an ECG sensor, a choice of virtual assistants, and a wealth of fitness features.

Mobile

This $4,000 titanium beauty is the ultimate square G-Shock

The G-Shock MRG-B5000B.

Do you want the very best Casio offers in manufacturing, design, and technology from your new G-Shock, all wrapped up in that highly recognizable square case? In other words, the ultimate version of a truly classic G-Shock watch? If so, the new MRG-B5000B is exactly the model you will want, provided cost is no object. We’ve been wearing it.
What makes MR-G so special?
Although Casio is best known for tough watches that won’t break the bank, Casio also has decades of watchmaking experience, and it showcases its talents most effectively in its highly exclusive MR-G family of watches. These models, its most luxurious, are assembled by hand on Casio’s Premium Production Line located in the Yamagata factory in Japan, where only the company’s most experienced, specially certified technicians work on the top MT-G and MR-G models.

The square G-Shock is one of the most popular models, having been around since the G-Shock brand first started in the early 1980s, and bringing it to the luxury MR-G range is going to see a lot of people reaching for their wallets. What makes it so special? It’s the first time the classic, beloved square G-Shock has been given the MR-G treatment, with most other MR-G models over the past few years featuring an analog dial. There's a huge section of an already large fan base waiting for this.

Mobile

Fitbit recalls Ionic smartwatch after several burn reports

best walmart deals on apple watch garmin and fitbit ionic smartwatch adidas edition ice gray silver

Fitbit Ionic smartwatch users need to stop using their devices right now. The company has recalled its Ionic wearable after over 150 reports of the watch’s lithium-ion battery overheating, and 78 reports of burn injuries to the users. It will offer a refund of $299 to the Fitbit Ionic smartwatch users who return the device.

Fitbit has received at least 115 reports in the United States and over 50 reports internationally about the Ionic smartwatch's battery overheating. It is recalling the device as there are two reports of third-degree burns and four reports of second-degree burns out of the 78 total burn injuries report.