Tim Cook may have laughed at Topeka Capital Markets analyst Brian White’s “iRing” prediction, but someone at Microsoft was clearly scratching their chin, intrigued at the idea.
That’s based on a recently published patent application from Microsoft showing how the company has investigated a finger ring as a possible future wearable device. Microsoft’s impressive-sounding wireless ring could be used as an input device either to control a cursor on a mobile device such as a tablet, smartphone, or even a head-up display like Google Glass.
As described, the ring would be able to recognize whether it was being worn by a user, detected by way of a microprocessor on the device.
The patent application also describes how it would be able to wirelessly harvest energy from nearby devices using NFC.
Finally Microsoft notes that it would be joining companies like Apple and Samsung in the health-tracking field, since the ring would also be capable of measuring a “user’s Galvanic Skin response (GSR), blood pressure and heart rate,” in addition to “physical conditions such as rotation, orientation, acceleration and temperature.”
What do you make of Microsoft’s plans? It apparently wasn’t good enough for Apple (although if you’re dying for an iRing you can still get one from multiple third-party manufacturers). Then again, it’s not Microsoft’s zaniest idea of the year either.
And given that “ring” at Microsoft is currently most synonymous with the Xbox 360’s “red rings of death” it could serve to be better than that.
Via: Patently Mobile
