Nearly a decade after the collapse of Pebble’s burgeoning smartwatch empire, the brand is staging a comeback with new wearables. The Pebble Core Duo 2 and Core Time 2 are a natural evolution of the company’s low-power smartwatch designs, but its next wearable is something different. The Index 01 is a ring, but you probably shouldn’t call it a smart ring. The Index only does one thing: capture voice notes, but the company says it does it extremely well.
Most current smart rings offer users the ability to track health stats, as well as various minor smartphone integrations. With all the sensors and data collection, these devices can cost as much as a smartwatch and require frequent charging. The Index 01 does none of this. It contains a Bluetooth radio, a microphone, a hearing aid battery and a physical button. You press the button, save your note, and that’s it. The company says the Index 01 will work for years for a fee and will only cost $75 during the pre-order period. After that, it will go up to $99.
Core Devices, the new home of Pebble, says the Index is designed to be worn on your index finger (get it?), where you can easily mash the device’s button with your thumb. Unlike recording notes with a phone or smartwatch, you don’t need both hands to create voice notes with the Index.
The only physical control of the ring is touch, which ensures you’ll know when it’s activated and recording. When you’re done speaking, simply release the button. If this button is not pressed, the ring will not record sound for any reason. The company has apparently worked to ensure that this process is 100% reliable: it only does one thing, so it must do it really well.
The ring is designed to be worn on the index finger so you can press the button with your thumb.
Credit: Basic Devices
The ring is designed to be worn on the index finger so you can press the button with your thumb.
Credit: Basic Devices
A smart ring usually needs to be recharged every few days, but you’ll never recharge the Index. The idea is that since you never need to remove it to reload, using the Index 01 “becomes muscle memory.” The built-in battery will power the device for a total of 12-14 hours of recording. The designers estimate that’s about two years of use if you record 10 to 20 short voice notes per day. And what happens when the battery runs out? You simply return the ring to be recycled.
