
MICA – Intel Smart Bracelet - coreymgilmore
http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/wearables/fashion-technology.html
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rebel
This makes the Amazon Fire Phone look like a good idea...

The amount of hurdles this needs to overcome to be purchased include:

-Willing to sign up for a cellular plan with AT&T

-Being Female and also thinking Intel is a fashionable company

-Willing to spend $500 on a fashion product from a company who mainly sells computer chips

-Find the design appealing, I have a strong hunch that this won't appeal to everyone from 13-90.

-Can stop in to one of these 2 "exclusive" stores to actually see what this thing is

-Accept the many limitations vs competitors (no voice input nor keyboard?)

-Actually believe this software/hardware will be upgraded ever again

-Willing to accept its lifespan is 2 years before you have to start paying a monthly fee to use it

Well, that's about the first quarter of my list but I've run out of time..

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Dwolb
I... I'm confused but I just don't know. There's a bit more info on the
product in the video (note, the comments for the video are disabled, which is
telling) [1], but the use cases aren't very compelling. It provides slightly
less functionality than other smart watches, but does so in a 'pretty' package
(I admit I can't tell if people would find this aesthetically pleasing or
not).

The device comes with AT&T mobile service "for free" with purchase and this
might be a slightly more seamless experience for people (e.g. leave your phone
at home). However... I don't know if people really would leave their phone at
home unless they're out of the house for a brief time, like for a run.

I guess I get the philosophy: stop making smart watches look dorky, but I feel
like the this goal is impossible because the phone has a display which
feels... dorky.

Sidenote, what does the app development look like for this? Is someone like
Yelp using specific internal resources to get the graphics to look right on
the screen? Is the company just approving an app that someone else develops?

[1]
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lr9vLoK0_w0](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lr9vLoK0_w0)

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ars
Looks interesting except for:

"MICA is connected by AT&T’s mobile broadband network and includes two years
of wireless service with the device purchase."

Well that's horrible. You need to pay for two cell phone bills with this? And
you are locked in with AT&T?

(And did anyone else find "Opening Ceremony" to be a really confusing name? I
initially thought, is that like some variation on designed by committee?)

Also, don't bracelets rotate? Won't the screen randomly be in different
positions?

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freehunter
Is it any different from tablets or e-readers that come with a hundred megs
per month of included data? This isn't new. The 3G Kindles are the same, the
Chromebook, basically any tablet bought from T-Mobile comes with a few hundred
megs a month for free.

It's not like they're charging you $120/mo like they would with your iPhone.
The part of this that gets paid to AT&T is probably incredibly tiny compared
to the cost that gets paid to the high-price designers slathering a smartwatch
in gold and gemstones.

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suprgeek
$500, Chunky looking bracelet that can barely go for a couple of days with its
battery, tied to AT&T and no Health tracking to speak of.

This is a Clumsy attempt at differentiation - DOA.

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blinkingled
Dear Intel: Stick to CPUs, GPUs, chipsets and NUCs. Pretty please. Unless of
course you are counting on AMD for the next advance in processing - a bad idea
at this point.

Easy talk aside it really is going to be tough for Intel to figure out the
next.

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paulojreis
So... some exec woke up and thought "we should be in the smartwatch business"?
Then 1 000 engineers were mobilized, based on a whim, and built a product with
no vision whatsoever.

Sounds like every big-corp "me-too" product.

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xauronx
That video was awkward as hell. I feel like creating these "me too" products
makes these big companies seem weaker rather than stronger. Maybe there's some
financial reason for doing it, but I don't get it.

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vnchr
Perhaps it gives the appearance of keeping up with trends (e.g. wearables) to
minimize buyer's remorse among unsophisticated shareholders. Definitely seems
like an "optics" opportunity rather than something substantial enough to merit
go to market efforts from Intel.

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ch4s3
I know a certain[1] art and design school that probably won't be too happy
about the name of this clunky looking thing.

[1][http://www.mica.edu/](http://www.mica.edu/)

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ars
It's probably named after the mineral.

~~~
unwind
Come on now, it's Intel, of course it's an acronym!

The first paragraph:

 _My Intelligent Communications Accessory (MICA) [...]_

I love product names that include the "my", so you never risk becoming
confused about something as basic as ownership. Gaaah.

Also, can somebody _please_ fix the submission's typo? It's BracElet, now it
sounds like some kind of cross between a chewing gum and I don't know what.

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reberhardt
I'm calling DOA...

Maybe I'm biased but I feel like they're a little late to the party and this
just isn't up to par. Too many restrictions, no ecosystem, weird design...

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kolev
Beauty? I don't see any of that... unless these are sold at Claire's (yes, I
do have daughters and I don't allow them in that junkyard).

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kevincox
I wonder why they didn't go with Android. It would be interesting to hear
about the decision process.

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anigbrowl
'Discrete on wrist messaging, calendar, and event vibration-based
notifications.'

/facepalm

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_RPM
I wasn't aware that Intel was in the consumer device business.

~~~
meepmorp
> I wasn't aware that Intel was in the consumer device business.

Based on this product, I'll say that's because they really aren't.

Edit: It occurs to me that my (and that of likely most of the other folks
here) perspective is a male one. Maybe there's women out there who'd like
this.

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talsnet
Welcome to your Zune moment! Like beet juice, it stains forever.

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NKCSS
First SnapCash, now MICA, it feels like april fools day :-/

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tdicola
I wonder what chip they're using, Quark SoC perhaps?

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bogrollben
"Discrete" should be "Discreet".

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wyldfire
Well, the messaging is discrete too.

