美就是生产力：可穿戴设备披上时尚外衣

    本文是《财富》与《创业者》杂志的合作内容。原文最初发表于Entrepreneur.com网站。

    如果可穿戴技术要充分发挥它的潜力，它就得开始在外表上下工夫。这就是为何越来越多精明的科技公司开始与远见十足的时尚品牌合作，而初创科技公司也开始将设计放在首位。

    英特尔新设备集团的副总裁兼总经理爱莎•艾德尼兹表示：“可穿戴技术可能是我们见过的最个性化的技术。”该集团已经与时尚零售商Opening Ceremony共同开发了智能手镯，还将在新项目上与配饰产品巨头Fossil展开合作。“正因如此，我们认为时尚和设计行业也应当在这个领域占据主导地位。”

    位于伦敦的初创公司Kovert Designs赶在这个圣诞节来临前，推出了时髦的智能首饰。公司创始人兼首席执行官凯特•昂斯沃斯表示：“硅谷的公司有个误解，认为只要产品的技术性能足够好，无论它外观什么样，消费者都会买账的。但你在香榭丽舍大街见过智能手表吗？”

    昂斯沃斯暗指早期的可穿戴设备缺乏美感：笨重、方正、粗犷、塑料质感。那些注重形象的消费者，不太可能让它们在自己的手腕上占据一席之地。

    确实，对科技配饰来说，外表和内在一样重要。NPD 集团执行董事，消费技术行业分析师本•阿诺德指出：“我们对可穿戴设备做了一些研究，在那些有兴趣购买智能手表的顾客中，有51%表示，如果产品与他们的个人风格不搭，他们绝不会考虑购买。”这家市场研究公司的报告显示，截至今年8月，健康追踪器和智能手表的销售额已经达到5.7亿美元，考虑到苹果手表的加入，该公司预计这个市场明年的销售额还将提高一倍以上。

    为了美化这类极客装备，设计师们使用了高级材料，并从大小、外型和质感上对配件进行了改良。就以Opening Ceremony和英特尔合作打造的MICA手镯为例。这款精致的手镯在1.6英寸的蓝宝石曲面触摸屏上提供了通讯和提醒功能。在今年9月的纽约时装周上，Opening Ceremony的创始人卡罗尔•利姆和汉贝托•利昂以独幕剧的形式，公布了该款饰有半宝石和水蛇皮的手镯的两种样式。据报道，Opening Ceremony门店和巴尼斯纽约精品店的MICA在假日季的售价会低于1,000美元。

    在另一项合作中，位于纽约市中心的时尚设计公司瑞贝卡•明可弗与Case-Mate携手开发了智能首饰、充电装置和手机套。在这个节日季，这些产品在诺德斯特龙百货店和该公司官网和门店有售。其中一款售价120美元的金链环手镯带有金字塔状的装饰，如有电话和短信进入，手镯就会通知佩戴者。而且它设计精美，即使放在《时尚》杂志的版面上也不会让人感到奇怪。

    时尚品牌托里•伯奇也为Fitbit Flex的运动和睡眠追踪器设计了手镯，上面印有伯奇的趣味签名。该公司还为Fitbit用户设计了一套带有回纹黄铜装饰的手镯和项链。

    Kovert和位于纽约的初创公司Ringly都推出了配置通知系统的夸张首饰。Kovert创始人昂斯沃斯出门时，会把戒指设置为震动。她解释说：“这让我可以在用餐时忽略手机，专心与同伴进行真正面对面的交谈。”

    Kovert的戒指、手镯和项链有镀银、镀金和玫瑰金的不同版本，首饰中含有1英寸大小的防水智能陶瓷用于通讯。这个部分还能够自由更换。该系列产品定价在290至360英镑之间，可以在KovertDesigns.com和奢侈品购物网站Net-A-Porter买到。

    Ringly的创始人是eBay资深员工克里斯蒂娜•梅尔肯多。在她找不到手机的事情被传为笑柄后，她创立了这家公司。Ringly的18克拉镀金鸡尾酒戒指镶有贵重宝石和半宝石，内含通信技术包。担任Ringly首席执行官的梅尔肯多表示：“我们第一批1,000枚戒指在24小时内就已售罄，让我们成为迄今为止通过众筹建立的最成功的女性可穿戴设备公司。”

    至于由知名设计师设计的智能服装，目前在很大程度上仍处于起步阶段。拉夫•劳伦以生物传感衬衫Polo Tech率先迈入该领域，该衬衫于今年春天在美国网球公开赛上进行了试验。衬衫中装有压缩的陀螺仪，能够记录心率和燃烧的卡路里，并通过蓝牙传输到手机应用上，该技术是由加拿大厂商OMsignal利用专利技术开发的。

    这类产品将发展到什么程度，目前还不好断言，但可以肯定的是，它们将极富吸引力。毕竟，拉夫•劳伦懂得，美就是生产力。（财富中文网）

    译者：严匡正

    This post is in partnership with Entrepreneur. The article below was originally published at Entrepreneur.com.

    If wearable tech is to live up to its potential, it needs to start looking better. That’s why a growing number of savvy tech companies are collaborating with forward-looking fashion houses, and startups are focusing on design first.

    “Wearables are arguably the most personal technology we’ve seen,” says AyseIldeniz, vice president and general manager of Intel’s New Devices Group, which partnered with hip retailer Opening Ceremony on smart bracelets, and with accessories giant Fossil for an upcoming project. “As such, we believe the fashion and design industry should be in the driver’s seat.”

    “Silicon Valley has this misconception that if the technical feature is well-built enough, consumers will lap it up, no matter what it looks like. This is not the case,” adds Kate Unsworth, founder and CEO of Kovert Designs, a London-based startup that’s launching sleek, smart jewelry in time for the holidays. “Ever seen a smartwatch on the Champs-Élysées?”

    Unsworth is alluding to the aesthetic shortcomings of early wearable gadgets: Bulky, squared off, masculine and plastic-y, they were not likely to find valuable wrist real estate (or face real estate, in the case of Google Glass) among image-conscious consumers.

    Indeed, when it comes to techcessories, beauty is as important as brains. “We did some studies on wearables, and 51 percent of consumers who are interested in buying a smartwatch said they won’t even consider it unless it fits in with their personal style,” notes Ben Arnold, executive director and industry analyst for consumer technology at The NPD Group. The market research firm reports that sales of fitness trackers and smartwatches hit $570 million in the year to August and projects the market to more than double next year, due in part to the entry of Apple Watch.

    To glamorize geek wear, designers are using upscale materials and refining the size, shape and feel of their gadgets. Take Opening Ceremony and Intel’s MICA (My Intelligent Communication Accessory), an elegant bracelet that displays communications and alerts on its 1.6-inch curved sapphire-glass touchscreen. Opening Ceremony founders Carol Lim and Humberto Leon (also creative directors at French luxury house Kenzo) unveiled two versions of the bangle adorned with semiprecious gems and water snakeskin at their September fashion presentation (which took the form of a one-act play). MICA will reportedly be priced at less than $1,000 for its holiday launch at Opening Ceremony stores and Barneys New York.

    In another collaboration, downtown designer Rebecca Minkoff teamed with Case-Mate to create smart jewelry, charging units and phone cases, available this holiday season at Nordstrom and through her own website and stores. Her $120 gold chain-link bracelet with pyramid studs alerts wearers to calls and texts and would be at home in the pages of Vogue.

    Tory Burch has introduced bracelets for the Fitbit Flex activity and sleep tracker in her signature perky prints ($38), along with a decorative brass Fitbit-holder bracelet and necklace with open fretwork ($175 to $195).

    Both Kovert and New York-based startup Ringly offer bold jewelry with notification systems. When she’s out, Unsworth sets her ring to vibrate. “This allows me to ignore my phone throughout dinner, so I can be present and engage in real face-to-face conversation with the person I’m with,” she explains.

    Kovert’s rings, bracelets and necklaces, plated in silver, gold and rose gold, hold inch-long waterproof smart stones that swap in and out of the pieces. The collection, priced at 290 to 360 pounds (roughly $460 to $575) is available on KovertDesigns.com and Net-A-Porter.

    Ringly was started by eBay veteran Christina Mercando after her inability to find her cell phone became a standing joke. The 18-karat-gold-plated cocktail rings ($195 to $260) feature precious or semiprecious stones that hide the tech pack. “We sold the first 1,000 rings in under 24 hours [in June], making us the most successful crowdfunded women’s wearable device to date,” says Mercando, CEO.

    As for designer smart apparel, it’s very much in its infancy. Ralph Lauren has gotten a head start with its Polo Tech bio-sensing shirt, which had a trial run at this year’s U.S. Open tennis championships and hits stores this spring. The compression top, which records data such as heart rate and calories burned and sends it to an iPhone app via Bluetooth, was developed with proprietary technology from Canada-based OMsignal.

    There’s no word yet on line extensions, but it’s safe to assume they’ll be attractive. After all, Ralph knows that looks matter.