Wearables are great things. They open up discussions for things like the quantified self, the Internet of Things, predictive analytics and so on.
While all those concepts might be revolutionary in the way we collect data and understand the things around us, the problem is that the examples commercially available are extremely expensive.
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Think about smartwatches and fitness bands — the Moto 360 goes for US$250, the Apple Watch starts at US$350 and Fitbit charges you well over US$100 for its range of devices. Apart from the hectic costs involved, these are also extremely gimmicky.
Developed by Simple Matters, Ditto is a US$30 “non-gadget” that hopes to seamlessly integrate in your daily lifestyle without distracting you the way smartphones do.
In its essence, it’s a tiny but smart vibrating clip that can be customised to fit your day-to-day needs.
“We made Ditto as simple as possible, because at Simple Matters, we believe that, well, simple matters. So we went to a whole lot of trouble taking things out of Ditto,” the Kickstarter page reads.
The Bluetooth device reminds us a lot of the Fitbug Orb, which is a little US$50 fitness tracker you can also clip onto your clothes or use as a wristband.
Using the Ditto app, you can customise vibrations for particular people or set alarms. It also has a digital tether which will remind you when you’ve left you phone behind.
The Kickstarter page notes that the device doesn’t need to be charged, though you’ll have to eventually replace the little battery after “many months”.
Simple Matters has so far raised over US$60 000 on the crowdfunding site, with the hope of reaching US$100 000 within the next nine days.
