美就是生產力 可穿戴設備披上時尚外衣

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.

如果可穿戴技術要充分發揮它的潛力，它就得開始在外表上下工夫。這就是爲何越來越多精明的科技公司開始與遠見十足的時尚品牌合作，而初創科技公司也開始將設計放在首位。

“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.”

英特爾新設備集團的副總裁兼總經理愛莎o艾德尼茲表示：“可穿戴技術可能是我們見過的最個性化的技術。”該集團已經與時尚零售商Opening Ceremony共同開發了智能手鐲，還將在新項目上與配飾產品巨頭Fossil展開合作。“正因如此，我們認爲時尚和設計行業也應當在這個領域佔據主導地位。”

“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-Elysées?”

位於倫敦的初創公司Kovert Designs趕在這個聖誕節來臨前，推出了時髦的智能首飾。公司創始人兼首席執行官凱特o昂斯沃斯表示：“硅谷的公司有個誤解，認爲只要產品的技術性能足夠好，無論它外觀什麼樣，消費者都會買賬的。但你在香榭麗舍大街見過智能手錶嗎？”

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.

昂斯沃斯暗指早期的可穿戴設備缺乏美感：笨重、方正、粗獷、塑料質感。那些注重形象的消費者，不太可能讓它們在自己的手腕上佔據一席之地。

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.

確實，對科技配飾來說，外表和內在一樣重要。NPD 集團執行董事，消費技術行業分析師本o阿諾德指出：“我們對可穿戴設備做了一些研究，在那些有興趣購買智能手錶的顧客中，有51%表示，如果產品與他們的個人風格不搭，他們絕不會考慮購買。”這家市場研究公司的報告顯示，截至今年8月，健康追蹤器和智能手錶的銷售額已經達到5.7億美元，考慮到蘋果手錶的加入，該公司預計這個市場明年的銷售額還將提高一倍以上。

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.

爲了美化這類極客裝備，設計師們使用了高級材料，並從大小、外型和質感上對配件進行了改良。就以Opening Ceremony和英特爾合作打造的MICA手鐲爲例。這款精緻的手鐲在1.6英寸的藍寶石曲面觸摸屏上提供了通訊和提醒功能。在今年9月的紐約時裝週上，Opening Ceremony的創始人卡羅爾o利姆和漢貝託o利昂以獨幕劇的形式，公佈了該款飾有半寶石和水蛇皮的手鐲的兩種樣式。據報道，Opening Ceremony門店和巴尼斯紐約精品店的MICA在假日季的售價會低於1,000美元。

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.

在另一項合作中，位於紐約市中心的時尚設計公司瑞貝卡o明可弗與Case-Mate攜手開發了智能首飾、充電裝置和手機套。在這個節日季，這些產品在諾德斯特龍百貨店和該公司官網和門店有售。其中一款售價120美元的金鍊環手鐲帶有金字塔狀的裝飾，如有電話和短信進入，手鐲就會通知佩戴者。而且它設計精美，即使放在《時尚》雜誌的版面上也不會讓人感到奇怪。

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).

時尚品牌托裏o伯奇也爲Fitbit Flex的運動和睡眠追蹤器設計了手鐲，上面印有伯奇的趣味簽名。該公司還爲Fitbit用戶設計了一套帶有回紋黃銅裝飾的手鐲和項鍊。

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和位於紐約的初創公司Ringly都推出了配置通知系統的誇張首飾。Kovert創始人昂斯沃斯出門時，會把戒指設置爲震動。她解釋說：“這讓我可以在用餐時忽略手機，專心與同伴進行真正面對面的交談。”

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 and Net-A-Porter.

Kovert的戒指、手鐲和項鍊有鍍銀、鍍金和玫瑰金的不同版本，首飾中含有1英寸大小的防水智能陶瓷用於通訊。這個部分還能夠自由更換。該系列產品定價在290至360英鎊之間，可以在和奢侈品購物網站Net-A-Porter買到。

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.

Ringly的創始人是eBay資深員工克里斯蒂娜o梅爾肯多。在她找不到手機的事情被傳爲笑柄後，她創立了這家公司。Ringly的18克拉鍍金雞尾酒戒指鑲有貴重寶石和半寶石，內含通信技術包。擔任Ringly首席執行官的梅爾肯多表示：“我們第一批1,000枚戒指在24小時內就已售罄，讓我們成爲迄今爲止通過衆籌建立的最成功的女性可穿戴設備公司。”

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.

至於由知名設計師設計的智能服裝，目前在很大程度上仍處於起步階段。拉夫o勞倫以生物傳感襯衫Polo Tech率先邁入該領域，該襯衫於今年春天在美國網球公開賽上進行了試驗。襯衫中裝有壓縮的陀螺儀，能夠記錄心率和燃燒的卡路里，並通過藍牙傳輸到手機應用上，該技術是由加拿大廠商OMsignal利用專利技術開發的。

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.

這類產品將發展到什麼程度，目前還不好斷言，但可以肯定的是，它們將極富吸引力。畢竟，拉夫o勞倫懂得，美就是生產力。（財富中文網）