Lycos debuts smart band and ring, disrupting legacy as ’90s search relic
The one-time Internet legend is back with wearable tech. We're as surprised as you are
Remember Lycos? The long-since-faded search juggernaut hasn’t been newsworthy in years, at least since Google took over the industry. In fact, our only coverage of Lycos on Stuff prior to this week was a single mention in a feature about World Wide Web milestones. But now Lycos is back.
And it’s making… wearable tech? Believe it. After a bewildering tease earlier this week, Lycos has unveiled its first physical products: the Life Band and the Life Ring, both of which will be available for purchase in just a few short days.
The Lycos Life Band is a buttonless wristband that offers fitness tracking, a “personal security manager,” and “Tap2Transfer capabilities,” although it’s not entirely clear what those last two features entail. The Verge adds that it’s water resistant and has 10-14 day battery life. It’s listed at US$124.99 (about £80).
Meanwhile, the Lycos Life Ring sells for US$59.99 (nearly £40) and doesn’t use a battery, although it still promises the security and transfer functions. Both devices sync to an Android app for functionality, and The Verge says it’s also coming to iOS at some point, albeit with fewer features due to a lack of access to NFC.
Along with minimal info on both comes some rough photography: the band in particular looks like an unpolished prototype, while the ring just appars to be a simple silver ring with a black exterior. Neither really shows off the tech or indicates why you’d pay upwards of US$125 for a Lycos-branded device.
Hopefully we’ll find out more on that front very soon, especially with both wearable options set to release on 8 June in an array of colour options. At least there’s a philanthropic cause driving these devices: Lycos’ will donate 5% of sales to its Life Project, providing free water and air quality sensors to families that need them.
[Source: Lycos Life via The Verge]
Andrew Hayward
Freelance Writer