This time of year it seems like I’m humming that “Every Kiss Begins With Kay” commercial more often than Jingle Bells or Deck the Halls. Engagement rings, eternal love heart pendants, charm bracelets, diamond earrings… boring. Well folks, I’ve finally spied a piece of jewelry that I just can’t live without. May I introduce you to the Smarty Ring – a 13mm stainless steel ring that is bringing wearable smart technology to the jewelry world in a very stylish way.

 
This year we’ve seen the incept of smartwatches as a hot ticket Christmas item; it’s fairly new technology and it conforms to our ever-growing cultural need to make things to smaller, sleeker, more portable. Based on what we’ve observed in models like the Galaxy Gear and the Pebble though, they seem a little bulky on the wearer and for the most part, function only as a wearable gadget to enhance another portable gadget. Forgive me for not being over enthused about the concept. The Smarty Ring, however, delivers a slightly different set of skills wrapped in a much tinier, much sexier package. Luckily for me, a whole lot of other people felt the same way - production is officially a go after a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo raised nearly $300,000 – far more than its original $40,000 goal.

 
In addition to being small and stylish, the ring is made from allergy free, surgical quality stainless steel and is even waterproof. The real beauty in this little gem, though, is what it can do. Using Bluetooth LE technology packed into a built-in curved LED screen, the Smarty Ring can accept or reject calls, make outgoing calls to preset numbers, trigger your camera phone and control music. In addition to remotely controlling your phone, the Smarty Ring will notify you of calls, texts, alarms and emails, as well as deliver real time updates from Facebook, Twitter, Hangout and Skype. Probably the greatest perk of this mighty little band though is its tracking device. Whether you’re concerned about theft or, like me, just manage to leave everything you own all over this city and every other you travel to, the Smarty Ring’s got you covered. Not only will it alert your phone for you when you’ve lost it in a crowd, but the ring is set to beep any time you are out of a 30 meter range of the phone (this technology alone would have saved me roughly $900 over the last 3 years). Plus, they’ve made sure everyone could play - both Android and iOS devices will be compatible so long as they support Bluetooth 4.0.

 
It’s estimated that mobile users look at their phones every 6 minutes or so. If that’s true, the Smarty Ring will end up being more than just a handy gadget – it will save time and possibly even increase productivity with the decrease in the need to constantly “screen check”. As for battery life, you can look forward to 24 full hours of wear before having to charge up through your wireless induction pad.

 
While the Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign has closed, if you like it, there is still time to put a ring on it. Smarty Ring is offering various models through their website at the same discounted prices through December 30th, and creators estimate they will start shipping as early as April 2014.