Misfit, the maker of “connected” products including smart home items and its flagship wearable device, the Misfit Shine, has today teamed up with Swarovski to introduce a new product line focused on bringing a more fashion-forward sense to its wearables collection. The Swarovski Shine Collection, as it’s called, combines Swarovski’s crystal jewelry and Misfit’s activity and sleep tracking technology in two new wearable products and nine accessories, jointly designed by both companies.
Notably, one of the two wearables is also solar-powered – a first for Misfit, and for activity/sleep trackers in general.
Both wearables are waterproof – one of them being a clear Swarovski Shine with a crystal face, and the second, a violet Swarovski Shine that uses a patented technology that allows the device to power itself without the need for batteries. Previously, all of Misfit’s small, round Shine devices came with a small tool that allowed you to fairly easily pop open the back and swap out the included battery that powers the wearable device, which could be worn as a wristwatch, necklace, or attached via a magnetic clip to your clothing.
But often when the batteries die, the hassle of having to remember to order more, then taking the time to replace them, is just inconvenient enough that the wearable gets shoved in a drawer, and eventually, forgotten. The violet Swarovski Shine could change that pattern of behavior, as the only thing required to keep it charged is exposure to sunlight – not too difficult if you wear it throughout your day, or take it with you on runs, for example. LEDs or halogen lighting will also charge the device, the company says.
As with the other Shine devices, the new line-up includes a number of accessories that turn the fitness tracker into attractive jewelry, including pendants, bands, and bracelets. And it includes the ability to sync with the Misfit mobile applications to record your activity, sleep and food/weight logging.
The new Shines can also function as a watch by checking the halo of lights that glow through the Swarovski Shine face. However, experience with my previous Shine devices found that using them as watches was a bit cumbersome – sometimes I’d tap them to view the lights, but they wouldn’t respond. It ended up being easier to just pull out my smartphone.
The Swarovski Shine devices and accessories will be available for purchase this February on Misfit’s website, Swarovski.com, and in various retail locations in the U.S., Hong Kong and China. The items will be sold in three sets that include two accessories each, ranging from $169.99 to $249.99. The accessories individually range from $69 to $149. You can pre-order them now online for March shipping.
The Misfit Shine, despite its quirks, has always been one of my favorite wearables simply because it’s something that I’d actually wear. It looked like more like jewelry – especially when clipped on to a label or worn around the neck – not some bulky, plastic sportswatch. The Swarovski Shine now brings the product line even more upscale, with the option to buy a wearable that goes with even your dressier outfits or work attire.
The company tells us that it’s now in 51 countries and over 21,000 stores worldwide in a little over a year on the market. It shipped over a million units in Q4, though declined to provide totals to date in terms of shipments or revenue. In more recent weeks, Misfit has been expanding beyond “wearables” – even dropping the word from its company name – as it expanded into smart home products, like its Beddit sleep monitor. This trend will continue in 2015, as the company says now it’s focused on introducing the “most compelling use cases for the body and home.”