Mota SmartRing hits funding target

The Mota SmartRing, a device that crams the usual smartwatch notifications into a wearable small enough to sit on your finger, has hit its target funding on Indiegogo and should ship in April.

The slick looking ring, from the Californian company who also have a smartwatch range in the works and are working on a Google Glass rival, offers up notifications including texts, emails and social networks; at the moment Facebook and Twitter are on offer but we’re told if there’s enough support for the device LinkedIn, Uber and Instagram will be play nicely too.

The blue notification icons look pretty good on the press images, with unread message counts seemingly on offer too. Another nice touch is the VIP feature that lets you select only the people you want to see updates from.

As well as the visual notification, there are audio and vibration alerts and everything is controlled, as per usual, with a companion app – both iOS and Android versions will be available.

"Notification of incoming calls, texts and app information has become the single most important function of a mobile phone," said MOTA Co-Founder Kevin Faro.

"Users tell us they continually have to delve into different apps on their phones and are becoming swamped trying to keep up. The MOTA SmartRing gives wearers a super easy and very natural way to see who's trying to reach them anytime, anywhere."

That’s hardly unique, we know – but for those not convinced that a smartwatch is the ideal notifying companion, maybe a tech-savvy ring is the way forward.

Essential reading: 8 wearables that are more chic than geek

It’s not the first smart ring we’ve seen, however. Ringly is available to pre-order and the simply named Ring (due to launch next year) is, quite simply, a smart ring that aims to hook up every part of your life, gesture-controlling just about any gadget you own. Ring will also allow you to make instant payments and gives you a buzz with your notifications.

But, with a launch date of April 2015 penned for the Mota SmartRing, this latest entrant may have just stolen a march on any possible rivals. You can still back the campaign - it closes on 3 October. $75 gets you the ring with international postage costing $5 on top of that.

Be sure to check our weekly feature Crowdfund this for our pick of the best wearable tech seeking funding.