It's no surprise CES 2024 is awash with exciting wearable developments, given the rapid developments in the technology over the last few years. Some of the best smart rings, in particular, are growing in popularity rapidly, but there's a pretty significant void in the market: women.
As a woman, it's not really a surprise to me anymore. Life in general involves a fair amount of making-do, but especially as a tech nerd and journalist I've gotten used to products that might not have my lifestyle and needs front of mind. It's fine, we only form half of the earth's population.
So, you can imagine my excitement when I heard about Evie, a new smart ring from Movano ready to take on the likes of Oura, specifically targeting women with everything from its companion software to its design. During CES Unveiled, I had the opportunity to speak with Stacy Salvi, VP of product and strategy at Movano Health about the product, as well as quickly try out the ring and app - and I'm completely obsessed.
Down with the pat-ring-archy
When I first heard about Evie, I had some doubts. I've been burned before by "women-first" tech products essentially boiling down to slimmer form factors and girly colorways; welcome variations, yes, but not changes designed specifically to accommodate women's lifestyles.
I was delighted, then, to learn there was much, much more to Evie. Blending female-specific data interpretation, AI-based trend analysis, and a clever band design that accommodates women's fluctuating ring size throughout the month on account of hormonal changes and other variables, the Movano team has covered a lot of bases with Evie.
The Evie band is lightweight with an anti-scratch finish, featuring a simple, elegant open design that closes at the front of the finger. Silva explains; "we made the design open, and it's slightly flexible because we know that women's bodies – and bodies in general – can fluctuate throughout the day and also the course of the month."
In addition to standard features like an accelerometer to track steps and active minutes, it uses medical-grade sensors to measure vital signs to offer sleep, blood oxygen, and heart health tracking. The data collected is presented in the Evie app, which features a daily summary that aggregates activity into one simple, easily digestible view and helps women understand their progress towards pre-set goals like sleep and activity.
"We enable the user to set her own goals, so we're not buying into things like the 10,000 steps a day – we want to meet her where she is, fundamentally," says Silva, explaining the daily summary aims to celebrate all aspects of progress. "Maybe I didn't hit my sleep goal, but I still took that mindful minute; that's still celebrated."
You can also run a Spot Check to see your pulse rate and blood oxygen levels, and also log your mood, any menstrual symptoms, and more to keep track of your health all month long.
The insights don't end there; the Movano team leveraged the latest research and studies surrounding women's health and hormones, creating a custom AI engine to identify patterns in the health data to guide women toward a healthier, happier lifestyle. "The AI insights engine blends the log, menstrual cycle, mood, and energy data with step, activity and heart health and provides timely and meaningful insights to women," Silva explains. "For example, if [the wearer] gets more steps than average and tends to log a more positive mood, we'll point that out, which is really motivating."
Evie's portable charging case can recharge the ring up to 10 times on one charge, and the Ring itself lasts up to four days, meaning you could go for over a month without recharging the case.
There's more to come, too; new features currently in the development pipeline include enhanced health insights, a health report, and automatic activity detection that can identify when a user begins running, walking, or biking without needing to log the information in the Evie app.
After a slightly delayed road to release, Evie now has a confirmed release date later in January 2024 in the US. The Evie Ring costs $269, and is available in three gorgeous colorways; gold, rose gold, and silver in sizes 5-12. It has no subscription fees and is eligible for HSA/FSA fund reimbursement. As of writing, support is limited to iOS, though presently doesn't integrate with Apple Health, and Android support is planned for Q2 2024.
Check out our CES 2024 hub for all the latest news from the show as it happens. We'll be covering everything from 8K TVs and foldable displays to new phones, laptops, smart home gadgets, and the latest in AI, so stick with us for the big stories.
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