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Rufus Cuff: a gigantic smartwatch, or a mini wrist tablet?
Last summer during E3 Bethesda revealed a “real life” Pip-Boy accessory in honor of Fallout 4, faithfully recreating the iconic design from the popular game series. While the Pip-Boy is an epic quasi-futuristic piece of kit, can you imagine anyone wearing such a device in the “real world” (outside of series fans, that is)? Rufus Labs apparently can, judging by the looks and design of its upcoming Rufus Cuff.
Billed as a “wrist communicator”, the Rufus Cuff actually surfaced back in 2014 on Indiegogo, but is now up for pre-order for new customers with a price starting at $249. So what exactly does a wrist communicator do? Basically, it’s a mini-tablet that’s attached to your wrist.
The Rufus Cuff is powered by a TI Cortex A9 processor, has a front facing camera for selfies and video conferencing, a 1175 mAh battery, a 3.2-inch TFT display, and features both GPS and WiFi. Storage options include either 16, 32, or 64GB, and the software is based on Android KitKat. There’s no cellular support here, so you will need to tether the Cuff to your phone or keep it hooked to WiFi.
The big question is why anyone would want to wear this, and that’s a good question. The only thing I can come up with is that the Cuff is for those that want to stand out from the crowd. I mean, 3.2-inches isn’t exactly big and while having a device on your wrist means easy access to apps and games, getting this experience means you have to be okay with wearing such a bulky, likely heavy, device on your arm all day.
According to Rufus Lab’s CEO, Gabe Grifoni, they believe that having a device that isn’t “just a glorified notification center” will appeal to many in ways smartwatches don’t. Furthermore, he says “”This will replace the need for smartphones, wallets, watches, fitness trackers, everything.” A bold claim and one we doubt will come to pass.
What do you think, could you see yourself wearing such a device? Or would only a crazy person strap on such a massive device to their wrist? Share your thoughts in the comments.