Will.i.am isn’t giving up on making tech, despite a decidedly lukewarm reception to his existing products, including the recently announced Puls smartwatch-style cuff. The musician announced he will be collaborating with Gucci Timepieces to make a new standalone smartband, that doesn’t need a smartphone to operate.
In a statement, Will.i.am said the they will be developing, “a device that’s both fashionable and technologically advanced,” and added that it will be “something unique in the marketplace.” What will it do? Apparently, we can expect it to make and receive calls, send messages, store music, run an email app, and act as a fitness tracker.
If all that sounds familiar, it’s because Will’s Puls cuff has the same spec sheet, but not the Gucci Timepiece branding. Whether it’ll turn out to be a different device, or a rebranded, flashier Puls remains to be seen. Prior to the announcement, Will.i.am tweeted that he was “Just minutes from announcing the most exciting thing in my life.”
Perhaps fittingly, it was Vogue magazine that was given the exclusive, but sadly, the report doesn’t provide much technical detail. According to CNet, the smartband wasn’t officially shown at the launch event, but both Will.i.am and Gucci CEO Marco Bizarre wore prototypes. The teaser picture released to commemorate the deal shows how the smart band will probably look after being treated to a Gucci makeover before release.
The all-important price and release date have yet to be confirmed, but we’ll update here when more information is made available.