Skip to main content

Social media on your wrist: Hicon is a bracelet that makes social networking wearable

Hicon social bracelet
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Your social media interactions aren’t meant to be confined to your pocket or desktop – they’re meant to be worn on your wrist for all the world to see and, potentially, interact with. That’s the thrust of the Hicon, a unique bracelet with small, colorful buttons linked to your social media accounts. In other words, it’s wearable social media.

The Hicon dubs itself “The Social Bangle,” and that pretty much sums it up: It’s a waterproof silicone bracelet that’s spotted with six interchangeable buttons for your social media accounts, including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn and WhatsApp. When you receive a smartphone alert for one of your social networks, the corresponding button on the Hicon lights up and vibrates. Wearers can dismiss the notification with a shake of their wrist.

The social bracelet is also meant to encourage wearers to enhance their real-world social interactions. For instance, when a wearer with similar interests (as indicated in the mobile app) is nearby, the Hicon will light up and act as a not-so-discreet wingman. Wearers can also add contacts to their smartphone or exchange social media profiles by giving another wearer a high-five, handshake or fist bump.

The Hicon uses Bluetooth 4.0 LE to stay connected with your smartphone, and the app is compatible with Android and iOS devices. The bracelet’s battery lasts about 14 days on a full charge and takes 40 minutes to charge via a USB connection to a laptop, according to the developers.

Currently, the Hicon is available in six colors: dark, light, Placid Blu, Violet Tulip, Freesia and Celosia Orange. Supporters of its Indiegogo campaign have access to a limited-edition Hemlock version.

The crowdfunding campaign has raised about $2,100 from 43 backers since its launch on June 20. The campaign will close on Aug. 20. The Hicon is scheduled to be mass produced and shipped in October or November of this year.

Editors' Recommendations

Jason Hahn
Jason Hahn is a part-time freelance writer based in New Jersey. He earned his master's degree in journalism at Northwestern…
The U.S. will now check social media accounts before approving visas
senate hearing terrorism and social media extremist content january 2018 ios reading list header

Social media profiles will now be part of the vetting process for an estimated 15 million U.S. visa applications. After requiring social media profiles for only select applicants, social media usernames will now be required for nearly every visa applicant, the Associated Press reported.

The updated visa application now requires most applicants to provide their social media usernames, along with their previous email addresses and phone numbers from the past five years to use in the vetting process. The updated application is for both immigrant and nonimmigrant visas and recently came into effect after the change was proposed in March. Certain types of visas, including some diplomatic visas, do not require the information.

Read more
How to create multiple profiles on a Facebook account
A series of social media app icons on a colorful smartphone screen.

Facebook (and, by extension, Meta) are particular in the way that they allow users to create accounts and interact with their platform. Being the opposite of the typical anonymous service, Facebook sticks to the rule of one account per one person. However, Facebook allows its users to create multiple profiles that are all linked to one main Facebook account.

In much the same way as Japanese philosophy tells us we have three faces — one to show the world, one to show family, and one to show no one but ourselves — these profiles allow us to put a different 'face' out to different aspects or hobbies. One profile can keep tabs on your friends, while another goes hardcore into networking and selling tech on Facebook Marketplace.

Read more
How to set your Facebook Feed to show most recent posts
A smartphone with the Facebook app icon on it all on a white marble background.

Facebook's Feed is designed to recommend content you'd most likely want to see, and it's based on your Facebook activity, your connections, and the level of engagement a given post receives.

But sometimes you just want to see the latest Facebook posts. If that's you, it's important to know that you're not just stuck with Facebook's Feed algorithm. Sorting your Facebook Feed to show the most recent posts is a simple process:

Read more