Less is more has reigned supreme as the tech industry’s design aesthetic, especially when it comes to gadgets and gizmos that seem to get progressively smaller and thinner. But breaking with tradition is Rufus Labs, which is actively embracing a very different motto — bigger is better. At least, that would appear to be the case with the company’s flagship product, the Rufus Cuff, which has a 3.2-inch screen that takes up most of your forearm’s real estate. The company, which first launched an Indiegogo campaign for its product in 2014, is now finally up for pre-order, starting at $249. So if you want to own a giant wearable, now’s your chance.
Branded as a tablet for your wrist (because really, you can’t call this an enormous smartwatch), the Rufus Cuff claims that it “ends the era of the watch and ushers in the Wrist Computer.” You can send emails, texts, play games, surf the Internet, watch a movie, play music, or do any number of activities that you could do with a smartphone or Wi-Fi-enabled device. And thanks to its speaker, front-facing camera, and dual microphones, you can also make voice and video calls on the Cuff.
But best of all, perhaps, is the fact that the Rufus Cuff is water resistant, which means that yes, you can check texts in the rain. All I’ve ever wanted.
To customize this behemoth of a wearable, Rufus Labs is offering you “swappable bands in a variety of colors and band styles, including the sport band (“designed with industrial grade velcro”) and the Exo (“a ruggedized protective case [that makes] your Rufus Cuff dust, water, and shock-proof”).
“It’s not just a glorified notification center, we eventually see everyone ditching their phones,” Gabe Grifoni, Rufus Cuff’s CEO and co-founder, told USA Today. “This will replace the need for smartphones, wallets, watches, fitness trackers, everything.” And for the people who have helped raise over $750,000 to bring the Cuff to fruition, that may be true. The wearable tablets will start shipping in early 2016, and there certainly are at least a few eager patrons awaiting their latest toy.
So if regular watches, smart or not, just look too small on you, consider the Rufus Cuff. You’ll never have to squint again.