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Cuff Launches Wearables That Look More Like Jewelry

A heck of a lot nicer looking than many other smart wearable devices -- but not all that smart.

A new company called Cuff is now taking preorders for a line of nine different metal and leather bracelets that contain a small device that can be used for simple messaging.

They are a heck of a lot nicer looking than many other smart wearable devices.

The leather bands cost $35 and big metal cuffs $125, with the idea that people may buy more than one version so they can wear the inserted Bluetooth “CuffLinc” device every day, all day.

But the Cuff bracelets are not all that smart — at the moment, they can only be used for security. A long press on the little black insert sends an SOS message to designated contacts. A double tap lets people know you just want to get in touch.

“Why choose between smart and beautiful?” is Cuff founder Deepa Sood’s question. “There’s a hunger to see wearable tech that doesn’t look one way, that gives people choices,” she told Re/code.

Sood, formerly VP of product development at Restoration Hardware, is creating Cuff with her husband Sandeep Sood, who leads a software development shop that creates apps for products like the Basis fitness watch. The company has raised $400,000 from Tandem Capital.

Deepa Sood said they hope to add later features to the existing hardware, including activity and sleep tracking and the ability for wearers to make their own phones ring if they are on a bad first date.

This article originally appeared on Recode.net.

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