Although it’s built targeting sports and fitness enthusiasts in mind (because you can’t really look at your phone in the middle of training), the ArcX is perfect for anyone who wants a hands-free smartphone experience. (31% off). If you’re in your 40s, you remember a time when you had to physically walk to the television to change the channel. There was a massive rotary knob on the side of the screen and you would need to manually turn it to flip to another channel. Obviously, the infrared remote control came soon after, and made life much easier. You could change channels, increase/decrease volume, and even switch your TV on or off from your couch or the other end of the room. The television suddenly had a new, hands-free (ish) experience… and it seems like the smartphone is getting there too. There are a whole bunch of scenarios where you really can’t physically take your phone out to use it. Maybe you’re jogging, trekking, in the middle of a workout, or maybe you’re skateboarding, cycling, or doing something that requires attention… or just something as simple as the fact that you don’t really have your phone near you (perhaps it’s on a table 6 feet away). These are niche situations, yet they occur often enough on a daily/weekly basis, warranting the need for a product. A product like the ArcX, a finger-worn remote control that lets you easily perform quick tasks on your phone without needing to take your phone out of your pocket or even have it in your hand. The finger-worn remote weighs 8 grams (0.3oz) and has a single joystick-style interface that lets you play/pause music, skip tracks, answer/reject calls, trigger your camera shutter, start/stop your phone’s stopwatch, and even trigger an SOS emergency call if you’re in trouble. Although the ArcX is purpose-built for sports, it has a bunch of applications in daily commuting, photography, workplace productivity, music-playback, and just general safety. The ArcX is a micro-joystick built into a waterproof and shockproof ring-shaped housing. Wear it on your finger, and it’s within reach of your thumb, giving you an experience you should find very familiar if you’ve used Blackberry smartphones in the past. The joystick provides an incredibly tactile and intuitive experience, and you can control it without needing to look at a screen, allowing you to go about your work un-distracted and unencumbered by displays and pixels galore. In fact, it’s sort of everything your smartphone isn’t. It’s rugged and durable, it comfortably sits on your finger and won’t fall or slip off, it’s IP67 waterproof, and it works independently of the visual sense (you don’t need to look at it). This makes the ArcX absolutely ideal for when you’re working out, training, cycling/biking, surfing, and even when you’ve got sweaty hands or gloves on (because there’s no capacitive touchscreen to worry about). The ArcX sports an internal battery that gives you 5-days of usage (or 20 days of standby), comes with 4 ring sizes designed with a stretchable fit, and even has its own USB-C charger for juicing it up. The ring connects to your phone via Bluetooth Low Energy (or BLE for short), working instantly out of the box with near-zero latency allowing you to access its core features (music control, call-answer/reject, selfie-trigger, and stopwatch). For a more custom/unique experience, the ArcX even comes with an app that lets you choose how its controls function – you could basically use it as a remote for anything, from a presentation running on your laptop to Netflix on your iPad, to your VR headset, your drone, even your electric car (basically anything your car’s phone-app could do), or to travel full circle, you could even control your television with it! Designer: Paul Blair (31% off).