Movado unveils smartwatches with Android Pay; Kerv launches contactless ring

Movado unveils smartwatches with Android Pay; Kerv launches contactless ring

Watchmaker Movado has partnered with Google on a collection powered by Android Wear 2.0 that will, among other things, let wearers make payments with a flick of their wrists.

Movado Connect, will launch in the Autumn with prices beginning at $495. It will feature five unique customizable dials including between three and four customizable elements. The timepieces will have access to thousands of apps, including Android Pay, as well as fitness tracking and the Google Assistant.

Separately, wearable payments startup Kerv has launched a contactless ring which links to a Mastercard prepaid account.

The ring, which costs £99.99, is scratch resistant and waterproof and does not need to be charged or to be paired with a smartphone. Users can make payments at millions of locations, including on London's transport network, and switch the ring on and off, manage funds and receive transaction alerts via SMS or email.

Philip Campbell, founder, Kerv, says: "Our aim was to develop a desirable wearable item, that does not obviously look like a piece of technology. We believe that the Kerv ring makes people’s lives easier - whether that is commuting to work on London underground, buying a coffee, or paying for a round of drinks."

Comments: (3)

A Finextra member
A Finextra member 09 March, 2017, 09:29Be the first to give this comment the thumbs up 0 likes

Both companies offer interesting solutions. Yet, one trick ponies have been around for years - it's not THAT hard to embed a chip with a single PREISSUED card into an object. True innovation comes from the ability to do dynamic remote issuance of multiple cards onto the same chip, and providing UI for managing all those cards. (A plug, obviously.)

A Finextra member
A Finextra member 09 March, 2017, 11:30Be the first to give this comment the thumbs up 0 likes

Like Apple already have?

A Finextra member
A Finextra member 09 March, 2017, 11:55Be the first to give this comment the thumbs up 0 likes

For cards - yes. But in various form factors.

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