It’s not often that we have trouble explaining something, we deal with such a diverse amount of technology that whatever comes along, we feel we have a good grasp on the concept.
Not so with Canadian based Mighty Cast’s new offering. The company has released an SDK and API for its new NEX Band, what it is calling a “modular wearable.” The
NEX Band uses interchangeable “Mods,” up to five at a time on one band, to provide social, gaming and mobile notifications.
It seems like its kind of like a smartwatch, kind of like a mood ring, kind of Star Trekky…really its just different so we are going to tell you what we’ve been told by Mighty Cast here in their announcement and follow up with an interview with Adam Adelman, CEO and co-founder to find out in his words what the new wearable represents.
The NEX Band employs Mighty Cast’s proprietary base (the band) and token (the Mods) technology to connect physical, collectible objects to the cloud. Developers will be able to create their own applications for existing Mods, or deeper applications and stylized Mods of their own. This will allow developers to monetize their own physical and virtual components.
In The NEX Band, each Mod represents a related game, social channel or other mobile application that can, once snapped onto the band, send notifications to the band’s wearer. Applications can include customized notifications, messaging, proximity detection and Mod tracking. Mods can also be swapped with other NEX Band users to unlock new experiences. This is especially useful for game developers interested in creating collectible Mods which can act as different characters, weapons or upgrades – ostensibly creating a game console on the wrist. All Mod IDs are managed in the cloud, creating a dynamic and ever-changing experience with real-time analytics.
“Because The NEX Band is modular, it gives, power to the consumer to customize their user experiences on the inside and their styles on the outside; all the while protecting against obsolescence,” said Adam Adelman, CEO and co-founder of Mighty Cast. “The technology we’ve created is also extensible to other form factors outside of wearables such as toys or the connected home. This provides virtual brands an opportunity to offer a dynamic physical component – something viral, shareable, traceable, discoverable and secure.”
Developers can sign up for the program
here.