iBangle: Total Cool or Total Crap?

Will this 80's fashion-inspired iPod model ever see the light of day?

iPod designs have come a long way since the original made its debut seven years ago. Through hardware enhancements, they've morphed into sleeker, sexier music players and incorporated other slick features into their ongoing evolution. They're highly fashionable, but are iPods considered a fashion accessory themselves? They may be in the future. Meet the iBangle.

An unusual concept formulated by Indian designer Gopinath Prasan, the iBangle is a prototype iPod device that combines 80s fashion - hey, the 80s are still making a comeback - with the portability and function of the iPod shuffle. The futuristic, aluminum bracelet packs the audio punch and the style needed to get you through the day. To keep it stabilized on your arm, a single button press inflates a blue lining to make it nice and snug. Though there's no screen, a voice interface tells you what tracks you're highlighting, and a touch-sensitive pad is used for song selection and navigation. The iBangle does away with plug-in headphones, opting for wireless blue-tooth audio transmission.

As it was pointed out to me, bangles are typically worn in stacks. While the cost of procuring two armfuls of the devices would likely be too prohibitive, it's feasible any number of peripheral fashion accessories could be launched with it. Presumably, the iBangle would come in an array of bright colors to match a variety of outfits, and sets of non-audio emitting bangles could be released to match. The possibilities are limitless...and ridiculous.

The device has yet to progress beyond the concept design phase, but it might. Should it come to fruition, would you buy one? What do you think? Is the iBangle the wave of the future or a tsunami of bad taste?

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The 80's fashions?

bwahaahaahahahahhahahahahaahhah

No. Dear God, No. Otherwise you'd have to have Deely Boppers as aerials.

I would prolly wear it, although I confess to confusion over the necessity for it to be snugly fitted to your arm via inflated blue lining. They need to rethink that, I don't like the idea of wearing an inner tube on my arm. But as a really fancy watch.... I dig.

None of the links lead to anything that convinces me this isn't a hoax. The only link that leads out of the Escapist is the story about the original iPod. Working citations, please?

Personally, I think that's a fantastic idea.

I don't care about the fashion stuff.

Generally, the only time I use an iPod is when I work out, and I hate having to strap my nano around my arm to run with it. (In fact, I hate the Nano period cause it doesn't hold all the music I want it to hold.) With this bracelet I could just slap that on, inflate the blue thing to keep it from rolling around and go to town!

I think that's pretty cool actually. Very 80's future-tech, if you understand what I'm saying (probably not ;/) Wouldn't mind seeing such a thing released. It'd probably be harder to pickpocket, though a tad more obvious for muggers who force you to give up your stuff.

well that looks cool, it looks like it will break like a toothpick

Just more iCrap I won't touch. Beyond my aversion to trendwhorish junk and an innate resistance to following what others deem fashionable, I cannot fathom paying the absurd iPrice for Apple branded garbage.

That is Awesome!! lol i want one and i want it now
I just ordered the latest iPod thingamajig but i might wait for this now

Brilliant, they may as well call it the iMugged.

fix-the-spade:
Brilliant, they may as well call it the iMugged.

Really? I thought it might be harder to get mugged with something like this - at least the kind of mugging where they just run by and grab. I don't consider it fashion as much as just an easier way to keep track of your iPod.

fix-the-spade:
Brilliant, they may as well call it the iMugged.

Perhaps the iBling?

ckeymel:
Really? I thought it might be harder to get mugged with something like this - at least the kind of mugging where they just run by and grab. I don't consider it fashion as much as just an easier way to keep track of your iPod.

It'll be on the victims wrist> Dead easy to spot. At least current iPods are usually hidden so the potential mugger has to decide first whether you have an iPod or a £10 CD player.

It'll be on the victims wrist> Dead easy to nick. The method of getting something off someone's arm is Grab wrist: Pull hard. Works a treat on shop lifters, so on the kind of people that would buy this (fashion obsessed young dudes and girls I assume) it'll probably be even easier.
I doubt a mugger will have as much concern for their victim's safety as me either.

fix-the-spade:

It'll be on the victims wrist> Dead easy to spot. At least current iPods are usually hidden so the potential mugger has to decide first whether you have an iPod or a £10 CD player.

It'll be on the victims wrist> Dead easy to nick. The method of getting something off someone's arm is Grab wrist: Pull hard. Works a treat on shop lifters, so on the kind of people that would buy this (fashion obsessed young dudes and girls I assume) it'll probably be even easier.
I doubt a mugger will have as much concern for their victim's safety as me either.

Damn my country upbringing! Point taken.

neat idea. Hope they make it shock proof...They should make it voice activated too then can look all sci-fi-like talking into your wrist reciever...perhaps not

That's a pretty sick little device they've got there. Apple is crazy. It could be good, I suppose.

Cousin_IT:
neat idea. Hope they make it shock proof...They should make it voice activated too then can look all sci-fi-like talking into your wrist reciever...perhaps not

I think that'd be an ace idea

The_root_of_all_evil:

fix-the-spade:
Brilliant, they may as well call it the iMugged.

Perhaps the iBling?

That passes for correct English round here. How about the iBlingmugged.
Sounds like something every chav in Europe could say with a dead straight face. I'm pretty sure the ones round here splutter it on a daily basis.

It quite a nice design, but I don't think it's really practical enough to see production.

Unless it projects holograms into the air for both the media player and 2 way holographic phone calls, its just not cool enough to carry off the 'bangle' look.

How about iKnife? For the intercity folks ;)

Yeah next we'll have the iCockring. Listen to your favorite tunes while maintaining massive hard-ons!

links fixed.

I want it.

I'm not normally a bangle person (or an iPod person, for that matter) but that looks cool. I want one.

I bet this will also reset itself every 30 minutes.

I'll buy one when they make a type that lets you shoot energybeams from your hands.