Whenever my husband and I manage to squeeze in a date night dinner, I have to be very conscious of my iPhone usage. He does not appreciate the lemme just check this one thing real quick business, not in the slightest.
I get it, though. Having my face washed in that blue light as I glance down at my Instagram feed instead of looking at him under the glow of candles can be annoying and rude. So, when I heard about the Ditto — a teeny, tiny wearable tech device that discreetly buzzes to notify you of smartphone alerts, kind of like a Ringly — I was definitely interested to check it out.
Related: 7 of the coolest new wearable fitness trackers
How it works is pretty simple: Slip Ditto into a pocket, clip it to a strap (ahem, bra?) or wear it on the included band like a watch. Then, connect it your iPhone or Android phone via Bluetooth and it lets you know with subtle buzzing vibrations when you have a smartphone notification. That could be whatever you’ve set in your preferences — emails, phone calls, texts, calendar alerts, and other apps like the Gram, FB Messenger, Snapchat, WhatsApp, and even Uber. (Even though Liz’s number one tech management tip is to turn off your notifications pretty much altogether.)
You can customize which alerts you want to buzzed about, as well as the number of vibrations to distinguish them. So, three buzzes for phone calls, one for texts and five for emails.
It runs on a lithium coin type battery, so conveniently, you don’t need to charge it. With normal usage (whatever that means), the Ditto’s battery is supposed to last 3 to 6 months.
Another neat feature about this wearable tech device is it will alert you if you’re about to leave your smartphone behind, like at the gym or restaurant. Plus, you can also use it as a silent morning alarm should you get up before your partner. Or the kids.
(Ha, as if.)
One thing to note: Ditto is a pretty stripped back affair. No fancy features, no display, no buttons, no LEDs, no ports, no step or fitness tracking, no pretty “I’m pretending to look like jewelry” design.
Basically, this is little number is ideal for the person who just wants a simple, discreet smartphone notifier so that you can stay checked-in on life as it’s happening, instead of steady checking your phone.
Ditto wearable tech device is available now for $39.95 on Simple Matters. The Ditto app is a free download on iTunes and Google Play. Thanks to the company for sending CMT a unit for review consideration.
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