Wearable Tech: Functional, but is it fashionable enough?

A sketch of Tory Burch’s Fitbit fitness tracker  announced at the CES show this week.

This week a the computer electronics show in Las Vegas a number of technology products were announced that are being branded as “wearable technology.”  The announcements includes news that Tory Burch will design products for FitBit , Opening Ceremony will design a smart wristwatch to be sold at Barneys New York  and Intel will begin working with CFDA.

There’s no doubt that technology makes us more productive and allows us to simplify routine tasks, but can technology be fashionable? That’s what firms like FitBit and technology behemoth Intel are literally banking on. “Through these initiatives we will combine Intel’s leading technologies with Opening Ceremony’s design prowess, Barneys New York’s track record to identify the next consumer trends, and CFDA’s commitment to advance innovation within the fashion industry” notes Ayse Ildeniz, vice president, Business Development and Strategy of Intel’s New Devices Group. “Our shared vision is to accelerate wearable technology innovation and create products that both enhance peoples’ lives and are desirable to wear.”  I’ll be really interested to see what these products look like.

A Tory Burch sketch of a design for a FitFab Fitness tracker that looks like an upscale “dongle.”

The Tory Burch FitBit products (due for Spring 2014) sounds promising and destined to be affordable.  The Fitbit fitness products that are in the market today are already reasonable priced with an iPhone case retailing for $45.00 and a fitness wristband selling for $99.00 on the brand’s website.

Nike’s now sold out Rose Gold fitness band.

I purchased a Nike Fuel Band for myself for Christmas with a “rose gold band” clasp.   This model of the Nike Fuel Band is now sold out at Nike online.  In my opinion, that’s because it’s one of the more attractive pieces of wearable technology I have seen on the market, but to be honest, I don’t consider it a fashion accessory.  It’s  a tech tool to help me reach my fitness goals, nothing more or less.

What do you think readers? Does wearable tech fit with your  newly made New Year’s fitness resolutions?