The following article is brought to you by The Tech Info Group. -Ed
Everyone has those awkward years where they left their house wearing some obviously regrettable off-trend fashion. Now that the hipster culture is back in style, everything old is new again and some poor fashion decisions you made in your earlier years are now trending. For example, think about the old-fashion graphic pins you probably wore on your clothes, backpack, or wherever else that you could think of. Pins were a great way to easily express yourself and show the world what you liked without saying a single word. Now, thanks to our vintage culture, these cute little buttons are back to being stylish again.
There is a company in Stockholm, Sweden, that is taking the classic wear-ability of a basic pin, and hoping to give it a makeover for the digital age. This Kickstarter company, Pins Collective, has some high hopes for their new Smart Pin. Digital devices that can be worn on the body are surfacing on the market, such as the Apple watch. However, even Apple has had a difficult time making tech wearable’s popular. Mostly business professionals and tech companies like TTIG are the ones benefiting from current wearable technology. Pins Collective hopes to engage a larger spectrum of individuals. They are relying heavily on nostalgic appeal in hopes that individuals will choose to fund their product.
The smart pin will look very similar to non-digital pins, but of course it will go far beyond what any plastic pin could ever do. On the front of the pin where the picture would normally be, there will be a small LCD screen that will display your chosen icons. After a sync with your smart phone, you will able to choose exactly which image that you want to project to the world via your smart pin. Additionally, you can also choose to turn your smart pin in an animated GIF pin. Sadly, the smart pin is not projected to be thoroughly waterproof. It will also need to be charged through a micro-USB cord. The smart pin will hold a charge for about 74 hours, but GIFs will drain the battery in about 2.5 short hours.
In order for the smart pin to become a reality, the company is asking potential backers to donate the relatively small amount of $75,000 towards the project. The smart pin is projected to cost $99, but backers will be able to pick one up for $49.