MICA, n;

My Intelligent Communication Accessory; a smart cuff designed by Intel and Opening Ceremony as a high-fashion tech accessory for women. The tech and fashion brands combined to bring women an attractive solution to the clunky smartwatch market.

The MICA band doesn’t need to connect to a smartphone — it works via AT&T’s 3G network rather than Bluetooth — and runs on its own data. With it, you can respond to texts, email, and check Facebook and Google notifications. It will have a Google Now-esque feature that can ping reminders and information depending on the time and/or wearer’s location.

But beyond the power of the device (which is fairly low-tech, and just covers the basics), it’s the style that sets this wearable apart. Opening Ceremony, a growing global high-end fashion company, designed the jewel-embedded band; by starting with the looks rather than the functionality, they were able to create an attractive piece of jewelry that also happens to read text messages. On the inner wrist is a curved OLED screen which shows the content, so the band is fairly discreet, as far as wearables go.

The band will go on sale in the U.S. at Barney’s and Opening Ceremony stores next month for $495, which includes a 2-year data plan.