Wave for Work is a brand-new product that integrates Genki’s Wave Smart Ring into business applications, creating a very convenient and small remote control for Zoom and other business applications.
Due to COVID-19 people have been turning their homes into remote offices. Even with vaccines being administered on a scale that could not be imagined only a few months ago, people aren’t going to be returning to their offices 100 percent of the time. COVID-19 has transformed the way we work.
Check out these other reviews from Jay Basen
Working remotely has turned Zoom into a new verb – just like Kleenex and Xerox. And, with “Zoom fatigue,” anything that can make video meetings easier is very welcome.
Genki Wave Smart Ring Basics
The Genki Wave Smart Ring uses a Velcro strap for adjustment, fits on the side of your index finger, and is controlled by your thumb. It has three buttons (upper, lower, and center), a built-in accelerometer to sense gestures, and a small LED display.
The Wave for Work application is loaded onto your Windows 10 or macOS computer. Using the application, you can connect the Wave Smart Ring to the computer using Bluetooth. With the ring connected, you can then choose to control:
- Video Calls including Zoom and Teams
- Presentations including PowerPoint and Keynote
- Music including Spotify, iTunes Music, and YouTube
- Custom – allows you to define three different keyboard shortcuts to work with any application.
Genki has preprogrammed the operation of the buttons on the ring for these applications with some of the most common actions that a user would want to take.
Video Calls
- Top Button – Raise Hand
- Middle Button – Toggles the Microphone On/Off (Mute)
- Lower Button – Toggles the Camera on/off
- Middle Button Held – Push to talk
Presentations
- Top Button – Start Slideshow
- Middle Button – Next Slide
- Lower Button – Previous Slide
- Middle Button Held – Rotate your hand to raise/lower the volume of your computer
Music
- Top Button – Previous Song
- Middle Button – Play/Pause
- Lower Button – Next Song
- Middle Button Held – Rotate your hand to raise/lower the volume of your computer
In addition, Genki Wave for Work provides the ability to customize what each button does for each application. For example, during video calls any button can be assigned to raise hand, mute toggle, camera on/off toggle, or to deliver a keyboard shortcut. The middle button can either be held for push to talk or to be held to adjust the computer volume when the user rotates their hand
Finally, Genki provides a custom mode where all three buttons can be assigned keyboard shortcuts to provide control of any computer application the user wants to use the ring with. In custom mode, holding down the center button and rotating your hand still controls the computer volume.
Hands on with the Wave for Work
Wave for Work comes packaged in a convenient, padded, soft storage case. Inside the case are the Wave Smart Ring, a USB charging cable, and piece of cardboard holding the charging cable with a QR code that can be scanned to access the quick start instructions for the Wave for Work. Also printed on the cardboard is the web address to access the instructions for those that don’t want to view them on their smart phone or tablet.
The next step is to charge the Wave Smart Ring. Charging only takes about 90 minutes and is estimated to provide a full eight hours of use. A quick 20- minute charge will provide about two hours of use.
The instructions say to use the Velcro adjustment to fit the ring to your right index finger. However, for people who are left-handed, the operation of the Wave Smart Ring can be changed for them with a simple change in the settings of the Wave for Work application.
Connecting the Wave Smart Ring to your computer is very easy. Simply start the application, press the center button on the ring to turn it on, wait until the word “Wave” changes from gray to black in the application, and click the connect button in the application. With the “Auto-connect to this device” checkbox in the application checked, the application will automatically connect to the Wave Smart Ring the next time the application is started up and the ring turned on.
Operation of the buttons on the ring with your thumb is very easy as is adjusting the volume of your computer by holding down the center button on the ring and twisting your wrist to rotate the ring. As you do this, the volume level will be displayed as a bar graph on the ring’s built-in display.
I used the Wave Smart Ring for with all four modes in the application and they worked flawlessly. I was impressed with the speed of the operation. There was no noticeable delay between pressing a button and the action being taken on the computer. This was especially evident when adjusting the volume of the computer by holding down the center button and rotating the ring.
A Wish for Smart Home Integration
While Wave for Work is a useful tool in a business situation, I think it could be a great asset in a smart home. How many people have been watching a movie at home, trying to create the experience of a darkened theater? Then they decide they either want to get a snack in the kitchen or need to use the rest room and fumble through trying to find the remote control in the dark; possibly dropping it on the floor. The Wave Smart Ring coupled with a small hub that would bridge the ring’s Bluetooth connectivity with a smart home processor/hub would be the perfect solution. One button could toggle play/pause, another button could trigger a light scene on/off and holding the center button on the ring and rotating it would adjust the volume.
I’ve offered this suggestion to the folks at Genki, so I’m hopeful that they will expand the market for the Wave Smart Ring into smart homes.
Other Areas for Improving Wave for Work
After using Wave for Work, the only other wish for improvement I have is that it worked with more platforms. I prefer to use my iPad for Zoom calls, leaving my laptop free for work during the call. Porting the Wave for Work application to iOS, as well as Android, would be useful for many people besides myself. It is my understanding that Genki is working on iOS integration, so one of my wishes may be fulfilled in the, hopefully, not too distant future.
I also wish that the ability to control the volume of music, select next / previous songs, etc. would work with today’s smart speakers from Amazon and Google. It would be a much more convenient way of controlling these devices than yelling at them across the room.
Conclusions About Wave for Work
Wave for Work is a very useful product for both working at home and in an office setting. Even if all you like to do is to listen to music on your computer while you work, being able to adjust the volume of the music and skip songs without having to jump back and forth between applications, losing your train of thought, is really convenient.
And, being able to use the Wave Smart Ring as a home theater remote would really make it a winner in smart homes.
