Intel takes on the Apple watch: Chip giant unveils $495 gold and snakeskin smart band aimed at women - and you don't have to carry a phone as well

• e-mail

Intel has unveiled its answer to the Apple Watch - and says it doesn't requite wearers to also carry a mobile phone.

Developed with fashion brand Opening Ceremony, the snakeskin bracelet is called My Intelligent Communication Accessory, or MICA.

It will connect the wearer with Facebook, Google and Yelp via an AT&T data plan without having to carry a smartphone.

Scroll down for video 

As well as lapis stones, obsidian and an 18k gold coating, the devices include a sapphire curved screen on the inside of the wrist that displays text messages, calendar items and events from Google and Facebook, and recommendations of nearby restaurants and stores from Yelp.

'We really approached this first and foremost about why would a woman want to wear this everyday, and how can it be incorporated into her wardrobe,' Humberto Leon, creative director at Opening Ceremony, said in a phone interview last week.

As well as lapis stones, obsidian and an 18k gold coating, the devices include a sapphire curved screen on the inside of the wrist that displays text messages, calendar items and events from Google and Facebook, and recommendations of nearby restaurants and stores from Yelp.

After Intel was late to smartphones and tablets in recent years, Chief Executive Brian Krzanich has been determined to make sure the top chipmaker is at the forefront of future trends in mobile computing.

Krzanich gave the green light for the chipmaker to develop the bracelet with Opening Ceremony after his wife wore a prototype for several days and liked it, he recently said.

The feminine communications accessory will be available by early December in the United States and will retail exclusively at Opening Ceremony New York and Los Angeles, select Barneys New York locations, and online at Openingceremony.us and Barneys.com.

'Our pioneering collaboration with Opening Ceremony and the introduction of this category-defining smart jewelry piece advances wearable technology as a distinctively stylish accessory that places importance on both aesthetics and functionality,' said Ayse Ildeniz of Intel . 

'MICA captures Intel's philosophy that technology should enhance jewelry in order to make wearable technology truly 'wantable,' in addition to seamless and productive.' 

The feminine communications accessory will be available by early December in the United States and will retail exclusively at Opening Ceremony New York and Los Angeles, select Barneys New York locations, and online at Openingceremony.us and Barneys.com.

The clasp hides a USB port to recharge the device, which can run  for two days on a single charge.

One style features black water snake skin, pearls from China and lapis stones from Madagascar, while the other style features white water snake skin, tiger's eye from South Africa and obsidian from Russia.

'MICA acts as an extension of a customer's smartphone, for those times when it's not convenient to carry with you,' said Chris Penrose, senior vice president, Internet of Things, AT&T. 

'It allows customers to receive texts and email notifications so that they can stay connected, while still wearing a fashionable jewelry piece to almost any occasion.'

Incoming alerts discreetly vibrate the bracelet instead of making a noise. 

Its $495 price tag includes a two-year data plan with AT&T, which means it does not rely on a smartphone for connectivity.

As well as working with Opening Ceremony, Intel in March bought fitness bracelet maker Basis Science and it has teamed up with watch retailer Fossil Group to develop other wearable computing devices.

The bracelets, which Intel says have a battery life up to two days, will be sold starting by early December through Opening Ceremony and Barney's upscale department stores.

It has an 18K gold coating with a curved sapphire glass touch screen display. 

One style features black water snake skin, pearls from China and lapis stones from Madagascar, while the other style features white water snake skin, tiger's eye from South Africa and obsidian from Russia.