Yesterday we’ve told you that Xiaomi launched its latest flagship smartphone, the Mi4. What we’ve forgot to say is that at the same time, the company has also unveiled its very first fitness band, which is simply called Mi Band and which works like any other such device, tracking one’s exercise/movement and sleep patterns. However, there’s a twist – instead of asking around $100 for the product, the so called “Apple of China” will sell this wristband for just $13 and we assume that still leaves them room for some tiny profit.
That’s pretty amazing and kinda indicating how much these devices cost to make. Alas, hardware itself is just one piece of the puzzle; what makes Fitbit and Jawbone the best fitness bands on the market is software. Not only did these two companies made the best fitness / nutrition tracking apps, but they also integrate with other apps and services, making for a that much better user experience.
That said, we’re not sure what are Xiaomi’s “software plans.” We would assume they’ll do development in-house and eventually allow other developers to join the party via an API. Alas, we don’t have a single screenshot of that software to show you, and will rather have to wait for few more weeks to get the missing details.
Before I let you go, let me add another thing; aside from fitness/sleep tracking, the water-proof Mi Band — which BTW will come in multiple colors — will also be able to serve as an alarm clock, relying on its vibrating motor to wake you up at “just the right moment.” We haven’t tested this capability ourselves and can only trust Xiaomi that this actually works “as advertised.”
Finally, you should know that the company will initially sell the Mi Band in China and eventually bring it to few other countries in Southeast Asia. As far as we know, the only way to get the Mi Band shipped to Europe and North America is to buy it from some importer, which will undoubtedly add few additional dollars to the price.
So, is anyone looking to buy one of these?