Mio’s Slice shows fitness tracking isn’t only about counting steps

By Andy Boxall January 3, 2017

mio slice pai app news arm — Image used with permission by copyright holder

A year after previewing the device, Mio is putting its Slice fitness and activity tracking wearable on sale, and pairing it with the impressive and very easy-to-understand PAI measurement app. We’re already fans of the PAI system, having used it with the Mio Fuse wearable, and expect great things from it on this more accessible tracker that is suited to everyday wear.

PAI — which stands for Personal Activity Intelligence — takes all your activity metrics, including but not limited to your step count, which is the way most other fitness trackers work, and then provides a single number to summarize your performance. The idea is to aim for a PAI score of 100. It’s simple to understand, removes the frustrating obsession with steps that doesn’t always work for everyone, and replaces it with an actual everyday target to effectively boost health and fitness.

The Slice has a built-in heart rate tracker, which is essential to calculating your PAI score, and it monitors that rate throughout the day. Additionally, it counts your steps, watches over your sleep, and estimates calorie burn. Just one button on the front of the Slice switches modes, and data is presented on a display hidden under the sleek front panel. You’ll pay $130 for the Slice and it comes in four colors — black, navy, stone, and sienna — and two different sizes. Mio will sell it directly through its website, or through Brookstone retail locations.

Mio has also tailored the PAI app for use on the Apple Watch, meaning you will be able to enjoy the benefits of the PAI score without actually buying the Slice or another PAI-compatible Mio wearable. It’s only being previewed at the moment, and will be released in the future. Mio’s also showing off Link 2, an optical heart rate monitor made for athletes that operates for 20 hours, syncs with the PAI app, and works using Bluetooth for distances up to 100 feet. The Link 2 will be coming in 2017.

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Andy is a Senior Writer at Digital Trends, where he concentrates on mobile technology, a subject he has written about for…

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