The earlier rumored Xiaomi smart sneakers have been officially announced and will soon be available to runners across China.
For its sports endeavor, the so called “Apple of China” has teamed up with local sports and fitness brand Li Ning, while Huami provided the sensors.
For its sports endeavor, Xiaomi has teamed up with local sports and fitness brand Li Ning, while Huami provided the sensors.The smart shoes boast a tiny Bluetooth-enabled fitness tracker that slips inside a cutout in the heel, which then communicates with Xiaomi’s Mi Fit app on the phone (just like the Mi Band). From here, wearers can access a number of different data points such as steps taken and calories burned. More specialized, running-focused data is not yet available, but that doesn’t mean something like that won’t be included in a future product/app update.
In the meantime, Chinese sport enthusiast can choose between two different smart sneakers, one of which is a brand new design, while the other is an existing style adapted to take the sensor.
The best part is the price. Whereas the newly designed Li Ning Smart shoes will be available for the equivalent of $65, the “old” model with activity sensor will go for some $32. These prices are only good in China, and at the moment it’s unclear whether these smart running shoes will ever reach the Western hemisphere.
Xiaomi phones are still not available in the West, but they are selling in many parts of Asia. Chances are, the Chinese smartphone maker will keep that strategy even with its fancy shoes. We’ll see…
[Via: DigitalTrends]