Mio Fuse, a New Training Wristband
These days, there are tons of fitness tracking devices out there. Read this review of Mio’s approach to monitoring exercise.
By Hilary DelRoss
As roads and trails start drying out this time of year, rubber soles and tires will slowly replace metal edged boards underfoot. The color green will soon resurface in the Green Mountains and so too will fitness and training regimens. Mio’s latest wearable fitness tracker monitors daily activity and workouts to help get you back on track after the long, cold winter.
Out of the box, the Fuse is simple to set up. Charge the Fuse via the included USB charger then sync it with the Mio Go app on your smartphone or tablet to get started (free to download on Google Play and iTunes). The app prompts you through setting up a personal profile, linking the Fuse to your device via Bluetooth, setting activity goals and choosing training settings.
The Fuse’s charge lasts up to seven days and can store up to two weeks of daily activity data and 30 hours of workout data, plus it tells time, so there’s no need to train with your phone in hand. It syncs with GPS watches or bike computers via Bluetooth or ANT+ wireless connectivity. Just select your activity, start workout mode, and get moving.
The Fuse is worn on the wrist and is closefitting but comfortable. Except for the optical heart rate monitor, a soft silicone material covers every inch so it seems very durable. Even the display is protected. Three touch-sensitive buttons on the face of the dot matrix LED display allow you to scroll through menus and the central button controls turning workout mode on and off. Three or five heart rate zone alerts can be set as LED and/or vibration alerts, so you can monitor your heart rate during training without looking at a screen.
Most third party fitness tracking apps can link with your Mio account, but the included Mio Go app provides some basic feedback on data the Fuse collects. A weekly workout summary and breakdown of each workout provides average and maximum heart rate, speed, pace, distance and time as well as calories burned and heart rate zones reached and duration in each zone. Daily activity statistics include distance, steps, active and total calories burned, and how successful you were at reaching your daily goal.
Information I miss from this app includes access to route maps and a field to enter notes about my workout. Other drawbacks to the Fuse are the lack of a sleep-tracking feature and idle alert reminder to get moving. But for those of us who like to disconnect at the end of the day, this monitor does a great job. Available in two wrist sizes. $149
