I've already made my feelings about screenless fitness trackers well known to everyone who'll listen. They're more about signaling to the in-crowd that you're a serious gym goer than a better alternative to a proper smartwatch. Still, that's a big enough market that plenty of companies are jostling for space alongside Whoop (and Fitbit, and Garmin). Take Qalo, a jewelry brand with a side hustle selling smart rings, which is now branching out with its own screenless band. The Qalo SL-1 is a subscription-free band which aggregates all of your vital signs into a single score.

If you're unfamiliar, Qalo sells silicon rings for folks who, for many reasons, can't or won't wear a metal ring. If you work in heavy industry, it's wise to swap your wedding band for something that won't cause you to lose a finger in an accident. They're also a great option for the gym or other physical activities, as well as for folks who experience finger-swelling.

Qalo has launched two generations of rings in the last few years, with some corners of the internet saying they're re-branded hardware from J-Style, a white-label wearables manufacturer. A representative of the company told me that the SL-1, however, is "built around QALO's own software, data and design."

It's worth understanding that if you own a Qalo smart ring, the SL-1 is complimentary with the rest of its ecosystem. So if you wear a ring during the day, but take it off for the gym, you can strap the band on your wrist or bicep and all of the data will aggregate to the same place.

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