In a crowded market every little bit matters. These aren’t big detractors, but will be a turn off for some. The last two are handled via GPS (when it’s enabled for specific activities), but there is no supplementing a non-existent speaker. It doesn’t have a speaker, altimeter, or compass either. This is something the device has the hardware to accommodate, but doesn’t. Band forces you to push a button to get the screen to activate. For example, a lot of these devices will turn the screen on when you bring your wrist up to look at it. And not just well considering the limitations, but genuinely well. That seems absurd given the size of the screen, but it works. It even features an on-screen QWERTY keyboard. It will vibrate to alert you to things happening on your phone. It’s got a microphone you can use to issue voice commands to your phone’s digital assistant (Cortana, Siri, Goole Now). That said, it’s unique and kind of cool and will definitely appeal to a segment of the market.īand does a lot of things that other smart watches do. People aren’t getting this thing gold plated. No one has waxed on about the beauty of the Band like they have Apple Watch. It’s definitely utilitarian and kind of industrial feeling. Plus, they’re displayed out on your wrist, not hiding in your pocket under a case. The devices aren’t all monolithic blocks like smartphones have become. When it comes to wearable tech, personally style and preferences play a huge part in the purchase decision. While this doesn’t mean much today, the ground is fertile for expansion of what Microsoft Health, and potentially other services, could do with any data you decide to provide them. Microsoft Health is powered by Microsoft’s Azure cloud service and all the tools it has to offer. Both make it easy to look at fitness trends. Both services provide online dashboards that provide users the ability to do more in-depth analysis on their data. Both services have very usable smartphone apps. Microsoft Health and the online Health Dashboard provide everything Fitbit’s dashboard does, except flights of stairs you’ve climbed during the day. It even surpasses market leader Fitbit’s high- end Surge device. On the sensor front, Band is second to none. You can’t track your heart rate without a heart rate monitor. What does it track and what does it do with the data? What your tracker tracks can be easily summarized with what sensors it has. When it comes to fitness trackers, there are only two things that really matter. Info from the Fitbit dashboard on the left, and Microsoft Health dashboard on the right. Applications have been limited so far, but the idea is promising. Microsoft did recently open up the Band a bit for developers, adding the ability to pump data from web apps directly onto the Band without a companion app. There are a handful of apps available in the Windows store specifically for Band, but nothing like what’s available on the other devices. Users can add the tile to the band through the Microsoft Health app. As part of your app you can create a Band Tile. You have to write a mobile app (Windows, iOS, or Android) first. Currently, you can’t write dedicated apps for the Band. You’ll want to have Microsoft Health installed, which is also available on all three platforms. Android and iOS fans can take advantage of this device as well. You don’t have to be part of the 2.5 percent of proud Windows Phone users to use Band. Most importantly, though, Apple Watch has changed the perception of wearable technology. We’re a few months in and the critics seem to have been quieted. The tech press had a less typical, skeptical view of the device. Apple fans responded in typical fashion by going crazy for the thing. Things like the Pebble and various Android Wear devices have been around for a while, but the category didn’t really catch fire until the Apple Watch hit the market. Smart watches are also gaining in popularity. Fitbit is the current market leader, but companies like Jawbone, Garmin, Samsung, and Polar are making strong pushes for relevance. Head into a sporting goods store and you’ll likely be overwhelmed with the options. What is this thing? Is it a fitness tracker? Is it a smartwatch? Is it any good? The answer to all three questions is yes.įitness trackers are hot right now. When it came out people were… well, confused. Rumors had been rolling around about Microsoft possibly doing a wearable, but details were non-existent. In late 2014 Microsoft released the Band.
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