# What Do You Think of the "Microsoft Band "



## watchvaultnyc

It's an interesting take. The most interesting points:

- Like fitness trackers, it's a "right wrist" device, so you can still keep your nice mechanical watch.
- Like fitness trackers, It's cross-platform, so it larger potential audience
- Like a smartwatch it does notifications, which is one of the most important smartwatch features.
- GPS. As a smartwatch owner, when I do my walks, the GPS is done by the phone. Unless you're holding your phone, the GPS is lousy when in a pocket. Having a GPS on the watch itself makes for much more accurate tracking.
- 24-hour heart rate monitor. Smartwatches (at least the one I own) I suspect "sample" my heart rate, so who knows how accurate it is vs an always-on heart monitor?

If you're a lefty like me, "notifications" and "right wrist" are an important combination, because it allows you to view your notifications even while doing other stuff.

The downside is that there is no interface to Google or Siri, which means you can't do voice commands - an important feature which opens up your smartwatch to much more features.

*What are your thoughts?*

The Apple Watch Just Got the Perfect Rival: Microsoft's Band | WIRED


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## BarracksSi

Looks pretty interesting. Being cross-platform, it's got a shot, as long as it doesn't rely on particular hardware that might not be in some phones. Plus, it's self-limiting, keeping out the features which aren't that necessary on such a small device.


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## refugio

I got one yesterday morning and I absolutely love it! I'm wearing my (new) X-33 this week and am obviously a watch guy, so that "right wrist" experience was key.

Stood in line about 20 minutes - the Microsoft Store in Bellevue Square had Apple-like lines the first hour of opening. They passed them out (and got you the right size) while you were standing in line, and helped everyone find the right app. I'm iOS, the guy ahead of me had Windows phone, guy behind Android. Both of them were wearing watches as well, though one of them was a Pebble. Both also had existing FitBit / MisFit trackers. They were familiar with other smart watches and even the Kairos (mechanical with smart watch crystal). Many of the folks in line were white males aged 45-55 - I think they really killed this demographic, but there's no way on earth my wife would wear it.

So...I'm leaving the watch display off (touch it you get the time and steps) and the GPS off. I fully charged it yesterday afternoon and as of right now it shows 80%+ battery left. I've gotten dozens of emails, maybe a dozen texts, and have used the step tracker quite a bit (4490 before breakfast this morning!).

I did the sleep thing overnight - here's today's result:








It's not perfect - turning on the GPS (not really needed) drops battery life dramatically. It's a little bulky, and the outer covering is anti-slip rubber - exactly the OPPOSITE of what you'd want and it's a bit awkward to access with a parka and shirt on (it's messy outdoors here today).

But I love the wrist notification without having to dig for my phone (it's always with me in my pocket) combined with the (anticipated) multiple days of battery life, and I can still wear my watch and not look like Diego Maradonna.


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## bigclive2011

Personally I think you should wait till they are moored up, dive under them and place explosives then blow the s--t out of them!! &#55357;&#56841;

Then put on your Panerai and enjoy!!

Viva la Panerista!!


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## watchvaultnyc

There's something to be said about doing a few things well. Looking at this, it makes my Android Wear watch feel like it's doing to many things in a mediocre manner. However, I'm not one to waste too much money so I will likely have to wait until next year to decide whether or not I will stick with Android or jump the fence to Microsoft.


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## BarracksSi

broudie said:


> There's something to be said about doing a few things well. Looking at this, it makes my Android Wear watch feel like it's doing to many things in a mediocre manner.


Funny, isn't it? People were poo-pooing smartwatches in general by saying that they didn't do enough, like you couldn't type documents or compose presentations, or take 1080p slow-motion video, or play Modern Combat 12, or anything else like that. Now, in spite of those opinions, smartwatches and bands are finding out what they _shouldn't_ do and what they can do _better_ than larger devices.

Looks like Microsoft's and Apple's entries will be the ones fighting over the middle ground, with Fitbit and Gear on opposite boundaries and the occasional Android Wear device poking into the contest.


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## watchvaultnyc

BarracksSi said:


> Funny, isn't it? People were poo-pooing smartwatches in general by saying that they didn't do enough, like you couldn't type documents or compose presentations, or take 1080p slow-motion video, or play Modern Combat 12, or anything else like that. Now, in spite of those opinions, smartwatches and bands are finding out what they _shouldn't_ do and what they can do _better_ than larger devices.
> 
> Looks like Microsoft's and Apple's entries will be the ones fighting over the middle ground, with Fitbit and Gear on opposite boundaries and the occasional Android Wear device poking into the contest.


That's what makes this whole competition for smart watches so intriguing, its like there's a consensus that it's a good idea to have something on your wrist to provide some sort of information, the perfect combination of "just enough" is still being fought over. Your observation of the Fitbit->Samsung Gear functionality continuum is spot on. My only dog in this fight is the $250 that I spent for my Moto 360, but that likely expires in 1 or 2 years once the thing is obsoleted.

Whatever happens, competition is good for the consumer because it quickly surfaces the best ideas and lowers prices at the same time. I just hope that whoever wins supports the phone I have at the time.


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## trott3r

Glad it is a multi platform watch.
That is what i like about the pebble since my next phone after the android s3 could be MS,Blackberry or android.

I would like the more pratical e-paper and buttons watch like the pebble to have some competition.
The new one s seem to be very "me too" in the mid range.


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## BarracksSi

broudie said:


> My only dog in this fight is the $250 that I spent for my Moto 360, but that likely expires in 1 or 2 years once the thing is obsoleted.


It might be, but then again, I think smartwatches will last longer than tablets or phones before being outmoded.

I've said before that the simplicity of smartwatches means that they have fewer hardware technologies to receive even incremental upgrades. Display technology is really good now in terms of thinness and pixel density, and processing power doesn't need to be much stronger if at all (more CPU cycles means more power consumption, yet current devices are driving their OSes well enough already). iPods, or pretty much all mp3 players, hardly suffer any obsolescence at all because their tasks are so much simpler. Yeah, hard drive-based players like the classic iPod are on their way out, but that's because their parts aren't being made anymore, even though they're still supported by current software.

Computers went through periodic upheavals for quite a while (room-sized to desktop, B&W to color, hardwired to wireless networking, etc), but they've settled down by now. Portable phones have changed a lot because some of their changes are driven by external sources like battery technologies, network data upgrades, and, later, touchscreen technologies and a dozen other hardware improvements. Wrist wearables, though, while they're more capable than mp3 players, aren't nearly as complicated as smartphones or computers, yet are still being capable (and likely, IMO) of periodic OS adjustments to keep pace with connected technology.

Microsoft's Band looks like it can stand in its current state longer than smartphones. Its connected app should make it platform-agnostic, so it won't be as reliant upon a particular hardware or OS configuration.

The next question, I'd say, is whether third-part developer support will matter for the Band. What else should be written for it, and if other apps show up, how will they be loaded onto it? The Apple Watch is already confounding developers enough (why waste time with a Fruit Ninja clone on a fingertip-sized screen?), but how much will be necessary for it anyway?


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## refugio

BarracksSi said:


> The next question, I'd say, is whether third-part developer support will matter for the Band. What else should be written for it, and if other apps show up, how will they be loaded onto it? The Apple Watch is already confounding developers enough (why waste time with a Fruit Ninja clone on a fingertip-sized screen?), but how much will be necessary for it anyway?


Well...at the bottom of the Band's MyFitnessPal page they list their partners and have links to web sites, except...this morning there's a (static) bitmap for MapMyFitness - I'm guessin that they're launching that app / service this week and will turn on the link then.

What's really different is how MS did NOT talk to their developer ecosystem. MS normally hits them all up with a new platform so that they'll have demos and apps running when they announce it on the stage. Oh wait, there was no stage announcement...

This week is Microsoft's MVP conference (developers and IT types). I used to be one and I was at a party for them last night in Bellevue - I was the only one there with a MS Fitness Band! Now there's a good chance that all MVPs will be given one this week (they usually get a nice tchochke or two), but many of them were thinking of buying one at the Microsoft Store (just inside the mall where the party was). They all have Windows phones (gee, what a surprise) and already use the tile interface, whereas this was my first tile device and I found it very easy to use.

So, other than fitness apps what would be a good fit for this (and similar) devices? Given that you have your phone with you unless you are doing hardcore exercise, it should be something that you would use for 1 piece of data or one input - anything more than that and you'd pull out your phone. The MS band already has weather and stocks (tried both, turned them off because that's just two more tiles to scroll over to get to something else). Lots of things are handled with Notifications, but as has been mentioned in reviews that's going to take a LOT of fine tuning - I turned that on and whacked it within the hour (too many notifications). They already have Facebook and Twitter, and I don't see those getting much use - even a single tweet requires too many presses and scrolls to be useful.

A place I think this would be really useful would be a movie theatre - it'd be great to get a heads up on an (appropriately filtered) notification without having to pull out the phone. And one of the MVPs last night brought his son, who's a dentist (and also a Windows phone user). He puts his phone in the next room so it doesn't distract, but he was VERY interested in having something on his wrist during his work. How about all those jobs (bus drivers?) where folks are not supposed to...text, phone, whatever...and operate? You can't expect them to not glance at their wrist, right? But doing more than glancing...that's a bit awkward. It requires the other hand to press a button, scroll, etc. - and THAT starts to sound dangerous. I can use my phone with one hand, but manipulating a Band while driving is very awkward.

Edit: I decided to try HealthVault too - the Band is supposed to integrate with it - but the Band is not listed on the HealthVault site. Oopers.


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## Wongsky

broudie said:


> It's an interesting take. The most interesting points:
> 
> - Like fitness trackers, it's a "right wrist" device, so you can still keep your nice mechanical watch.
> - Like fitness trackers, It's cross-platform, so it larger potential audience
> - Like a smartwatch it does notifications, which is one of the most important smartwatch features.
> - GPS. As a smartwatch owner, when I do my walks, the GPS is done by the phone. Unless you're holding your phone, the GPS is lousy when in a pocket. Having a GPS on the watch itself makes for much more accurate tracking.
> - 24-hour heart rate monitor. Smartwatches (at least the one I own) I suspect "sample" my heart rate, so who knows how accurate it is vs an always-on heart monitor?
> 
> If you're a lefty like me, "notifications" and "right wrist" are an important combination, because it allows you to view your notifications even while doing other stuff.
> 
> The downside is that there is no interface to Google or Siri, which means you can't do voice commands - an important feature which opens up your smartwatch to much more features.
> 
> *What are your thoughts?*
> 
> The Apple Watch Just Got the Perfect Rival: Microsoft's Band | WIRED


My thoughts are...

Firstly, thanks for posting the thread. I hadn't yet heard of the Microsoft Band - although in fairness, I've got a loose interest in smartwatches, but am not particularly focused on them.

Secondly, I'd have to say, this is sounding like being EXACTLY the sort of thing I'm personally looking for. I've also got interest in the Fitbit new range, which includes 3 models, the top one being, pretty much a smartwatch, but problem being that it's only that one that has the full feature set including GPS.

Personally, I'm not looking to replace the watches I currently wear. Although, I'm currently interested in wearable tech and would like to improve on the Fitbit One I currently have.

The Microsoft Band, from what brief info I've skimmed so far, looks like it ticks all the boxes for me, not intended to replace current watches, does activity tracking, HR monitoring and GPS tracking.

The Fitbit Surge ticked all the boxes I was interested in, but came with the watch type form-factor. The Fitbit Charge HR didn't include GPS tracking - so although I was inclined to go with the Surge at some point, I can see the Microsoft Band being the device of choice for me.


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## BarracksSi

Microsoft's Lumia division needs to get together with the Band:

http://conversations.nokia.com/2014/11/03/free-fitbit-flex-lumia-830-att/


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## refugio

BarracksSi said:


> Microsoft's Lumia division needs to get together with the Band:
> 
> http://conversations.nokia.com/2014/11/03/free-fitbit-flex-lumia-830-att/


Well, that's an AT&T spif - but I agree that it's a fail.


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## legaleagle

I picked one of these up last week. I generally wear "metal" watches for (what I perceive to be) their design and appearance. I wear "plastic" watches for their utility, mostly to track exercise. I currently alternate between the Ambit 1 and an old Garmin 405. Was not really looking for a watch, but when I saw it offered heart rate tracking without the dreaded chest strap I thought I'd give it a try. I had not seen this advance in monitoring heart rate and I see this is not groundbreaking or unique to the Band. The Microsoft store salesperson was pretty clueless on functions, but I liked the form factor. I've seen critiques of the straight portion of the display, and can see how it could bother some. The salesperson actually told me that he wears it with the display on the underside of his wrist generally but rotates the display to the normal position when typing, as it gets in the way. So far I've worn it exclusively on the underside of my wrist. I think the display is more intuitively readable that way, and it does not interfere with my typing.

I used it "fully loaded" for the first couple days, enabling all 8 tile functions. It is kind of cool to get the notifications on texts, emails and calls. The weather info only offers one location and did not change when I traveled, which was kind of a drag. The watch only made it about 36 hours on its first charge when all notifications were enabled. I wish the battery charge indicator gave you a percentage. Monday morning I disabled all the notifications and adopted other battery saving steps advised by Microsoft. I've used it as a simple watch since then, tracking two approx 40 min exercise outings and my sleep Monday and last night. The battery appears to be at about 30% power now, so you might get 60 hours of battery life in this mode and moderate active use.

I am very pleased with the Band (really like the adjustable band). I'm sure there are other exercise monitoring watches with strapless HR monitoring that work as well or better, but mine has been great for the first three sessions I've used it. The smartwatch features are nice to have and great that you can disable when ot needed. It is too big for me to ever consider it as an additional "right wrist" bangle, but that's just me. It will not replace my Suunto or Garmin for longer, outdoor runs and bike outings - they offer wider/deeper functionality, but at a cost in form factor (and the dreaded HR chest strap).


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## watchvaultnyc

Garmin chest straps are OK once you've broken them in, but still a hassle. I cycle regularly and having a chart heart rate monitor while wearing skin tight clothing looks funny. That being said, let me ask you a question: does the heart rate monitoring work all the time or only when you're at rest? That's the limitation of may wristbound heart rate monitors I am aware of


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## BarracksSi

My one question about HR monitoring is about which algorithm it uses. I've read that earlier fitness devices, including HR watches and indoor cardio machines, would overestimate caloric expenditure by some crazy amount -- 40% or something like that. They started making changes and newer formulas were giving lower, but more realistic, calorie numbers.

legaleagle, if you wore your Garmin and the Band at the same time, how would their numbers compare?


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## Wongsky

BarracksSi said:


> My one question about HR monitoring is about which algorithm it uses. I've read that earlier fitness devices, including HR watches and indoor cardio machines, would overestimate caloric expenditure by some crazy amount -- 40% or something like that. They started making changes and newer formulas were giving lower, but more realistic, calorie numbers.
> 
> legaleagle, if you wore your Garmin and the Band at the same time, how would their numbers compare?


I've never treated any calorific estimations by tech to be much more than a rough indication.

That said, several different types of these smartwatches are using similar tech for HRM, and in the assumption that they're reasonably accurate, it's a metric I'd like to be easily recorded when I participate in activity. I've just never been overly keen on wearing chest straps for HRMs.


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## legaleagle

Ok the Band just pooped out, so I got about 57 hours of juice with all notifications turned off, other power savings steps taken and only "running," "workouts" and "sleeping" tiles enabled (with 2x40 min workouts measured and 2x sleeping tracking).

broudie: the Band will give you resting HR if you initiate the "workout" function and just sit there/rest. I got it to track HR when I actually "workout" and it has worked fine for me so far. The only cross-check I have done for HR calculation is to grab the HR handholds on the elliptical machine, which were within 2 bps with the Band and consistent with my historical bps for the time and level of effort I was exerting. I'm going to try the Band on a run Saturday and see how it works in that mode, especially the GPS function. 

barracksSi: if I get real ambitious on my Saturday run I'll try both the Band and Garmin strap and compare HR readouts. And I will compare the GPS tracking.

I still like the Band, but now think it is a pretty limited tool based on the battery life. I may be off base, but charging a watch every day or at most every two days is pretty annoying to me. Especially when I had to eliminate most of the smartphone functionality to get that much use and when the best time to charge is overnight, when I'd like to track my sleep (although I don't get much practical utility from that info). Anyway, I plan on now using the Band now only for indoor, HR-strapless exercise tracking. i will be turning it off in between sessions. I'll report back after my Saturday run


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## Wongsky

legaleagle said:


> Ok the Band just pooped out, so I got about 57 hours of juice with all notifications turned off, other power savings steps taken and only "running," "workouts" and "sleeping" tiles enabled (with 2x40 min workouts measured and 2x sleeping tracking).
> 
> broudie: the Band will give you resting HR if you initiate the "workout" function and just sit there/rest. I got it to track HR when I actually "workout" and it has worked fine for me so far. The only cross-check I have done for HR calculation is to grab the HR handholds on the elliptical machine, which were within 2 bps with the Band and consistent with my historical bps for the time and level of effort I was exerting. I'm going to try the Band on a run Saturday and see how it works in that mode, especially the GPS function.
> 
> barracksSi: if I get real ambitious on my Saturday run I'll try both the Band and Garmin strap and compare HR readouts. And I will compare the GPS tracking.
> 
> I still like the Band, but now think it is a pretty limited tool based on the battery life. I may be off base, but charging a watch every day or at most every two days is pretty annoying to me. Especially when I had to eliminate most of the smartphone functionality to get that much use and when the best time to charge is overnight, when I'd like to track my sleep (although I don't get much practical utility from that info). Anyway, I plan on now using the Band now only for indoor, HR-strapless exercise tracking. i will be turning it off in between sessions. I'll report back after my Saturday run


In terms of the charging thing, although not required to that frequency - I have the same considerations with my Fitbit One. Main purpose I got it, really, was sleep tracking, since exercise I do tends not to be step-based (although when I jump-rope / skip, it counts those steps). So perhaps the normal ideal time when you'd be charging other things, like smartphones and tablets, isn't quite the same with this sort of tech.

I tend to plug mine into charge when I'm sat working at a computer or laptop, since there's nothing about that, that I'd be wanting to track.


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## BarracksSi

Wongsky said:


> I tend to plug mine into charge when I'm sat working at a computer or laptop, since there's nothing about that, that I'd be wanting to track.


Hehe... Fitbit: "You have done zero activity. Why did you buy me?"

It's too soon for me to say, and I especially have no experience with the Band, but now I'm wondering --

Is the space between "smartwatch" and "fitness band" more difficult to fill? A fitness band seems like an easier sell to wear next to a watch (some of my coworkers already do), and a smartwatch does enough to replace a watch.

But, a smartwatch seems like it's not meant to be worn while sleeping, so it's more acceptable to put it on a charger overnight. A Fitbit is more amenable to sleep tracking since it lasts a lot longer on a charge -- and it lasts longer precisely because it does a lot less.

So, if you have a smart fitness band... You can enable all the smart functions but lose out on 24-hour tracking, or disable those extra functions, and end up with a regular fitness band...

Maybe it depends on how the owner wants to use it. It'll do either, but not both. Maybe some days you'd want all functions, and maybe not on other days. But then, is it compromising itself in either of those roles?


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## watchvaultnyc

re: calorie counts - same thing everywhere. My Strava app over-estimates walking calories and underestimates cycling calories. Garmin apps and cycling computers over-estimate everything. I just use MyFitnessPal.

re: Android Wear sleep tracking - my Moto 360 can now make it to the next day, so I charge in the morning while having coffee. The "Sleep as Android" app already has support wristbound sleep tracking.


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## refugio

Mine does heart-rate all the time - and shows up on the daily step as well as sleep charts. It seems accurate enough. I also counted a couple of intervals of 200 steps walking the park trails and it was dead on. Since I haven't used the GPS, I suspect that it hasn't calibrated the distance of my steps - but I don't really care.

I haven't turned the GPS on yet (or the UV sensor), but I do get email, text, and phone notifications - maybe 100 total in a day. And I only let it get really run down once, but it was 30% after around 2 days.

There's a small graphical display of battery life if you scroll to the left of the home tile, but I turned the "watch" screen to be perpetually on (though it does NOT display when I am in Sleep mode - c'est la vie) and if you have it plugged in to charge, you get a very easy to read digital readout on the "watch" screen, which I am using more and more. If it could be configured to display seconds, I'd be in heaven.

After charging all night last Thursday (the day I got it), I switched over to charging in the car - when I'm obviously not doing any activity and (with my phone next to me) having the Band notifications is more distracting than useful. The charging seems to be non-linear - hanging at 80% for a LONG time before jumping to 100% - but if you spend 30 minutes a day in your car plugged in I think you can keep up the charge (assuming no GPS usage, which drains is 10x as quickly). I'll almost certainly get a 2nd cable next to my home "library" computer where I drink coffee in the morning - that will take me past 1 hour a day of charging time.


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## scully250

I have mine on back-order right now at a local msft store. Perfect device in my mind for anyone that will never give up wearing a real watch. I see it more of an extension of your phone than a smart watch. I also see no problem at all wearing a regular watch on my left hand and the band on my right.


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## refugio

I'm back to wearing my PO on my left wrist. But some of the UI choices for the band are starting to really bug me. For instance, the home screen shows the number of steps. Fine, but when you turn the watch on that display is on all the time and I would really like to have the step count on there as well rather then having to hit the button to see the steps. If I could configure the watch screen I would be a lot happier.


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## nickuk

Mine just arrived....I will update in a week or so. Anyone else?


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## Wongsky

nickuk said:


> Mine just arrived....I will update in a week or so. Anyone else?


Yup - got mine yesterday lunchtime (pre-ordered from Microsoft, they sent them out the day before, so it arrived late morning, yesterday).

Done 3 workouts already with it.

edit: just to add - charge and usage has been better than I expected - given the reports so far. That said, I haven't been using it with GPS on, just gym workouts, and overnight for sleep monitoring.


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## zetaplus93

For people who've had this for a while (say 2+ months), any thoughts on long term usage of it? Anything different from your initial impressions?


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## Wongsky

zetaplus93 said:


> For people who've had this for a while (say 2+ months), any thoughts on long term usage of it? Anything different from your initial impressions?


I've only had mine for a couple of days, but my first thoughts are that the infrastructure / back-end is still a bit immature - not fully there.

I'm still using my fitbit one, too - and at the moment, their portal seems much more usable - although Microsoft Health vault does look to have lots of potential, but so far, things like mapmyfitness integration claim to be there, but don't actually seem to be integrating properly, yet - and indeed, the mapmyfitness side of things seems blissfully unaware of the Microsoft Band as a device it can get data from.


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## silvertonesx24

I've had my Band since December and like it. I also wear mechanical on left, and Band on right. It fills a nice gap between fitness tracker and smartwatch- neither of which I would be interested in alone. The online Microsoft Health portal is very nice.

Microsoft Health | Official Site

It does get scuffed and dinged up quickly, but hey that's better than valuable watches getting scuffed and dinged up.


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## refugio

zetaplus93 said:


> For people who've had this for a while (say 2+ months), any thoughts on long term usage of it? Anything different from your initial impressions?


I got mine the 1st day and have always worn it inside my right wrist with a mechanical (or quartz!) watch on my left.

As you might imagine, I started out very focused on the Band - using almost all functions, trying to find ways to incorporate it into my life. For months, though, there was no way to tie the information back into a web-based tracker. They fixed that a month or so back with a new site but it still feels kind of like a standalone device.

I started out using it to track my sleep and steps. And I sometimes forgot to turn it to "sleep" at night. And sometimes forgot to "wake" it before morning charging. So I ended up with zero, a few hours, or 10 hours sleep being recorded when it was really 6 and a fraction. So, now I know what my sleep pattern is and...I pay almost no attention to that function.

Steps were the same. Lots of attention to that. A few extra laps around the park with the dog, a little more activity, and yes I could make 10K steps in a day. And if I did 12K plus steps then, yes, I really felt it. But I average 7K steps and...again, have pretty much stopped paying attention to it.

I would probably stop wearing it at night except now I've kind of gotten used to the night "time" even when in sleep mode. And if I leave the house without it in the morning it's no big deal except...damn, I've really gotten used to the wrist alarms and miss them when I don't have the band on. It's a big deal to me to be able to glance at my wrist when I get a buzz and see the...text, email, or incoming call - and THEN deciding if I want to get my phone out of my pocket and deal with it.

I've been working in my home shop a lot recently, working with noisy tools like table saws, jointers, etc all the time with a 2hp dust collection system running AND an air filtration system on. And, obviously, with hearing protection. There's almost no time when I get a wrist alert that I can't rotate my wrist and see if it's something worth stepping into the house to deal with. It usually is NOT important, but I have a hard time disconnecting myself for that world and it is handy to have a non-invasive way of staying connected.

Hope that helps...


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## rationaltime

Thank you for the detailed report. That is helpful.

In a noisy environment are there times you miss a notification?


Thanks,
rationaltime


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## Wongsky

My thoughts, so far, after getting mine late morning, 15/04/15 (UK release date) - I do some kind of exercise most days, and my interest was in getting something that would give me a little more statistical insight into that, in terms of recording (rather than just steps from my fitibit one), and having the heart-rate thing help in the software assessing the impact of it.

Also the resting heart-rate, for me, is a boon - since it does it automatically.

Tracking sleep isn't particularly difficult for me, since I'm in the habit already with my fitbit one - if I'm honest, though, I think my fitbit is better at more accurately assessing how I'm sleeping - given how I feel I'm sleeping and vaguely aware of how much I've been awake / woke up - the Microsoft Band seems to be a bit more optimistic about it - but again, I love the automatic RHR thing from the band.

Tracking workouts isn't too onerous, either, since it's there on my wrist in my line of sight, rather than tucked away on a lanyard, as my fitbit one is.

I still think the infrastructure is a little immature and integration isn't fully there. What they should enable, is the sorts of details in Microsoft Health vault to be included in social networking (if you choose) I'm far from being won over by having to use another app that's really just more faff for me, should I want any links to social media (not that I'm bothered about that really, just that it seems a bit of an anomaly to me).

I continue to be reasonably impressed with the battery life, given how the reviews have all talked about it. But then I haven't done any cycling, yet, so haven't tracked anything with GPS - when I do, I'll have to see what's the better trade-off in battery life, given GPS stuff tends to hit my smartphone hard, in terms of discharging the battery.

And I applaud there efforts to be as cross-platform as possible. Just a shame the app doesn't run on my BlackBerry Z10 - well it will run, it just doesn't connect / sync to the band.


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## refugio

rationaltime said:


> In a noisy environment are there times you miss a notification?


No - because it's a vibration, not a noise!

The only time I miss a notification is if the Bluetooth gets dropped, which does happen. Easy to reset but...


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## Wongsky

Bit more of an update after a couple of weeks constant use - the desktop app has been updated so that you can pretty much do all the customising there - say if you can't run the app on your smartphone.

The web portal (Microsoft Health) is improving and has been tweaked. mapmyfitness and myfitnesspal integration has become unreliable for me - good job I wasn't that bothered about it - I think I prefer Microsoft Health - just needs more work and maybe social networking connectivity.

So far it's delivering on what I was looking for - not really exercise monitoring by spreadsheet, but a more informed take on the demands of various forms of exercise and activity.


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## andy5544

I've been wearing one for about 6 months and really like it. The app and web based portal are continually adding features. I wear it on the right and a watch on the left. All features work well and I love customizing what notifications I get using iOS notification center integration. It's also more water resistant than advertised. Submersion for brief periods hasn't hurt it a bit. I'm rough on it occasionally due to accidentally bashing it on stuff and its not broken or showing many signs of wear. It's a bit chunky, but considering all the hardware it has and the good battery life it's not a bad trade off.


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## Wongsky

Just thought I'd add some more feedback, as I've had my Microsoft Band nearing 6 months now.

For quite a while, I was wearing it almost constantly (except when charging), but some weeks back I stopped wearing it all the time and wear it for workouts or other activity I specifically want to track. Mainly because my skin can tend towards being a bit sensitive, and having it almost permanently on my wrist was causing some irritation. Probably because it needs to be worn snugly, and I don't wear watches fitting snugly on my wrist, I tend to wear them fitting a bit loosely, and resin / rubber straps do tend to irritate my skin.

As a fitness tracker, I think it works well, and is an incremental improvement / evolution from the previous generation of activity trackers - which, in reality, were not much more than clever pedometers. I've had opportunity to use it when cycling, with gps tracking turned on, and I'd have to say it takes a bit longer to acquire position than my smartphone, but outside of that, seems to plot reasonably accurately. GPS usage does hit battery life harder than other features, though.

Smartphone integration - well I'd have to say this is something of a strength. Since getting my band, I've used it with a Windows phone (most complete integration as you can use Cortana for some extra features), and currently an Android phone. I wasn't particularly interested in the smartwatch thing from the outset, and even now that hasn't changed much. But what I would say is that vibration alerts are very handy, since when I'm on the go I can often not notice my phone vibrating and it's ringtone when in my pocket. Don't think I've missed my band vibrating on my wrist, though, and sometimes just being able to glance at it when a text message arrives, can tell me whether I need to get my phone out, as you can see who it's from and the first part of the message.

Infrastructure is still a weak point. There's still no ability to be able to manually create entries or edit existing ones. Sometimes you forget to record a workout, or leave it running too long. That's not a problem with my Fitbit One, but still not possible for the Microsoft Band.

And speaking of my Fitbit One, I still use it, I find it more accurate for sleep tracking - which, in fairness was my first and most important interest in activity trackers. And although I miss out on not getting an auto detected RHR because I don't wear my Microsoft Band for sleep tracking, it's nice not having to wear it overnight. As to step counting, if I'm honest, I trust my Fitbit One more for that, anyway, but also, the Microsoft Health app will use your smartphone to track steps if you're not wearing your band (assuming your smartphone is compatible with that functionality). But truth be told, I'm really not that bothered about step counting, my main reason for getting a Fitbit was sleep tracking, and my main reason for getting a Microsoft Band is workout / exercise tracking, and they're both doing a reasonable job, respectively.

Improvements? Well I'd like to see some improvrments to the infrastructure so you can either manually add activity you've forgotten to track, and to be able to edit entries. Yes, true social network integration would be a good thing, but it's not really something I'm bothered about, I just think it's functionality that should be there. One simple thing I'd like them to include - native (ie not a 3rd party app) simple support for remotely triggering the camera on your smartphone. And I have read some discussion that they could enable some support for native blood pressure monitoring.

Otherwise, I think it's been working out well. It does what I bought it for and in some cases exceeded expectations. I got the (Zagg, I think) screen protector bundled with it when buying directly from Microsoft, and that's held up well. So I have no real complaints, I just have things I think they either should improve, or should enhance it with.

Yes, it's not the most elegant thing out there, but I'd firmly decided I wasn't about to abandon my traditional watches. I've realised some benefits from having something of a smartwatch, but that hasn't really changed me into being a convert to them. Before I had one, the vibration alerts and getting notifications were things I'd already considered as useful features, and experiencing them has confirmed that to me - but not made me dependent on them - I could still take it or leave it. I guess the advantage, as I see it, is in situations where I may not want to more miss any messages or contact, I may choose to wear my Microsoft Band, where I wouldn't otherwise.


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## refugio

*What Do You Think of the "Microsoft Band "*

Well it's been almost a year for me and I still wear it most days. Except not this week and probably not until a future update.

I started with the fitness stuff and sleep, but eventually settled into mostly using it as an alert device. But a recent update now generates past alerts - I am getting new alerts that are actually messages from a day or few hours previous. Rebooting doesn't help. It's driving me batshit so I took it off and put it in a drawer.


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## robert01

I never like any kind of band. It seems bit wired to me. I think having a smart watch on your wrist is far better than a band. Also the color of this band looks so peculiar.


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## Wongsky

robert01 said:


> I never like any kind of band. It seems bit wired to me. I think having a smart watch on your wrist is far better than a band. Also the color of this band looks so peculiar.


Puzzled - what's so weird about black?

As to the band / smart-watch thing, this appears to be trying to be a hybrid of a fitness band with smart-watch functionality. If you're primarily drawn to a smart-watch, but want some fitness features, the Fitbit Surge offers that type of thing without being tied to one smartphone platform like the Apple watch is.


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## Wongsky

Just thought I'd post a further update, having had my Microsoft Band since the UK launch in April this year.

Mine has had plenty of use for workouts / training - I think I'd already posted a comment about trying to get some time with it off my wrist, as I have a tendency to sensitive skin, and often find rubberised or resin straps can cause me irritation.

Over time I'd read quite a few comments from people who've had issues with the inside of the band (typically battery cover, but also some of the metal ports) deteriorating, to the point where some of the black rubber material covering the batteries had flaked off. I'd kept an open mind, as there seemed to be quite a few reports, but did wonder whether people were taking reasonable care in terms of cleaning - but then not using something to clean that would damage the band.

A month or two back, I noticed a very small bit on a corner of one of the battery covers had flaked off. I called Microsoft support, and they confirmed it was a known issue, and said they deal with it by replacing the band - they emailed a printable post label, and gave information for sending it via courier - once received and they'd confirmed the state of the band, they'd send out a replacement.

From what I gather, plus looking at the band I received (it looked like there had previously been a screen protector on the screen, because I could see the outline of one) I think they're sending out refurbs - which is fair enough, from my perspective - the band connections and clasp all looked brand new, I suspect the actual electronics have proved to be reasonably resilient and robust, it's more the band and materials that sound to be vulnerable.

Also, the new v2 version of the Band has been released - which is something of a mixed thing, really. It seems to be improved on all the things I found either unwieldy or awkward with the original band - the ergonomics, how it was a very square, boxy thing on the wrist, that seemed to fit and wear a bit awkwardly. Plus the screen was / is very easily scratched without a screen protector on (something I've ensured from the outset is on my band). So the new version fits better, is more curved to the wrist, the screen is curved but bigger, and now uses gorilla glass.

In terms of the hardware, precious little has changed - there's one additional sensor (a barometric sensor, that seems is primarily used to calculated how many flights of stairs you've traversed). Otherwise, the enhancements seem to be software only, really.

Battery life isn't any better - in fact some users (previously v1 band owners) have commented it on being slightly worse. Water resistance isn't any better (in any meaningful way) it's still not suited for anything like swimming, just OK for things like a bit of rain, or the odd splash.

The software side does irk - the original band was still really in need of software development to truly make use of the very decent hardware spec. But several new features have only been implemented on the v2 band, where there seems no reason they couldn't also be implemented on the original band - especially given some comments that the original band would still be developed, too.

With that scenario unfolding, I'm not entirely sure they've really done the right thing, there - I mean sure, they allow a rebate in the UK if you decide to buy a v2 band and surrender your v1 band you'll get £70 refund. But that's still an outlay of £300 (at original purchase prices) and about 7 or 8 months life out of the original band.

The other contenders, eg Fitbit Surge suddenly seem more decent prospects when you consider all things (especially given that the MS Band, despite having an impressive hardware spec, still needs plenty of software development, and really, they've hung out the early adopters of the v1 band).

Time will tell as to whether they manage to eek out anything more than being a niche player in this market and prevail. As is, it's not a serious market at present - these things tend to be more playthings for people who have an active / fitness orientated lifestyle, and like the idea of augmenting it with a gadget. People serious about their training tend to already be using more accurate types of devices (in terms of things like heart-rate, anyways).


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## rationaltime

Thank you for the review. People look for that sort of detail
when making a buy decision.


Thanks,
rationaltime


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## Wongsky

*Re: What Do You Think of the "Microsoft Band "*



refugio said:


> Well it's been almost a year for me and I still wear it most days. Except not this week and probably not until a future update.
> 
> I started with the fitness stuff and sleep, but eventually settled into mostly using it as an alert device. But a recent update now generates past alerts - I am getting new alerts that are actually messages from a day or few hours previous. Rebooting doesn't help. It's driving me batshit so I took it off and put it in a drawer.


Normal advice seems to be to do a reset on the band if it starts to misbehave. I know people have resolved issues with over-reporting of heart-rate by doing a reset on the band. You may have to redo any customisation / personalisation, though, if you do a reset.


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## DBall

*Re: What Do You Think of the "Microsoft Band"*

I have one coming in from an ebay purchase... can't go wrong for $50... people seem to be just getting rid of them now (probably in favor of the Band 2). Even Microsoft has the v1 listed at $79...


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## Wongsky

*Re: What Do You Think of the "Microsoft Band"*



DBall said:


> I have one coming in from an ebay purchase... can't go wrong for $50... people seem to be just getting rid of them now (probably in favor of the Band 2). Even Microsoft has the v1 listed at $79...


They were selling them at the UK Microsoft online store for £50 until they sold out, recently. For that price they are a steal.


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## walltz

robert01 said:


> I never like any kind of band. It seems bit wired to me. I think having a smart watch on your wrist is far better than a band. Also the color of this band looks so peculiar.


couldn't have said it better.


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## Wongsky

walltz said:


> couldn't have said it better.


The Microsoft Band is, in effect, a smartwatch too.


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## max902

Wongsky said:


> The Microsoft Band is, in effect, a smartwatch too.


I agree with you on this.


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