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Microsoft Unveils $199 'Microsoft Band' Fitness Wearable

OllyW said:
Not exactly what a health/fitness band should do, it isn't waterproof which will rule it out for many people. (And yes, I know the Apple Watch isn't either).
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Yes, that saddened me a bit. It says its dust and splash resistant, so not entirely sure what that covers. The Fitbit Force was also "dust and splash resistant" but I wore it daily in the shower daily w/o issue. Of course that band did not have exposed sensors like MS's. I can't live w/o waterproof since it's not a swimmer's watch, but I do need it to survive if I get caught in a rain shower while running.
 
I think I'm going to jump on this, its small enough that it doesn't seem overly large like the Apple Watch and soon to be release Fitbit surge, and priced under both. Plus its available now.
 
Please wait....updating

I can see it now.

[Early workout - shoes on - Band on - steps out doors to run - looks at Band see's "Please wait...Applying updates 3 of 19...." - tosses Band in yard - goes for run!]
 
MH01 said:
Cause the whole world revolves around the U.S. and where you live.....

The world is actually round, and while it's midnight were you are , it's not midnight everywhere else ;) think about it.....
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Yes but Microsoft is an American company and it was late at night at their own headquarters in Washington. They are also located a short flight north of San Francisco who's population was more focused on watching their baseball team win the World Series last night than on Microsoft fitness bands. That is all.
 
I wanted to see what the 10 sensors were, the official list is:

  1. Optical heart rate sensor
  2. 3-axis accelerometer/gyro
  3. Gyrometer
  4. GPS
  5. Ambient light sensor
  6. Skin temperature sensor
  7. UV sensor
  8. Capacitive sensor
  9. Galvanic skin response
  10. Microphone

Skin temp sensor is interesting, Combine it with the heart rate sensor and the Galvanic sensor and you have a really powerful lie/truth detector. Can you imagine at interviews being asked to wear their watch ha. Early flu/allergy warning? Might be useful for aid workers out in Africa as an early warning system for Ebola.

I guess Microphone is a sensor of sorts but not what I was expecting in the list.

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payneo said:
I can see it now.

[Early workout - shoes on - Band on - steps out doors to run - looks at Band see's "Please wait...Applying updates 3 of 19...." - tosses Band in yard - goes for run!]
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haha, like my PS3 every time I put a new game in.
 
Steve121178 said:
My hunch is people will see the price of the base model, realise it's gimped compared to the more expensive models displayed next to it. Then look at the price of the more desirable watches & walk away.
Click to expand...

Yes, with the new slew of activity watches now being announced, none more than $250, and all very competent and feature rich, they make the Apple Watch a harder sell every day. $399 is not unreasonable for a top-of-the-line running watch but that's a smaller market than what Apple is going after I think. $349 entry price is starting to look a bit silly.
 
XVentura said:
The combination of the heart rate sensor, the sleep tracking and the exercise and calorie counting excites me most.

This was more of what I imagined the Apple Watch to be like.
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Ditto. My only concern is their app requires a cloud account and I haven't been able to find the open API documentation yet to write my own app. I want to integrate this band with my HealthKit info on my phone - without uploading it to a third party. I'm debating on whether or not to pick one up to try developing with this weekend.
 
Anim said:
I wanted to see what the 10 sensors were, the official list is:

  1. Optical heart rate sensor
  2. 3-axis accelerometer/gyro
  3. Gyrometer
  4. GPS
  5. Ambient light sensor
  6. Skin temperature sensor
  7. UV sensor
  8. Capacitive sensor
  9. Galvanic skin response
  10. Microphone

Skin temp sensor is interesting, Combine it with the heart rate sensor and the Galvanic sensor and you have a really powerful lie/truth detector. Can you imagine at interviews being asked to wear their watch ha. Early flu/allergy warning? Might be useful for aid workers out in Africa as an early warning system for Ebola.

I guess Microphone is a sensor of sorts but not what I was expecting in the list.

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haha, like my PS3 every time I put a new game in.
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Especially annoying during times when I don't have internet and can't play a game because it won't let you bypass some unknown, useless update.
 
Not bad looking in fact a rather good design. Haven't felt the need for one of these but glad to see that other companies are putting some thought into the look of their products.
 
PatriotInvasion said:
Why is this being announced close to midnight during Game 7 of the World Series? Fail. Another product destined for the Microsoft graveyard. #DOA.
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Because MS is in Seattle and the Mariners were not in the WS. </Joke>. Best I can tell MS announced it well before the start of Game 7, but who cares. I woke up and discovered MS has a potentially decent activity band and that the Giants won the WS. The only loser here is the Royals. (Sorry, KC fans, I was rooting for your guys. I feel your pain).

I suspect you wouldn't care if MS launched this on a live TV ad spot during the WS, you just want to diss the product w/o any further consideration b/c it is MS branded.
 
smoledman said:
I feel like I'm in some unreality bubble watching all these fashion people GUSHING about the Apple Watch and I'm thinking, "really, this thing is so clunky and plain looking". WTF are these people smoking?
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You should ask yourself that. :cool:

Every one of your posts doesn't show even a shed of taste, just a normal geek complex that think they know everything. And now you're even criticizing others who live and die by taste? :rolleyes:
 
Tell Time?

Serious question - I'm assuming this tells time? I'm in the market for a new digital watch and would like to also get rid of my Jawbone.
 
Anim said:
I wanted to see what the 10 sensors were, the official list is:

  1. Optical heart rate sensor
  2. 3-axis accelerometer/gyro
  3. Gyrometer
  4. GPS
  5. Ambient light sensor
  6. Skin temperature sensor
  7. UV sensor
  8. Capacitive sensor
  9. Galvanic skin response
  10. Microphone
Click to expand...

And people actually pay money to buy this and then wear it day and night (nice with that sweaty plastic band on your wrist). With a microphone, a GPS, a gyroscope and a hart rate monitor... wow.

The NSA must be laughing their asses off; who'd have thought that in 2014 people would actually be paying money to be monitored 24/7.
 
Much more useful and functional than that joke of a watch Apple is showing off.

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Frazzle said:
And people actually pay money to buy this and then wear it day and night (nice with that sweaty plastic band on your wrist). With a microphone, a GPS, a gyroscope and a hart rate monitor... wow.

The NSA must be laughing their asses off; who'd have thought that in 2014 people would actually be paying money to be monitored 24/7.
Click to expand...

And yet you don't worry about the sweat accumulated by your tinfoil hat.
 
payneo said:
I can see it now.

[Early workout - shoes on - Band on - steps out doors to run - looks at Band see's "Please wait...Applying updates 3 of 19...." - tosses Band in yard - goes for run!]
Click to expand...

People keep hammering this ridiculous point that Windows get updates too often as if OS X didn't do the exact same thing.
The notification from App Store always covers the upper right part of my screen. My only options are to install and reboot immediately or open App Store to get rid of it. If I don't want to install right now I have to open and quit App Store every time the notification pops up.
If I do install and relaunch it usually takes only a day or two before I get a new non-dismissible notification about a new update.
So please, stop claiming Windows update is worse than OS X sw update
 
I want all of my GPS watch info and the ability to skip tracks. For cycling, this is important so I don't have to ever get the phone out because it is a total bear when the phone is in a protective hard case (for rain and when I "decide" to take the mountain bike off trail.) I need a portal to my phone. It doesn't appear that this will work for my needs.
 
malexandria said:
That was a pretty solid MP3 player. Really liked the design and interface. MS usually sticks with stuff until they get it right, was surprised they bailed so quickly.
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I agree it was great. Yet people feel it was crap compared to apple devices that don't even have an option to cue up music in a now playing playlist. :rolleyes:
 
blahblah100 said:
Why is it ironic that Microsoft will 'probably' sell more of these to iOS users than Windows Phone users? In 2008, do you think more Mac users were buying the iPhone than Windows users? What about the iPod in 2005?

Intelligent people pick the best product that will meet their needs for the given situation, regardless of the logo. Only idiots buy a product simply because they have some weird self-made love fest with the company that makes it.
Click to expand...

Well, my point was that things like this are usually built and sold to leverage more sales of smart phones, or at least to retain ecosystem users.

I think that, should this device have success it will be because people who would never even think of buying a Windows phone would buy them.
 
I actually really like this. I like some of the extra sensors it has. I think it will give better exercise insights, which is really what I want.

I wonder if the :apple:Watch has any features that have not been advertised yet. The back of it has what looks like 4 different sensors... maybe it does more? Maybe it does some of the things that this band is advertising?

I'm tempted to just go ahead and buy this band, but at the same time, I sort of want/hope the :apple:Watch can do more biometrics than what they say they can.
 
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