#Microsoft band 2 sleep tracker plus#

The Band has GPS and heart rate plus my weight and age (170 lbs, 47). I wore the Band on myleft wrist, a Polar FT7 on my right (plus chest strap, obviously), and to add a bit of spice turned on GPS and Endomondo on the HTC ONE phone. I went on a run around Denver’s Stapleton neighborhood Three nights ago, more or less a 10K as my daughter kicked around at the Bladium. I have data as well as anecdotal evidence for this. But it’s not as accurate as a chest strap. But I live in Denver, where one doesn’t need a UV sensor to tell one to sunscreen up between dawn and dusk.) (The most shaky seems to be the UV sensor, whose utility I question anyway. But ultimately the good vastly outweighs the shaky. I’ve read a bunch of reviews and all the reviewers, doing their jobs, did find fault. Comfortable enough to sleep in, not too large, clasp as magnificent (if less neck-saving) as my Shimano mountain-biking clips, vibrates with incoming phone calls and texts before my phone hints at intrusion, sleep tracking is pretty cool, the app and Web interfaces are deep and interesting… in all hard to complain. This post is about heart rate monitoring accuracy, but before I go on, the Band 2 is quite a remarkable bit of technology. I’d looked at the Band 1 a year ago and was a bit scared off by its extreme flatness the Band 2 has a nice arch. Stay tuned for more.I bought Microsoft Band 2 a few weeks back ($200). This new Band has so many sensors and integrates with so many different apps that it might just be the most feature-filled activity-tracking wristband out there, so until we see what it actually tells us, we won't be able to say what its true value is.

This new Band shows improvements both in design and in capabilities.Īs with all of these early-stage health trackers, the real value proposition is not what they track, but what they can tell you about yourself. Microsoft has thrown in everything but the kitchen sinkīut the thing was unattractive and clunky, something that became only slightly more understandable when Microsoft said it was licensing its platform to other hardware makers. You could go running with the Band without your phone, and the Health app would later show you where you ran and even break down your run into fast and slow segments. The Band was packed with sensors, let you pay for Starbucks from your wrist, and was even useful when not tethered to a phone (not many wrist-wearables offer GPS without a phone in tow).

#Microsoft band 2 sleep tracker software#

The original Microsoft Band was introduced last fall, and along with it, Microsoft Health, a software platform for all of the data that the activity-tracker recorded. Microsoft has thrown in everything but the kitchen sink. But, considering features like voice integration and support for apps like Uber, RunKeeper, Starbucks, Subway and Twitter, it is definitely a kind of hybrid device, a smartwatch that doesn't want to be a smartwatch. It records metrics like VO2 max, normally found in watches for serious athletes, and even includes automatic shot detection for golf. Microsoft says the Band is meant for both seasoned athletes and people who are just looking to improve their daily health and fitness routines. The new Band is available for pre-order today, and costs $249 - $50 more than the starting price of last year's Band.

#Microsoft band 2 sleep tracker android#

It works with iOS, Android and, of course, Microsoft Windows Phone devices. Like last year's Band, it offers GPS, heart rate, calorie and sleep tracking, guided workouts and smart notifications. The new Band also has a barometer, to measure elevation for hiking and stair-climbing. It now has Cortana integration - if you miss a workout, Cortana will remind you (which could be both awesome and annoying). The new one looks sleeker than last year's Band, with a curved, touch-sensitive OLED display coated in Gorilla Glass 3.

Microsoft's newest wearable is called Microsoft Band, the same name as last year's activity-tracker. A new Surface and new Lumia smartphones might be what everyone was waiting to hear about at today's Microsoft event, but the company made it clear it's still chugging along in another area: wearables.