As if the wearable fitness band market was not congested enough. Microsoft enters waerable arena with The Microsoft Band. That’s right Microsoft just launched a health-related smart device for your wrist called The Microsoft Band. The devices is meant to be at an affordable price. That price is $199. While that is much lower entry price than the Apple Watch due out soon, it is not however lower than the Fitbit and Up’s of the fitness wearable out there. That said, The Microsoft Band packs a lot of health features in to a small device.
The Microsoft Band lets users see notifications for incoming calls, texts, emails, calendar alerts and social updates. Thanks to the Microsoft’s Health app users also can track their heart rate, steps, calorie burn and sleep quality. Microsoft says the device comes with “cutting-edge” such as built-in GPS and 24-hour heart rate monitoring.
The Microsoft Band has a 1.4-inch 320 x 106 color touchscreen display, GPS, Bluetooth 4.0 LE, dual 100mAh batteries. The Microsoft Band should last for up to 48 hours of normal use. One wonders if leaving the GPS on 24-7 counts in that estimate. The Microsoft Band should fully charged in 1.5 hours. The Microsoft Band is water-resistant not to be mistaken for water-proof. The Microsoft Band works with iOS, Android and of course Windows Phone. As a bonus if you have a Windows Phone you can use Cortana voice commands when paired to your phone.