Microsoft Band Is A Multiplatform Smart Fitness & Wrist Wearable For US$199

October 30 17:40 2014 by Alexei Rivera Print This Article

Microsoft may be entering the wearable industry a little late, but what they have recently announced is almost a fully realized product. The Microsoft Band which will sell for US$199 starting tomorrow almost looks familiar – shaped like most bands and might even be mistaken for a Samsung Gear Fit with a non-curved display. Underneath though is a different beast – powered by the Microsoft Health app that supports multiple smartphone platforms and packs all of the features you would expect from a modern wearable, and then some.

Microsoft Band – US$199 (Approx PHP 9,000 without shipping and taxes)

• Smart wrist wearable & fitness tracker
• Works with Android, iOS, and Windows Phone
• Built-in GPS, Heart Rate Monitor
• Microsoft Health
  • Calorie Tracker, Sleep Tracker, Guided Workouts, Goal Settings
• Notifications & Smart Features
  • Texts, Calls, Calendar, E-mail, Twitter, Facebook Notifcations, Cortana voice recognition and AI assistant
• Works with fitness aggregator apps like Runkeeper & MyFitnessPal
• 1.4” Color Touchscreen, 2 Day Battery life on regular use, Dust & Splash resist

What’s most interesting about Microsoft’s entry is that its almost a modern smart wearable with all of the features you want. You get your notifications, voice assistant, and all of the fitness tracking you’ll need. Seems Microsoft held off on releasing one until they’ve fully baked everything they can onto the device – as opposed to some companies who’ll release a device early but with less features. We gather the only thing it needs now is more third party apps.

Of course us being in the Philippines will probably limit our access to this product altogether. But then again, there’s a lot of smart wrist devices out there. And to be honest, it may just be prudent to wait and see which one wins.