Manufacturer Microsoft | ||
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Type Smart band (with smartwatch, and activity tracker/fitness tracker features) Release date October 30, 2014 (2014-10-30) (USA)
April 15, 2015 (2015-04-15) (UK) Introductory price $199 (USA)
£169.99 (UK) Discontinued October 4, 2016 (2016-10-04) Display Capacitive 1.4" TFT full color display | ||
Microsoft Band is a smart band with smartwatch and activity tracker/fitness tracker features, created and developed by Microsoft. It was announced on October 29, 2014. The Microsoft Band incorporated fitness tracking and health-oriented capabilities and integrated with Windows Phone, iOS, and Android smartphones through a Bluetooth connection. On October 3, 2016, Microsoft stopped sales and development of the line of devices.
Contents
History
The Microsoft Band was announced by Microsoft on October 29, 2014 and released in limited quantities in the US the following day. The Band was initially sold exclusively on the Microsoft Store's website and retail locations; due to its unexpected popularity, it was sold out on the first day it was released and was in short supply over the 2014 holiday shopping season.
Production was ramped up in March 2015 to increase availability, several months after the release of Android Wear but ahead of the Apple Watch. Availability was expanded in the USA to include retailers Amazon, Best Buy, and Target. On April 15, 2015, the Microsoft Band was released in the UK priced at £169.99 and available for purchase through Microsoft Store, or from select partners.
Features
The Microsoft band incorporates 10 sensors, though only eight are documented on Microsoft's product page:
- Optical heart rate monitor
- Three-axis accelerometer
- Gyrometer
- GPS
- Microphone
- Ambient light sensor
- Galvanic skin response sensors
- UV sensor
- Skin temperature sensor
- Capacitive sensor
The Band's battery can run for two days on a full charge, and the device partially relies on its companion app Microsoft Health, which is available for operating systems beginning with Windows Phone 8.1, Android 4.3+, and iOS 7.1+, if Bluetooth is enabled.
Despite being designed as a fitness tracker, the Band has numerous smartwatch-like features, such as built in apps (called tiles) like Exercise, UV, Alarm & Timer, Calls, Messages, Calendar, Facebook, Weather and more.
The Band will work with any Windows Phone 8.1 device. If paired with a device running Windows Phone 8.1 Update 1, Cortana is also available (where supported), although for some features it is still necessary to use the phone directly. This Update 1 is included with the Lumia Denim firmware for Microsoft Lumia phones. Users can also view their latest notifications on their phone by using the Notifications Center Tile.
The device functions as a way to promote Microsoft software and license it to developers and OEMs.