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Microsoft Band

microsoft.com

181–190 of 534 posts

Re: Microsoft Band

#181
Am I the only one who thinks the screen orientation is totally off? When you have it on your wrist, you cannot look at it without having your arm in a totally awkward position.

Re: Microsoft Band

#182

The battery lasts for two days http://www.microsoft.com/microsoft-band/en-us/support/hardwa...

"For example, if you receive many notifications or run with GPS turned on, you’ll need to charge the band more often." A smartphone can go 48 hours if you turn off all the radios too. The 48-hour claim seems mostly meaningless to me.

> A smartphone can go 48 hours if you turn off all the radios too.

My Lumia 1520 goes for longer than 48 hours, with all the radios ON.

Re: Microsoft Band

#183

Am I the only one who thinks the screen orientation is totally off? When you have it on your wrist, you cannot look at it without having your arm in a totally awkward position.

Not if you have the screen on the underside of your wrist.

Re: Microsoft Band

#184

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yep definitely a fad. I used up band religiously for a year couple of years when it came out. After a while I got sick of one more thing to keep track of, was just too overbearing. I see a counter trend where technology becomes invisible, fades into background and still works for us instead of being in out faces all the time. Smartphones, smart glasses, smart watches everything that wants a piece of our attention is…

I completely agree with you, I like the concept of "disappearing technology" because just about anything I want to do is somehow stupidly tied to a device with a screen. It's annoying. With that said, one of the main things I wish I could have during my workouts is something to track what I do without me having to manually input it. So, if it can count the number of reps I do, sweet. If it can count how many steps I…

It looks like you'd have the ability to control/turn off all the notifications you don't want. Why would you assume that wouldn't be the case? http://www.microsoft.com/Microsoft-Band/en-us/support/phone-...

Re: Microsoft Band

#187
Can it (or could it be made to in future iterations) record the sort of data used to produce the output of an ECG (echocardiogram)? That would be quite the application for people with actual or high risk for hear disease, I think?

Re: Microsoft Band

#188
post #166

I certainly would not want a bracelet that tracks so much information from a corporation that is known to cooperate with the NSA. The bracelets they force repeat sex offenders to wear track less information about them. The only way I would consider using such a device was if both the hardware and software were available for public review.

I'll be happy to share my data with Microsoft or NSA for that matter, I'm pretty sure nobody there cares how I spend my days, and I don't think they're interested in your days either...

Earlier this month Glenn Greenwald gave an excellent talk on "Why privacy matters" that maybe might convince you that your privacy actually is important: http://www.ted.com/talks/glenn_greenwald_why_privacy_matters

Re: Microsoft Band

#189
post #128

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I can't figure basis out. So much potential. They should be crushing the market.

Yes, I thought so, too, but they suck at material choices and ergonomics. Also, they don't have an API. Since Intel bought them, Basis Peak seems to look and feel better, but where's the API? Anyway, Microsoft just made a no brainer to decide - they offer everything that everybody else has (except pulse oximetry that Amiigo was supposed to have - not sure if they delivered it) and much more at the same price.

I've had a B1 for 1.5yrs. They've promised a public API since before that time, but it still doesn't exist. In fact, I have a hard time thinking of any features they've added this entire time (in fact it's terrible as a watch since you can't set the time/time zone except via the web and after a full data sync, making it often useless if you travel much).

I finally got the Amiigo a couple months ago - I didn't see SpO2 stats detailed. It was actually pretty underwhelming - the Amiigo doesn't have the promised API/SDK either. The MS Band's sensor suite is better (GSR, skin temp), it's just too bad it's not waterproof.

Re: Microsoft Band

#190

Finally a Microsoft product that isn't stupidly handcuffed to their ecosystem. Microsoft has amazing engineers still, and they must be frustrated that they aren't allowed to produce the best device they can, regardless of os. I hope for their sake this thing does well.

> Finally This isn't 'finally'. This 'new Microsoft' has been doing this for a while.

Visual Studio doesn't seem to install correctly on my Ubuntu box.
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