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Microsoft Band

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Re: Microsoft Band

#361

Post by yaur »

somberi wrote: post #292
blumkvist wrote: post #285

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hey, you seem to know to be an enthusiast about fitness tracking, can you give me a quick advice? I want a fitness tracker, but I don't want the display. I want it to be lightweight and comfortable to wear, ideally wrapping around my wrist. Sweat-proof. Pedometer, accelerometer, and have decent sleep tracking. A killer feature for me for me would be measuring jumps, as in rope jumps. Does something resembling this ex…

@blumkvist. I own and use Argus (on the Iphone), FitBit and a Garmin Forerunner and in that order. The way I "teach" Argus is to first create a sample set of data and add it as an "new" exercise. In your case, I would count the number of jumps you do in a minute, obtain the calories burned online, and feed both into Argus. With Garmin afaik you cannot do that. FitBit has a funky "Steps climbed". I don't know what to…

Fitbit uses a barometer/altimeter to work out the floors climbed so in place jumping shouldn't trigger it.

Re: Microsoft Band

#362

Post by antjanus »

lhl wrote: post #335
antjanus wrote: post #302

Earlier quoted context omitted.

i never assumed it wasn't the case.

Then why would you complain about getting alerts if they can be disabled? Or are you complaining about the idea of other people being able to get alerts because you don't approve of the concept?

This is going to sound silly but here's my thing: the Band is built around receiving notifications, that means that even if you disable them, you'll still see text message icons, emails, etc. even if you can't use them.

I want to look at my watch and see "hey, you've walked 30,000 steps today", not "you know, you can check all this crap on here!".

It's the concept, and it's also that mental reminder that you MAY have notifications. I hope that makes sense!

Re: Microsoft Band

#363

Post by jacquesm »

UK-AL wrote: post #345
jacquesm wrote: post #220

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Person scaling with Azure here. It's pretty awesome and easy. And it's pretty expensive. Now, if your competitor is on an open stack and on real computers they will eventually run rings around you because they get more control and lower costs. The initial boost you're experiencing will turn into a straightjacket with a hefty pricetag over the longer term.

The biggest problem for a startup is getting out there, and getting transaction and revenue. Not penny pinching over what servers your going to use. You want to use as much pre-made stuff to give you the biggest head start as possible. When you take off, you can raise money to pay people to move you over anyway.

Choosing your tech stack with care is one of the more important choices. You're locking yourself in for years to come and mistakes can be very costly to fix. Getting transactions and revenues are obviously also important, the whole trouble with doing a start-up is that you have to do so many things right.

Re: Microsoft Band

#365

Post by HelloMcFly »

sytelus wrote: post #117

While everyone is trying to make a watch that looks as traditional as possible, Microsoft is thinking radically different for how the future watch should look likes. That's some guts. At $200 this looks like great device with built-in sensors including GPS and UV that also talks to whatever phone you own. I also like the fact that heart rate monitor is always on. Addition of barometer could have been nicer, however.…

I'm assuming the right-hand issue is because it's not meant to replace your watch.

Re: Microsoft Band

#366

Post by talles »

simi_ wrote: post #223
guylhem wrote: post #35

All the sensors + apparently a very lightweight OS + small form factor = I like it. The killing feature is the integrated GPS. As mentionned on the website, you can go without your phone. That alone could make it a buy if it supports wireless charging (I don't want to bother with wires in 2014) Also, it is multiplatform, which is a big plus. I do not want an android watch or an iwatch, but something that will work re…

It's ugly, but if I were in the market for a smartwatch/fitness tracker this might be the only one I'd bother with. As I find myself saying more and more, I love this new Microsoft. It's insane how much harm a single man can do.

What do you mean by "It's insane how much harm a single man can do"?

Re: Microsoft Band

#367

Post by maxerickson »

joosters wrote: post #284
molmalo wrote: post #217

Earlier quoted context omitted.

According to the site, "Get a quick read of the UV Index so you can decide to apply sunscreen before you hit the road."

Couldn't you just look up at the sky to answer this question?

Maybe. If they were already including a photocell, it might have been more or less free to use one that enabled this feature.

UV levels can also be counter-intuitive, where the type/amount of cloud plays into how much is blocked, or where a partly cloudy sky actually increases UV levels. Or where, using my dumb experience as an example, you forget to consider that the spring sun in Florida is more powerful than the summer sun in the north.

Re: Microsoft Band

#368

Post by at-fates-hands »

guylhem wrote: post #35

All the sensors + apparently a very lightweight OS + small form factor = I like it. The killing feature is the integrated GPS. As mentionned on the website, you can go without your phone. That alone could make it a buy if it supports wireless charging (I don't want to bother with wires in 2014) Also, it is multiplatform, which is a big plus. I do not want an android watch or an iwatch, but something that will work re…

My only beef with these "fitness bands" is their lack of being able to tell you how accurately you sleep at night. Without a heart rate monitor, there's really no way to be accurate other than to say you were restless versus laying still.

AFAIK the only product that does this is Polar's fitness band. And only because you can link their heart rate monitor to it to give you additional fitness information. I could be wrong to think they're the only one combining the two.

Re: Microsoft Band

#369

Post by cyanbane »

I wonder what considerations were taking for wearing this device while using a mouse. Most people are right handed, so this device on your right would certainly need to have a hearty outside surface I would think. It has been noted that "in front of computer" time may be "charging" time due to minor activity, but I have always thought (for me at least on the computer/mouse 5+ hours a day) an opposite hand device would be hard sell with people who use mice with that hand.

Re: Microsoft Band

#370

Post by nbuggia »

talles wrote: post #366
simi_ wrote: post #223

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's ugly, but if I were in the market for a smartwatch/fitness tracker this might be the only one I'd bother with. As I find myself saying more and more, I love this new Microsoft. It's insane how much harm a single man can do.

What do you mean by "It's insane how much harm a single man can do" ?

I assume he's referring to Steve Ballmer.
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