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Microsoft Band

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Re: Microsoft Band

#371

Post by logfromblammo »

curiousDog wrote: post #30

Wow, this actually looks fantastic. Microsoft has always killed it in the hardware department. Looks like it connects to their cloud service as well. Will probably consider getting one.

Past performance is not indicative of future results.

While MS has built a reputation for solid build quality on its peripherals, they are not immune to the race to the bottom. If you liked your old MS Intellimouse, for instance, it would be wise to check the date of manufacture before buying another.

This affects more than just Microsoft. Other brands have changed ownership, or changed manufacturing facilities, but kept the same trademarks. Or items with the same advertised model number could now be manufactured in multiple facilities, to the same nominal minimum standard, but widely varying actual performance. I'll leave it to you to do your own research, but LCD display panels and SD cards are a particularly obvious example of this.

If Microsoft wants me to trust its hardware like I once did, it doesn't need to actually open a new manufacturing facility in Washington under the burning eye of its QC employees, but it would at least have to be embarrassingly open about it manufacturing process. I simply don't trust anyone to build quality for the mass market any more.

I'm not saying companies don't build quality anymore, but you can't just trust a brand. You have to do your research on each new model, every time.

Re: Microsoft Band

#372

Post by jader201 »

cyanbane wrote: post #369

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 woul…

I thought most people wear their watch on the opposite wrist?

Re: Microsoft Band

#373

Post by perseusprime »

cyanbane wrote: post #369

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 woul…

I actually think it is a great idea because I don't want to stop wearing my stainless steel watch on the only premium part - wrist. Most right handed people wear their watch on their left hand and it is a hard habit to break. In that way, it is good that I can wear this band on my left hand.

Re: Microsoft Band

#375

Post by boyaka »

dingaling wrote: post #126
bhauer wrote: post #101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've been using wireless charging for nearly two years on my Lumia 920. And for the past year, my wife's Lumia Icon has been doing the same. I picked up a couple more charging plates when she switched to Windows Phone. Now that I've used wireless charging, I'll never go back. Connecting wires to charge is so 2012. I want my Surface Pro to charge wirelessly. And my Tesla Model S (well, that is, if I had one).

One benefit of old-school wired charging is that I can still use the device in a normal orientation whilst it is charging, so long as the cable is long enough. Do you find that wireless charging prevents that? I assume the fevice has to lie flat on the plate somewhere near a power outlet.

Although battery swapping has obvious disadvantages such as requiring a power cycle and fumbling with the battery and a battery cover (as well as your external charger), it certainly beats wired/wireless charging in this aspect in that it provides immediate usage, not tethered to a wire or a charging plate.

Re: Microsoft Band

#376

Post by bhauer »

dingaling wrote: post #126
bhauer wrote: post #101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've been using wireless charging for nearly two years on my Lumia 920. And for the past year, my wife's Lumia Icon has been doing the same. I picked up a couple more charging plates when she switched to Windows Phone. Now that I've used wireless charging, I'll never go back. Connecting wires to charge is so 2012. I want my Surface Pro to charge wirelessly. And my Tesla Model S (well, that is, if I had one).

One benefit of old-school wired charging is that I can still use the device in a normal orientation whilst it is charging, so long as the cable is long enough. Do you find that wireless charging prevents that? I assume the fevice has to lie flat on the plate somewhere near a power outlet.

I have a couple flat charging plates and on my desk, I use the angled plate [1]. That said, I don't actually use my phone all that much while it's on a charging plate.

But as others have pointed out, when you have wireless charging plates at your home and office, you'll routinely just drop your phone on a plate just as peers will drop theirs on a their desk. You'll find your phone is more often at full charge. I've only fully-drained the battery a handful of times (much use while away from any charging, wires included) and observed it in battery-saver mode another handful.

I would say a wireless-charging device with ample charging plates (say, 3 or 4) gives you a blissful ignorance of battery life. It's analogous to the bliss I had when I drove an electric car—contrary to conventional wisdom I found that electric cars create range bliss rather than range anxiety. Every time you leave your home for the day, the car is at full capacity. You never have to plan a visit to a refilling station. With a wirelessly-charged phone, I scarcely look at my phone's battery indicator; it's just not an issue.

And just to be as clear as possible, you can still connect a traditional micro USB cord to charge these phones if that's all you have handy.

[1] http://www.microsoft.com/en/mobile/accessory/dt-910/

Re: Microsoft Band

#377

Post by phreeza »

meta wrote: post #347
darklajid wrote: post #215

- Click on 'Buy' - See 'you need a store to find out the right size' (reasonable) - Click on 'Find store' - Notice 'Only available in the US' - Close tab. Fail.

I was wondering if anyone had information about this. It looks like it ties to Microsoft HealthVault. That is not available in Canada. It appears (from the outside) that MS sold the "rights" to HealthVault to Telus, whom did absolute nothing with it. Does anyone know, is that the right read of the situation? Can MS ever offer HealthVault to Canada or will we have to hope that Telus will? Also, to the people below. As…

ugh, I wasn't even thinking that far. That is unfortunate.

Re: Microsoft Band

#378

Post by skc »

Smirnoff wrote: post #122
legohead wrote: post #114

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'd barely call the iWatch a watch. It fails at what makes a watch a watch -- being able to tell time immediately. The iWatch display is off most of the time to conserve battery.

iWatch lights up the second you raise/twist your hand to look at the time -- that's pretty much immediately for me.

That's interesting but it implies I cannot tell the time if my arms are at rest on a table or say, hovered over my keyboard.

Re: Microsoft Band

#379

Post by imajoo »

nilkn wrote: post #68
gelatocar wrote: post #18

Do you wear it on the inside of your wrist? Otherwise wouldn't the display be sideways?

It looks like the display is meant to be facing outward from the bottom side of your wrist (i.e., down, if you put out your arms straight in front of you). A lot of the videos show people just flipping their wrist around to correctly orient the display. It's a little unusual but doesn't really seem like it'd be any sort of issue to me. My only concern would be scratching the display.

Zagg has those film screen protectors for this too.

Re: Microsoft Band

#380

Post by darthg0d »

darklajid wrote: post #240
darthg0d wrote: post #222

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is an order online link just below the 'Find Store'. Check it out.

Right. If you click that you're allowed to select your US state to ship to. Did you check that? It's entirely possible that I miss some hidden 'enable international shipping' incantation here, but I doubt that at this point. The checkout form doesn't seem to include any of that and the very MS store front page lists the band as 'US only', just as I stated above. Why? I .. fail to come up with an answer for that. I wa…

I guess even the online purchase is restricted to US. Did not check that. My bad. On the bright side, I'm sure it will be internationally available in a few months.
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