Alleged Renders Of Microsoft Band 2 Leak Ahead Of Launch

Megalith

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We won’t officially see it until next month, but Microsoft’s successor to the Band looks to feature a curved display. How are you owners of the original band liking it?

MicrosoftInsider.es reportedly got its hand on some renders of the Microsoft Band 2, codenamed 'Envoy'. The device will reportedly feature a curved display which will hopefully solve the issues many users have been facing. The design is more or less similar to the original Band but it does have a premium look. The device also features a metallic finish front panel as well as two physical buttons on the side.
 
"Optical Heart Rate Monitor"

So basically they're saying it's going to be absolutely useless for measuring your heart rate during exercise unless you're doing some very low impact activity like riding a bike.
 
"Optical Heart Rate Monitor"

So basically they're saying it's going to be absolutely useless for measuring your heart rate during exercise unless you're doing some very low impact activity like riding a bike.

I never have a problem with optical sensors for HR during intense activity (including hockey). Just have to remember to tighten it.

My biggest gripe with them is their slow processing. Even some of the best standalone opticals suffer from a 20-30 second lag in reporting.
 
I never have a problem with optical sensors for HR during intense activity (including hockey). Just have to remember to tighten it.

It might be "working" but the accuracy is questionable, and I don't mean Microsoft in particular, I mean all the optical wrist readers.

I would love to replace my chest strap HRM with something like this, but I don't see any indication it is anywhere near accurate during vigorous activity, when I actually need it most (running HIIT intervals).
 
Yup, it's not about reading, it's the accuracy. I've read quite a few studies that show those optical sensors that measure capillary flow get noticeably off.
 
We won’t officially see it until next month, but Microsoft’s successor to the Band looks to feature a curved display. How are you owners of the original band liking it?[/I]

For the most part, I do. But I'll start with what I don't.

The step tracking, sadly, is not all that accurate. It depends on your arms swinging to track steps, so steps that don't involve your arms swinging (such as hands on a cart at costco) get missed.

The heart rate... I don't know if it's accurate or not, honestly. I need to get a polar meter and compare the two over an hour of elliptical or bike riding. I don't think it's accurate at all during non-exercise periods (mine seems to say I'm at a constant 71 BPM even 2 minutes after a workout).

The charging method kinda bites and it's tough to get an accurate percentage of how much it's actually charged. 0-80% charging takes about an hour. 80-100% takes about another hour. Once you drop below 50%, the battery drops QUICK. There's not a lot of notice when it's about to be out of battery, so I've noticed that whatever workout I'm about to do, I need to have it charged to 80% before starting.

It's not durable enough. The screen itself doesn't pickup scratches, but the plastic that borders the screen does. Easily. The vinyl covering over the battery can come off if sweat gets under it. The rubber of the band doesn't make me think it'll last longer than a year (I'm actually on my second one - the Microsoft store was really great about replacing it with no questions asked, with no extended warranty purchased). It's not waterproof. So I have to be careful when I'm doing dishes, and workout tracking whilst swimming is out.

That's all the bad. The good is that it's replaced my watch. I like watch mode (even if it does kill the battery). The light buzz on my wrist every time I have an email, text, or facebook message is great. Cortana integration is decent (and I think it'll get better). Run and bike tracking are the best I've seen in any fitness device I've used.

I have pretty bad sleep apnea (though treated), so the sleep tracking is really useful to me (and more accurate with better info than the fitbit I used to have).

In all 6/10, would recommend, but just barely. I bought it, knowing it was barely market ready. But I'm a big Microsoft fan (Windows 10 tester, Windows Phone, Xbox 360, Xbone, etc), so I had no problem with that.

I am REALLY looking forward to seeing what happens with the second gen. I have a good amount of faith that all the issues I have with the first will be solved in the second. I won't buy it on launch day, but probably soon after.
 
My Girlfriend loves hers. I find it a bit bulky, but it still is stylish and functions well. The most useful and under appreciated feature on it is the UV monitor.
 
Love mine, I got the Armorsuit Screen and body protector for it which kept it fairly unscathed. I just had to send mine in for replacement. I miss getting notifications on my band, and being able to do quick replies to texts without having to reach for my phone in meetings.

Hopefully they will make the contacts less prone to failure.
 
I owned one for a week and decided I hate devices that need to be charged often. I also found it slow and un-intuitive. I went with the Garmin Vivofit 2 and haven't looked back. It's not in the same league as the Band, but for basic step/sleep tracking, waterproof, always on display, and only need to change batteries once a year, I'll take it. I never take it off, shower, swimming, anything.
 
I owned one for a week and decided I hate devices that need to be charged often. I also found it slow and un-intuitive. I went with the Garmin Vivofit 2 and haven't looked back. It's not in the same league as the Band, but for basic step/sleep tracking, waterproof, always on display, and only need to change batteries once a year, I'll take it. I never take it off, shower, swimming, anything.

The charging part is the only thing that I am concerned about. I'm getting it to not only monitor my steps throughout the day, connect to my phone for things, running tracking, but also sleep. If I'm monitoring my sleep, there isn't going to be much charging time.

How long does it take to charge this thing? If I can do it when I wake up (6:00am) and then grab it and go to work an hour later, would that be enough?

If this thing comes in at the same $199 launch price, I'll pick it up early November. Last year it was sold out, even in the Microsoft store on campus... Everybody wanted one. I can get the old one for $179 now (Amazon), but I can wait a couple weeks to see the new one! It seems to be the best one for everything I want it to do and then some.
 
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