Ahead of Apple Watch, Microsoft beefs up its Band with new cycling trackers, blood oxygen calculator

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Comments

  • Reply 21 of 33
    jbdragonjbdragon Posts: 2,311member
    I just don't like the look of the Microsoft fitness watch thingamajig. The long narrow flat look just doesn't work for me. I'm not going to knock it. I'm sure it's great for those that like it and that's really all that matters. Buy what you like. Good to see Microsoft still supporting it with new capabilities.
  • Reply 22 of 33
    MacProMacPro Posts: 19,728member
    dasanman69 wrote: »
    Almost 8 months ago is not 'awhile ago'. Though it was rumored there was no official word. It's more of a ripoff of the Fitbit than the Apple Watch.

    Eight months in the technology field is more than a while! I stand by what I said.
  • Reply 23 of 33
    paul94544paul94544 Posts: 1,027member
    Microsoft will be successful but it's changing from an OS company into a services company away from windows and office monopoly it had into a much more competitive sector with players like hp, Ibm, Amazon and Google

    https://techpinions.com/microsoft-is-sorta-doomed/36606
  • Reply 24 of 33
    dasanman69dasanman69 Posts: 13,002member
    Eight months in the technology field is more than a while! I stand by what I said.

    It's not enough time to develop a device, and then announce it.
  • Reply 25 of 33
    adonissmu wrote: »
    Ripoff in terms of price and it looks. It looks like a fit bit or a fuel band.... For $199 a Pebble or Moto Watch seems like a better buy. 
    That is totally depending on your need. With GPS and all its sensors plus being light weight this is a far better fitness watch than Moto Watch or Pebble. To me this is more of a competitor to a classic fitness watch than a smartwatch. For an avid runner this seems a good alternative if you do not need all the extras the Apple Watch offers.
  • Reply 26 of 33
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Rogifan View Post



    One thing about ?Watch that I like is Apple isn't superficially trying to make it look like a traditional watch. Jony Ive said it doesn't make sense to compare a traditional watch to the functionality and capabilities of ?Watch. I think the idea that someone who wears expensive traditional watches will give them up for a cheap Android Wear watch that tries to look like a traditional watch with a round display and skeuomorphic traditional watch face is laughable. And now that Android Wear OEMs are all rushing to do round they're just going to be a sea of sameness especially with 3rd party watch faces where everyone can have the same copywrited Tag, Rolex, Omega, etc. watch face. And if you chose a non-traditional watch face the watch will look just as dorky as some think ?Watch looks.



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  • Reply 27 of 33
    cnocbuicnocbui Posts: 3,613member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by digitalclips View Post





    Eight months in the technology field is more than a while! I stand by what I said.

     

    Quote:
    Originally Posted by digitalclips View Post





    Ask the question ... Had Apple never announced way back it was going to make an ?Watch, would Microsoft and the rest of the copycats gone down this road? Had Apple announced they were going to make a health necklace or a hearing aid with Siri in your ear, I am sure they'd all have them ... image

     

    The Microsoft Band was announced a month and a bit after the ?Watch.  Quite obviously it's conception and development pre-date the ?Watch announcement.  Which devices were you referring to as 'rest of the copycats'?

     

    Pebble  2011

    Sony Smartwatch 12-4-2012

    Sony Smartwatch 2  25-6-2013

    Samsung Galaxy Gear   25-9-2013

    Samsung Gear Fit  24-2-2014

    Moto 360  18-3-2014

    Samsung Gear 2  11-4-2014

    LG G Watch  25-6-2014

    Samsung Gear Live  25-6-2014

    Samsung Gear S  28-8-2014

    Apple Watch  9-9-2014

    Microsoft Band 29-10-2014

  • Reply 28 of 33
    idreyidrey Posts: 647member
    cnocbui wrote: »

    The Microsoft Band was announced a month and a bit after the ?Watch.  Quite obviously it's conception and development pre-date the ?Watch announcement.  Which devices were you referring to as 'rest of the copycats'?

    Pebble  2011

    Sony Smartwatch 12-4-2012

    Sony Smartwatch 2  25-6-2013

    Samsung Galaxy Gear   25-9-2013

    Samsung Gear Fit  24-2-2014

    Moto 360  18-3-2014

    Samsung Gear 2  11-4-2014

    LG G Watch  25-6-2014

    Samsung Gear Live  25-6-2014

    Samsung Gear S  28-8-2014

    Apple Watch  9-9-2014
    Microsoft Band 29-10-2014

    Well Apple didn't official announced the ?Watch until 9/9/2014 but the rumors of the watch and the patents were around before all of these smart watches came out to the market. As soon as ?Watch patents were made public everyone rush to beat Apple to the market. Did not work very well in my opinion
  • Reply 29 of 33
    MacProMacPro Posts: 19,728member
    idrey wrote: »
    Well Apple didn't official announced the ?Watch until 9/9/2014 but the rumors of the watch and the patents were around before all of these smart watches came out to the market. As soon as ?Watch patents were made public everyone rush to beat Apple to the market. Did not work very well in my opinion

    Exactly, Apple telegraphed it way before the official launch, heck it was a major topic on AI.

    Let's be clear, this listing of other smart watches is a rerun of the anti iPhone arguments when people list all the 'smart phones' that predated iPhone. Thus trying to diminish the iPhone's status for some reason. Like the iPhone the ?Watch is a paradigm shift and everything else that follows from other manufacturers is no longer what they would have made without Apple's example.
  • Reply 30 of 33
    usb-usb- Posts: 22member

    I really don't think Microsoft was trying to accomplish much with the Band. For one thing, they technically never even announced it. There had been rumours going around that they were developing a smartwatch, but no one really knew what was going on until one day -BAM- hey we made this thing buy it. Add to that the fact that they left it available to work with all phone operating systems and really business-wise it doesn't make much sense. 

     

    Also, let's compare the two devices

     

    Similarities


    • Health & Fitness tracking

    • Touchscreen

    • Essential Apps (weather, email, text messaging etc)

    • Payments (Starbucks cards vs. Apple Pay)

    • Water resistant

    • Wireless charging

    • Personal Assistant (Cortana vs. Siri)

    • Tells time

    Differences:

    Apple Watch:


    • 19-hour battery life

    • Photos app

    • Maps app

    • Music app

    • Phone calls

    • Digital Touch

    • Customisable watch faces

    • Customisable watch bands

    • No built-in GPS

    • Almost-square, hi-res display

    • Force Touch

    • Meant to be worn on outside of wrist

    • Made out of high-quality metals

    • App Store

    • Works with iOS only

    • Designed to look nice

    • $349 starting price

    ?Microsoft Band:


    • 48-hour battery life

    • Built-in GPS

    • Single watch face

    • Long, rectangular display

    • Meant to be worn on inside of wrist

    • Very few apps

    • Made of plastic and rubber

    • Works with Windows Phone, Android and iOS

    • Designed to be a fitness band

    • $299 starting price

     

    So you can see, they're not really all that similar

  • Reply 31 of 33
    cnocbuicnocbui Posts: 3,613member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by idrey View Post





    Well Apple didn't official announced the ?Watch until 9/9/2014 but the rumors of the watch and the patents were around before all of these smart watches came out to the market. As soon as ?Watch patents were made public everyone rush to beat Apple to the market. Did not work very well in my opinion



    The ?Watch patent dates from July 2014, so what other Apple watch related patents were there before that one to inspire all those devices?

  • Reply 32 of 33
    idreyidrey Posts: 647member
    cnocbui wrote: »

    The ?Watch patent dates from July 2014, so what other Apple watch related patents were there before that one to inspire all those devices?

    Rumors lol
  • Reply 33 of 33
    idreyidrey Posts: 647member
    cnocbui wrote: »

    The ?Watch patent dates from July 2014, so what other Apple watch related patents were there before that one to inspire all those devices?



    With a little seriousness there is this from 2013
    http://www.smartwatchnews.org/apple-iwatch-band-patent-a-slap-bracelet/

    http://m.smh.com.au/digital-life/hometech/new-apple-patent-describes-flexible-iwatch-20130221-2ev7u.html
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