For a while now I’ve been paying a lot more attention to my fitness by using technology. I’ve been using a Fitbit One to track my passive exercise and MSN Health & Fitness to track active exercise. All this gathered information is then collected into Microsoft HealthVault, along with other base metrics like weight and blood pressure.
The Microsoft Band will expand on my current tracking, and replace some elements with better data and more coverage. Hopefully things will still synchronise with HealthVault, and I’ll be able to continue my journey to a healthier lifestyle with a new motivation tool.
I’ve only just got the Microsoft Band, so it’s going to take a little while for me to really understand where it fits into everything, but here are some initial observations:
- The size and the weight is just fine for my wrist
- The screen is just fine for normal use, even with its “low” resolution
- I decided to wear it on my left wrist, with the screen on the inside
- The GPS, heart rate, and other fitness features work really well
- I don’t think I want a notification for every email, so I’m turning that off for now
- Cortana integration is most helpful for setting reminders
- Sleep tracking seems more accurate than the with my Fitbit
- Make sure you can run the Health app in the background to enable sync
- Most importantly, the Microsoft Band works perfectly in the UK
I will get more thoughts down on the Microsoft Band in the coming weeks, but I can say this is a pretty impressive piece of equipment, and I’m really going to enjoy using it as a motivation tool.
Update…
The Microsoft Band is now available in the UK from the Microsoft Store for £170.
In my opinion it is well worth getting.