The new app has a tiled (similar to Windows 8.1 and Windows Phone live tiles) heart against the same purple background. No longer does the white outline of the Microsoft Band appear against a purple background. This addition is a welcome feature for those who may be cautiously trying out the tracking aspects of Microsoft Health without committing to a $200US purchase or who are waiting for a v2 of the device.Īnother understated update to the app is the visual change represented in the logo. The new update enabled the app to tap into Windows 8.1 devices that support SensorCore technology. Lastly, for anyone who has yet to buy a Microsoft Band, they can use their phones as step and calorie counter. Microsoft Health users will also notice some of the subtle visual changes to the insights layout in the app. This addition is inline with many fitness tracking sites and devices like the Fitbit, Fuelband and Endomondo activity tracker. Now Band users can track and compare the stats of friends as well as their own. The Microsoft Health platform also added competitive rankings and stats to the health dashboard. Microsoft Band users no longer have to set their band manually for sleep monitoring. The update does indeed include changes to sleep tracking. It responds quickly to swipes and taps, but if you were hoping for a brand new look to go with the new hardware you'll be left disappointed.Today, that update hit the Windows Phone Store and online web service. The interface is mostly unchanged, with a series of simple icons representing messages, emails, calls, exercise, weather, alarms, sleep tracking and more, depending on what you’ve enabled through the companion app. It also ignores your phone’s quiet hours or Do Not Disturb modes the Band itself has its own Do Not Disturb mode, but it’s annoying it doesn’t recognise this automatically. Pressing the Action button will display each word onscreen in quick succession, letting you read more of the headline, but mails are still truncated and there’s no connection between phone and band in terms of syncing dismiss all notifications on your wrist and they will still be unread on your handset, regardless of operating system. You can also enable other notifications, including Facebook alerts, Twitter notifications, and any other apps you want to send messages straight to your wrist. When paired via Bluetooth, the haptic motor vibrates and the screen illuminates every time you get an email, text message or call. Notifications are a big part of any wearable, and the Band 2 is no different. It doesn’t work with Siri or Google Now, so it’s kind of a useless addition for iOS and Android owners. The first major firmware update for the Band 2 also added music controls, a feature that users had been crying out for - this works across platforms, not just Windows Phone. The microphone is only really useful for Windows Phone users, as you can’t use Cortana voice control when you’re paired to an iPhone or Android handset. This will be a real shame for swimmers, as they won’t be able to use it to track their favourite form of exercise. However, the holes required for the Barometer and integrated microphone to function means the Band isn’t waterproof – just splash resistant. The Band 2 improves on this count with a Barometer for tracking elevation. The original band was one of the most feature-packed wearables around, sensors included optical heart rate, ambient light, UV, skin temperature and galvanic skin response, plus a 3-axis accelerometer and GPS, among others. It certainly feels like a more premium product, which is crucial if Microsoft wants it to compete with the Apple Watch or any Android Wear device. There are still two physical buttons on the side, but now everything is finished in silver metal rather than plastic. With two separate parts it was always going to be thicker than other wearables, but it’s just slim enough as to not get in the way. The clasp mechanism hasn’t changed much either, but it is larger than before to make room for the second battery, UV sensor and charging pins. This means the strap is much more flexible, so it’s more comfortable all round. The second battery returns, but it’s now built into the clasp rather than the rubber strap.
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