Microsoft's Band has been on the market now for over a month and during that time, I have been using the device nearly every day. So, after a month, how is the device holding up and is it still living up to the expectations of our initial review?
It's important to know how I am now using the device as it may deviate from you experience based on how you use the device. After wearing the band for about three weeks, I established what an 'average' day was for me and stopped wearing the Band in my house.
Why did I stop wearing it in my house? Mostly because I am usually at my computer working and the Band is not comfortable to use while typing. I tried to get used to it during the three weeks but time and time again, I found myself taking it off as the flat face (I wear the display on the inside of my wrist) is uncomfortable and I could not adjust my typing habits.
While I stopped wearing the device inside my house, I do put the Band on every time I leave and it has replaced my watch completely. The notifications are great and the health data lets me know how far I have walked (or run) in addition to my known 'average' of steps per day.
I do charge my Band every night, regardless if the battery is close to dying or not, it's a habit that is hard to break since smartphones need to be charged each night; I plug my band in next to my phone each night.
Since reviewing the device and taking a trip to Seattle to talk to the team behind the Band, I found out that you need to calibrate the device using GPS to help it get a better read of your step count. After doing this, my step count appears to be closer to that of my fitbit One.
One thing that is rather disappointing about the Band is that the software has not received any significant updates (see what updates are needed in my review) that address current usability issues like no battery % indicator unless the device is plugged in.
Also, during the past month, I have had to hard-reset my Band twice as it could not be found by my phone. I've used the Band on Windows Phone, iOS and Android and even after following the directions for un-syncing, it could not be found by iOS or Android devices on two different instances. I am aware that you do have to 'remove' the Band from the Health app before switching devices too, not quite sure what caused this issue to happen.
Despite my issues, I still do like the Band and wear it daily when I leave the house. The software needs to be updated to fix the bug that causes the device to no longer connect to my phone and a few enhancements would go a long way with the device.
At $199, I still think the device offers a good value, not a great one, but one that is good enough to keep an eye on this device. With a couple of solid software updates, the Band will be a much better companion and one that you can relay on to work when you need it most.
11 Comments - Add comment