[BAND] Major update incoming?

Suggs68

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I had heard some rumors from a few friends at Microsoft that a major update was going to hit before the Apple Watch releases, but can't get any specifics or even confirmation. Has anyone heard anything? Supposedly among other things, the update was going to be to add more consistency across platforms, like adding some of the functionality WP users have to iOS and maybe Android. Things like replying to messages, Siri support etc. I do love my band. Had it since launch day, and haven't had any issues with it. GPS is super accurate and its very stable. Adding Siri support and especially the ability to both reply to messages and 2-way dismissal of alerts would be huge. Just hoping we see something to be more competitive with the Apple Watch around app/developer support.
 

Yonic Boom

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While Siri support would be nice, I thought it was Apple--specifically the way they lock down their platform--that made that a no go for the moment.
 

mfm77

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If Microsoft makes Cortana available to iOS and Android users via an app (which apparently is in the cards), perhaps it will be able to connect with the Band somehow. That's the only way I can see something like that happen.
 

ygtgngr

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I really want to see real apps on the band even though it has limited memory I think it can work as the keyboard works (goes nd gets the data from the phone whenever it needs because it's impossible to keep whole dictionary in the band's memory) AND PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE I want a VERTICAL MODE!!!
 

anon(8555314)

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I really want to see real apps on the band even though it has limited memory I think it can work as the keyboard works (goes nd gets the data from the phone whenever it needs because it's impossible to keep whole dictionary in the band's memory) AND PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE I want a VERTICAL MODE!!!

The keyboard is fine for simple 2-3 word replies, but I wouldn't use it for more than that. I think you are wishing it to be something other than what it does really well.
 

ygtgngr

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The keyboard is fine for simple 2-3 word replies, but I wouldn't use it for more than that. I think you are wishing it to be something other than what it does really well.

No I meant band having real apps instead of notification tiles. Amd since keyboard can predict words connecting to phone storage on band won't affect app building process...
 

TechFreak1

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No I meant band having real apps instead of notification tiles. Amd since keyboard can predict words connecting to phone storage on band won't affect app building process...

Real Apps on the band? :grincry:

Define what you mean by "real apps" lol...
 

J4rrod

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I really want to see real apps on the band even though it has limited memory I think it can work as the keyboard works (goes nd gets the data from the phone whenever it needs because it's impossible to keep whole dictionary in the band's memory) AND PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE I want a VERTICAL MODE!!!


A) you really want to look at Instagram on a 1 inch screen? Maybe they could allow you to see last few tweets or Facebook posts, maybe, but most apps would be useless and just a novelty on a band/watch.

B) I can see why you'd ask foe vertical mode, but besides scrolling through the Start Strip, it would be about useless. Text wouldn't be able to displace being the main thing.
 

poit57

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I would define "real apps" as something that can run when not connected to a phone, as opposed to notification tiles.

It seems to me that this would not be possible with current Band hardware as you would need cellular connectivity for SMS or wi-fi for things like email. I don't see how the current hardware would be able to do any of this without connecting to a phone.
 

Suggs68

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Even Apple's watch will require cell connection for most of the apps, so I don't think the lack of a cellular requirement is a good definition of a real app. We can at least run/bike with the band and get the full GPS activity, which the Apple watch can't do. I would like to see more apps though, or at the very least parity between platforms, like message reply, keyboard, etc supported on iOS as well as WP.
 

PepperdotNet

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Let me clarify. Something that doesn't require connection to the phone, such as a world time clock app that tells you the time in multiple zones (just grasping here, I had a much better idea this morning but forgot what it was). Such an app would use inbuilt functionality of the Band but need no external connection. I suppose anything that launches or interfaces with an app or something else in the phone and tells it to do something might qualify as well. Such as a tile that when pressed, sends a text to Mommy that says "I'm lost" along with a link to the Find my Phone page.
 

mkg3

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I really don't need Band to do all the smart watch functions. The current level of notification is more than adequate. Do I really want to reply from Band - No.

If MS is going to update the Band's capabilities, I much rather see the unused (for the end user) sensors activated and provide a value. Things like body temperature, Galvanic Skin Response for stress levels and so on.

If all MS is going to do is to try to say up with what Apple Watch does, then get the Apple Watch. The thing that makes Band unique is not what all other smart watches can do, rather the unique sensor integration into a fitness band.
 

Kronus24

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I really don't need Band to do all the smart watch functions. The current level of notification is more than adequate. Do I really want to reply from Band - No.

If MS is going to update the Band's capabilities, I much rather see the unused (for the end user) sensors activated and provide a value. Things like body temperature, Galvanic Skin Response for stress levels and so on.

If all MS is going to do is to try to say up with what Apple Watch does, then get the Apple Watch. The thing that makes Band unique is not what all other smart watches can do, rather the unique sensor integration into a fitness band.

Indeed that's there plan, with those extra sensors they would be able to figure out dehydration and even what mood you are in as well. The implications of those things van make a big difference in ones helth special when you thin about elderly and tracking there location, hr, if there happy/sad, etc, dehydration, etc a lot of possibility.
 

TechFreak1

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I would define "real apps" as something that can run when not connected to a phone, as opposed to notification tiles.

Personally I don't there would be many given the size of the screen and not many would be able to efficiently use the brilliant on-screen keyboard.

I think with the advent of smartphones and now wearables the distinction between full fledged Win32 Applications and Lite applications (or "Modern / Metro Apps") has become blurred.

So please elaborate, what would be the use case for "real applications" on the Microsoft Band? :)

I am genuinely intrigued and believe that this a topic that should be debated, as the information age has evolved from hardwired desktops into the era of internet of things with an insane array of computational devices; which all essentially serve the purpose of sending & relaying information. Whether people like it or not data is now a commodity that is divided and sold hence why Carriers have slowly transitioned away from unlimited data tariffs.

Anyway this is best left for another thread as this topic is about the update to Microsoft band, which brings me back to my question - what would be the use case for "real applications" on the Microsoft Band? :)
 

nmercy

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A real app examples might be along the lines of plotting out your course on your phone, uploading it to your watch and then whenever you have to make a turn, go the wrong way, etc... it vibrates so you know to look at it for the next direction. It could even upload a street map, within a few mile or so of the route so you could check it out if you really got lost.

Personally I would much rather see better integration options with apps. As it stands now, the Band sdk only lets you get notifications, but it would be nice to interact with the app through the band. Some examples:

* When your alarm on your phone goes off, rather than just a notification that gets dismissed, you could disable the phone alarm or snooze it. Currently you have to pull out the phone and do those things.
* Respond to emails from the band, even if only short replies
* Ability to read the full email on the band (embedded pictures would be nice), but only do this when I click on the email
* A general app interaction area. There are lots of apps that send out notifications, but if you could send the response back through the band would be nice. So like Twitter, rather than having the full app installed on the watch, if someone tags you, you could respond through the general notification. There just isn't enough room to have all apps that could use tiles on your band.
* They also need to make it so that the phone doesn't activate when you activate Cortana... you're doing this so you don't have to pull out your phone, but if it's activating in my pocket with full touch screen, that is not a good thing... even if they had to activate Cortana with screen on, at least make the screen non-interactive or case sensitive non-interactive.
 

mkg3

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From MIT Tech Review today...

Microsoft?s Activity Tracker Will Also Check Your Calendar | MIT Technology Review

Microsoft?s first foray into wearable activity tracking will go beyond collecting and analyzing exercise and sleep patterns to, say, telling you how stressed out you get before an important meeting and offering breathing exercises to calm you down.+

Released in October, the Microsoft Band costs $200 and houses a variety of sensors including a microphone, a GPS location sensor, motion sensors, an optical sensor that measures heart rate, a sensor that tracks skin conductance, which can reveal levels of stress, and even a UV sensor to calculate sun exposure, all encased in a black, rubbery bracelet with a rectangular touch screen. The band communicates with your smartphone via the Microsoft Health app, which itself communicates with Microsoft?s cloud-computing service to analyze the data you collect.+

Many fitness bands and smart watches that can track your activities are already on the market, and devices like the Band and the soon-to-be-released Apple Watch?which also uses an optical sensor to determine heart rate?seem poised to deliver new ways to collect and use your biometric data. During a recent interview at Microsoft?s Redmond, Washington, headquarters, Matt Barlow, general manager of marketing for new devices, said the company is investigating the kinds of insights it can share with users by matching up biometric data with other sources of information like their calendar or contacts to show things like which events or people may stress them out.+

In the coming months, the Microsoft Health app is poised to gain the ability to compare calendar or contact information with your physical state as measured by the band?your heart rate or skin conductance level, for instance?so the app could nudge you with detailed observations about how those things might relate. For instance, the app might send you an alert like, ?I noticed you have a meeting with Susan tomorrow, and last time you met with her your heart rate went up 20 beats per minute and stayed elevated for an hour. How about trying this deep-breathing exercise that you can use with the Band??+

Initially, these kinds of scenarios are expected to become possible through an integration with Microsoft Office services, though over time it may branch out to include other services as well.+

Emil Jovanov, an associate professor at the University of Alabama in Huntsville who directs a lab for real-time physiological monitoring and codirects a lab aimed at tracking mobile health and wellness, says that the types of sensors in emerging wearables are generally accurate enough to provide these kinds of insights.+

He cautions, however, that trade-offs have to be made between accuracy, power consumption, weight, and size in order for these devices to be convenient to use. And he notes that optical sensors, such as the one used in the Microsoft Band, need good contact with the skin to work reliably, which is harder to achieve if you?ve got hairy arms or wear your wristband too loosely.+

Accuracy is still a challenge for companies making wearable devices for tracking biometric signals and activities?measurements tend to vary between devices, and even accurate readings may not always provide a valid measure of sleep patterns or stress. One way the Microsoft team is working on the accuracy of the data that its sensors record is by tracking people as they work out in a gym. It correlates data captured by its wristband there with data recorded by, for example, a machine that measures oxygen consumption.
 

ALpHa.Q.RoUgH

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Sounds like everybody wants a bigger screen WATCH, to do all these things. I mean the band is just a notifications band that tracks your fitness and etc with the added idea of getting notifications to your band with quick replies and things. Now people want apps and want to reply to long emails and what not so you guys want a watch as big as the galaxy gear 2 and Apple Watch.
 

gadgetrants

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Very cool. Plus now I can also pat myself on the back.

Accuracy is still a challenge for companies making wearable devices for tracking biometric signals and activities?measurements tend to vary between devices, and even accurate readings may not always provide a valid measure of sleep patterns or stress. One way the Microsoft team is working on the accuracy of the data that its sensors record is by tracking people as they work out in a gym. It correlates data captured by its wristband there with data recorded by, for example, a machine that measures oxygen consumption.

And posted by me back on March 4:

http://forums.windowscentral.com/microsoft-band/343650-after-update.html#post3013772

But there's another approach. That is to measure, say, 6 or 7 things that can be recorded on the Band, including acceleration, HR, skin temp, etc. while having a bunch of (say, 100) people actually do stuff like run, lift weights, bike, etc. I'd LOVE to imagine they used physio-lab methods (e.g., this report has some nice examples starting on slide 28) like direct or indirect calorimetrics during these activities -- which then allows the data from a device like the Band to be correlated with (1) the user's physical characteristics and (2) reasonably accurate (lab-based) burn estimates. Like I noted, this is all ignorant reverse engineering, or wishful thinking at best.

Glad my crystal ball sometimes works. LOL

-Matt
 

bittercold

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I'd like to see a music control app and one that you can use to control your Xbox one sorta of like smart glass (just controller inputs). Also a better organization for tiles so we can have more than the limit. With the SDK out now I am sure things will get crowded.
 

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