[Quick Impressions] Who Has Gotten Band 2?

[purevibz]

Got it today and I really like it much better than the band 1, I love the time rotation feature, it's well implemented.

 

[purevibz]

This one has gorilla glass 3, so it's more scratch resistant.

 

[insight3fl]

Re: [Real Users] My Band 2 Review

The Golf Function:

I have now played two rounds with the golf function and as a regular golfer (15 handicap, 1-2 times a week) it is not performing very well. It seems very temperamental from auto changing to the next hole (pushing the buttons to advance it manually) , constant button pushing at each hole / shot to bring up the gps distances,(set up this way to save battery I guess) and the failure to record the shot each time and having to ad or subtract a stroke to keep the score on track. Too much distraction from playing the game. I know it says that some "golfers" have swing that is not consistent like the pros, (and swing count may be off) but I swing pretty darn good and play pretty well; way better than most amateurs.

The big selling point is not really the gps... there are many simple, accurate and easy to use gps distance devices, but the round analysis it is supposed to give you. This includes distance of each shot / club, number of putts and their length etc. The problem is the "mapping" compared to the real time GPS readings while you play are way off. I will save the details on all that, but suffice it to say, this was at least 25% of the reason I own the Band 2. Band 1 which I only had for 2 weeks before I bailed out on it had similar issues in the three times I used it for golf. The other issue I had with Band 1 was the heart rate while biking (sweating three it way off compared to my chest strap device). I hope Band 2 works better for HR on bike rides or it is going back. I can use my phone for counting my steps.

 

[Ryujingt3]

Will the Band 2 track runs on a treadmill in terms of distance? I am guessing not but I just wanted clarification.

 

[B Hammer]

I really appreciate the quick impressions. I should have come to this forum 1st. I've been asking about the accuracy of the HR monitor and from what I'm reading now, I'll have to take a pass and see what happens with MS Band 3.

I wouldn't discount it. Even though it has some issues, I wouldn't completely discount it. The product was just released and will need firmware updates. Also, the HR may need several sessions with each user to accurately measure results. Having worked with a lot of different medical equipment, there are many factors that can lead to initial inaccurate readings. Perhaps these devices need to assess the baseline first prior to giving an accurate reading. Regardless, I wouldn't give up on it.

Another thing to think about is you aren't hearing a lot of the positives about HR monitoring for many other Band users. It is a human tendency to espouse negatives; however, there are many other posts in this forum about the many positives of the Band. I would read those as well.

 

[B Hammer]

Microsoft should at least provide some dummy samples for fitment at point of sale.

This is not Microsoft's decision with Best Buy's retail outlets. It is entirely up to the organization to provide a sample.

 

[anon(8555314)]

Some Gen 1 Band owners had issues getting the 1 min and 2 min ending HR, and that typically went together with not getting a VO2 Max calculation. I rarely got the 1 min and 2 min readings and never got a VO2 max calc. There was a long thread on this with some saying to keep the HR tile open after the workout, and other suggesting a light cool down continuing after ending the work out. None of those ever worked for me.

With my first bike ride commuting to work today, I got the 1 min and 2 min ending HR calc without doing anything special after the ride. So I'm hopeful this is working better with Band 2.

 

[jbfoster61]

I picked up my Band 2 on Friday at Best Buy. Best Buy only had 1 of each size. They were out of the medium and large so I had to go to the other Best Buy in town to get the medium. I printed the sizing chart and I was right in the middle of the medium so I bought the medium. When I got back to work and put it on the tightest it was still loose so after work another trip to Best Buy. Luckily they still had the small. A much better fit. I was surprised that Best Buy only had 1 of each size. I would think it would me more popular. There is 2 Best Buys and the population here is 500,000.

I didn't have the Band 1 so I can't compare. So far I like it. I have noticed that so far 2 email notifications were missed, I heard the notification on my phone but nothing on the the Band. Keyboard worked well. I don't see my self doing long text messages but short one would be fine. I do wish the clasp was black and not silver. I wear my screen facing in so the clasp is facing up. As for the screen scratching it's my understanding it has Gorilla Glass 3. I have read that Gorilla glass 3 is pretty hard. I read that it's harder than most metals so I would think it would hold up well. I also read that sand can scratch it though.

Jim

 

[runamuck83]

Will the Band 2 track runs on a treadmill in terms of distance? I am guessing not but I just wanted clarification.

Yes it does.

 

[runamuck83]

Question for those that have the 2 and had the 1:

On the 1, I got a size small but always had to wear it on the absolute loosest setting and even then it was tight. I ordered a 2 in medium.

Should I be alright?

 

[ajj3085]

Will the Band 2 track runs on a treadmill in terms of distance? I am guessing not but I just wanted clarification.

It does. I set my treadmill to 4.2 speed, and it recorded 3.9 miles. There were a few times i held the bar on the treadmill though, so it can't detect my step if my arm isn't swinging.

 

[DroidUser42]

Will the Band 2 track runs on a treadmill in terms of distance? I am guessing not but I just wanted clarification.

It can - by measuring steps. Note that it calibrates your stride length by using GPS on a outside run. So I'd go for a outside run with the GPS on before using it on a treadmill.

 

[anon(8555314)]

Question for those that have the 2 and had the 1:

On the 1, I got a size small but always had to wear it on the absolute loosest setting and even then it was tight. I ordered a 2 in medium.

Should I be alright?

No, Band two fits more loosely than Gen 1. if you could barely make a small fit on the loosest setting with gen 1, a small will fit better with Band 2. With Gen 1 I had 1/3 to 1/4 room to go before it would have been too small. Now when I tighten it for exercise and HR monitoring, I have about 2/3 of the large clasp to spare before it would be too tight.

 

[runamuck83]

No, Band two fits more loosely than Gen 1. if you could barely make a small fit on the loosest setting with gen 1, a small will fit better with Band 2. With Gen 1 I had 1/3 to 1/4 room to go before it would have been too small. Now when I tighten it for exercise and HR monitoring, I have about 2/3 of the large clasp to spare before it would be too tight.

I'd think even if the gen2 was a bit bigger a medium should still fit on the tightest setting? Or am I dreamin?

 

[dalascby]

Re: [Real Users] My Band 2 Review

The Golf Function:

I have now played two rounds with the golf function and as a regular golfer (15 handicap, 1-2 times a week) it is not performing very well. It seems very temperamental from auto changing to the next hole (pushing the buttons to advance it manually) , constant button pushing at each hole / shot to bring up the gps distances,(set up this way to save battery I guess) and the failure to record the shot each time and having to ad or subtract a stroke to keep the score on track. Too much distraction from playing the game. I know it says that some "golfers" have swing that is not consistent like the pros, (and swing count may be off) but I swing pretty darn good and play pretty well; way better than most amateurs.

The big selling point is not really the gps... there are many simple, accurate and easy to use gps distance devices, but the round analysis it is supposed to give you. This includes distance of each shot / club, number of putts and their length etc. The problem is the "mapping" compared to the real time GPS readings while you play are way off. I will save the details on all that, but suffice it to say, this was at least 25% of the reason I own the Band 2. Band 1 which I only had for 2 weeks before I bailed out on it had similar issues in the three times I used it for golf. The other issue I had with Band 1 was the heart rate while biking (sweating three it way off compared to my chest strap device). I hope Band 2 works better for HR on bike rides or it is going back. I can use my phone for counting my steps.

So you are saying the distances are off? I expect there to be some button pushing, I'll compare that to the button pushing that I normally do with my old SkyCaddie 3.5. The skycaddie defaults to par, if that's not my score then I have to push buttons to put in my actual score. I also have to manually select the number of putts and whether I hit the fairway or not. So I can deal with a little button interaction, can't deal with incorrect distances though, hopefully some firmware updates can improve on that if it's an issue.

 

[Devan Hammack]

Just got my band a few days ago. I'm a first time user... never tried any other fitness device other than a fitbit about 3 yrs ago. That didn't last long (washed it.. oops)

Anyway, I am surprised how quickly it has become a "must have" item for me. Its quick, intuitive, and much more comfortable than I expected. The ability to quickly glance at text, email, time, etc.. without taking my phone out of my pocket is brilliant.

There are issues:
1. The Bluetooth isn't always quick to connect
2. Not sure how accurate the heart rate is
3. Cortana doesn't really work for me.

Overall, love it.. but still learning how to use all its power.

 

[FiveFngrsOfDef]

Just picked two up today, one for my wife and one for me, from a MS store 3 hrs away. Loving it so far. Much more comfortable than the original.

 

[Ryujingt3]

It can - by measuring steps. Note that it calibrates your stride length by using GPS on a outside run. So I'd go for a outside run with the GPS on before using it on a treadmill.

How accurate is it, out of interest?

 

[insight3fl]

Re: [Real Users] My Band 2 Review

The distances on the course seem pretty good though the one course has several holes mixed up which I noticed on the Band 1which is a data set issue not the GPS. The distance I am referring to is in the Taylor Made App and on the "overview" on the MS health app. They depict each hole on a "map" and show the shots as points with distance measurements. Those are off. ON the Taylor Made app, it is supposed to register the distance of each shot. That is off. While you can manipulate the app to correct these things, I spent an hour just trying to clean it up so the data was somewhat useful

The band is supposed to track each and every shot as long as you "hit" a ball. It does not track practice swings as you don't impact anything. But many times I would hit my tee shot then me second shot and it would not register any shots for that hole and I had to then add them in manually . And, if it did not advance to the next hole (I usually don't look at the distance from the tee on anything other than a par 3 so you don't know it did not advance to the next hole though it is supposed to vibrate when it does) it will not count your shot on that hole or it records it from the previous hole.

Let me know how you do. I have not given up yet and will give it a couple of more rounds. But as I said, the tracking and analysis is the selling point as there are many easier to use GPS devices.

 

[lolguy]

Went to the MS Store on Saturday and they were unable to exchange as all inventory was being held for pre-orders, which the store will hold for 48 hours. I will call back today to see if any mediums are available to be exchanged.

The staff explained the sizing differences between B1 and B2 - sizing ranges were extended. That makes sense considering I was between a M and L in B1.

BTW...the Surface Book is a beautiful piece. I understand there are folks having issues but from the standpoint of form and anticipated capability, it is incredible.