If MS abandons us Band users, what will you get next?

[lakebay]

I looked at alternatives and it's ugly out there.

Wife got a FitBit Charge 2, good for her I guess but I could never use that. Not a Band replacement at all.
I bought Garmin Forerunner 235. Expensive, should be good, but wow, it's terrible. Can't believe it gets good reviews. Returning that to Costco.

I'm getting another Band 2. Can't seem to find any in Canada so I'm just going to get one off the Kijiji, one that has warranty left.

 

[RyanJo]

After my second Band 2 strap broke I switched to an apple watch and it has been great so far. I honestly wish I had switched sooner since it does everything my band has done and more (except sleep monitoring) even lasts about the same amount of time. Even if MS comes out with a Band 3 eventually doubt I will go back unless it is the most amazing workout band ever.

 

[etphoto]

My 3rd Band 2 died and even though I believed it was very accurate on the data it collected I am done with the band until MS comes out with another, more stable, one. Which, doesn't look like that is happening. My wife had a FitBit Flex so I have been trying that. Wow, the Band blows it away. I think it was giving me close to 4000 unearned steps a day.

Twitter: @PhotographyET

 

[DroidUser42]

Good reviews on a new contender: Ticwatch 2. At $199 it does most everything except sleep monitoring. Android & iOS compatible.

 

[anon(9895094)]

I've probably asked elsewhere too, but has anybody seen a band/watch that has anything similar to MS band's guided workouts?

 

[Will Gilliland]

My third Band 2 died so I decided to get the Fitbit Charge 2. I wear suits quite a bit and the Garmin series are just too ugly and bulky. The FC2 looks great, especially with third party bands, but it is no Band 2. The screen doesn't stay on while working out. There are no notifications. You can't really customize the names of workouts. The screen is slightly smaller and monochrome. *I don't think the screen is*"touch". It is triggered on bumps or*taps.

On the pro side, it is more durable. Battery life is*4 to 5 days. The HR is consistent and locks better. *The Fitbit app for Windows Phone has more features than the Microsoft Health app, but not as user friendly.

 

[evillama]

So far the Vivoactive is better at heart rate, notications, visibility in direct sunlight, comfort and battery life.

Do you use a Windows Phone, and for notifications are you needing to keep the app running in order for it to work?

 

[DavidinCT]

While I'm not a huge Apple fan, I do have an iPhone and I think the Watch is likely where I'd go right now. The watch is certainly a much better looking option than the Garmin Vivoactive which I think is the closest match to the band for features. But the Garmin is just so ugly. It looks like the original Band, but twice the size.

I guess I am going to try the iPhone for a while.... I have 3 phones.... A LG G4 (black with leather), a Nokia ICON (with all color backs) and a iPhone 6s....

Oh, hard to chose....

Sticking with the Pebble Time Steel till they kill the services, as it has fitness things (step and sleep), 7-10 day battery life (after a 6 months, I still get 7-8 day battery on it), Water proof to 30m and it's has a color display (e-ink display) and is NOT a fitness band. It does far better noifications than the Band or Band 2 offered.

Too bad the Pebble Time does not fully work with WIndows Phone, I would hop back for a bit but, once I have lived with a smartwatch for a while, I am not sure I could live with out one...

and Android wear....1-3 day battery life is hard to go back to, as I charge my Pebble once a week....

Good reviews on a new contender: Ticwatch 2. At $199 it does most everything except sleep monitoring. Android & iOS compatible.

Looks like a pretty cool watch.... 1 to 2 day battery life

I guess there is nothing else that is in COLOR, Looks like a watch and lasts a week....besides the pebble..

 

[Polychrome]

My band suddenly started experiencing the issue where it will randomly lose power, and has to be plugged in to power back on. I'm upset because I really loved this and I'm not optimistic about contacting support now that they've apparently ditched their remaining inventory.


Of all things too.... I would have greatly preferred if my band had split again, because my plan was to disassemble it once the warranty was out, and make a new leather strap for it.

Ah well. The unofficial pebble apps are getting really good. I'll probably go back to my pebble and find a PTR on clearance for special occasions. (Yeah, I know Pebble is dead.)

 

[toddsay]

My band suddenly started experiencing the issue where it will randomly lose power, and has to be plugged in to power back on. I'm upset because I really loved this and I'm not optimistic about contacting support now that they've apparently ditched their remaining inventory.

Ouch... because I had this happen today for the first time. Charged it fully, did sleep tracking overnight, woke up and it seemed normal. Went to work and found it was totally dead. After getting home later I was able to charge it from 0%. Hmmm, not good.

 

[ashram]

This situation quite sucks. My Band 2 (2nd one) was sent in 2 weeks ago for a split band again... luckily still had a week of warranty, but it's still in the "repair" phase. I actually loved the Band 2 and used the keyboard feature a lot (in meetings and whatnot)

To my knowledge, no other fitness band/smart watch has that feature on Windows 10 phone, so no idea what I am going to do. If they manage to replace it, then I should have another 6 months before the band breaks again (last one started to tear 6 months in, and so did the replacement) and if they don't, the the search for something new begins, which I am not looking forward to.

 

[ATAcapt]

evillama
I am using the iPhone 6. The app does not need to be running.

 

[littlebib]

Well, my Band (almost exactly 1 year old) is just about to split. I see the tell-tale line in the rubber at exactly the right spot. I purchased from Best Buy and got the replacement plan which should give me my money back. As I noted earlier in this thread, it will be the Apple Watch for me if they are ever back in stock. It appears the holidays wiped everyone out. Hopefully my Band will last another week or so as that's when it looks like stock will be coming back in (Nike version says it will ship on 1/20 from BB). I really wish there would have been a Band 3. But, alas, it wasn't meant to be. I've talked to a few people with the Apple Watch and they have been very happy with it.

 

[evillama]

Began to see the same tell-tale ripping signs (inside-wrist part of Band #6, so that was new). Hadn't actually "started" tearing yet so tonight I went to the local mall MS Store where last November they said they had "plenty" of replacements left. I guess everybody's been depleting them coz they said they were out - and offered me the Fitbit coupon. Decided I'd wait for GATT support in the Creators Update (no idea why I'm still on this Titanic).

My "temporary" solution is to place tape across the rubber, hoping it will "hold" it together strongly enough to prevent tearing (or at least from getting worse.) Starting with black electrical tape as it doesn't look "too" bad, but I'll move to good-old duct tape if necessary. I placed another strip on the opposite side, just short of the Windows logo.