Returned my MS band

[chekleto]

I ended up returning my band after two weeks of testing.
The return process is as simple as it gets - kudos to MS

Initially I was very excited to have the band, but at the end I realized that I was using it only for notifications,
which was not enough to justify me keeping the band.

The HRM reading was off for me during a workout, while ok when didn't move. Different people have different experience, but unfortunately nobody found a good way to predict if it will work for a particular person. Because of that the calories burned on elliptical
were reported being 2.3x higher than in reality. That basically made the device not very useful as an actives tracker for me.
There is no band calibration, which can correct that.

The band is tick and gets in my way - I'm working on desk. The screen down position makes it more uncomfortable as end of the screen forms an edge.

GPS is cool, but I'm not going to use it outside until summer is back, which is in 6 months. That's a lot of time for the wearable's domain.

The haptic alarm is something which I really need and enjoyed initially, while it start failing me. Because of the band
thickness there was some numbness and thus I do not always feel the vibrations.

Notifications with text on the display is very practical. But if I get notified for few messages at once,
I see a brief for the last one only. That is not good enough for me.

After the original excitement is gone, the band looks like a prototype or proof of a concept (as many people agree it is). The software is
still primitive. I'm not patient enough to wait the potential to be unleashed. I suspect it will take a while before it happens and there are going to be band 2 and 3 with better hardware which will have the improvements, instead of essential SW changes to this initial model. The sensors are probably fine, but otherwise the devise looks weak to me - 64 MB of internal storage is advertised as it is the best part of the HW under the hood?

Anyway, you guys enjoy yours. My hunt for perfect for me device continues :wink:

-CK

 

[animan]

This is the first "returned" thread. A good sign. Looks like most folks are keeping it.

 

[loudmoutholeary]

I will second that return also. Loved the band at first, GREAT potential but I'm returning it for the Jawbone UP3 that comes out in a couple weeks. Got to try on the UP3 and it felt amazing. It was better sensors, 7 days of battery life and fully waterproof. The band just wasn't accurate enough for me. I'll have it off and it would still read calories burn and heart rate? Like I said I see amazing potential in it and down the road when they update it more and more i'll buy it again. Till then Jawbone UP3 and maybe apple watch for my actual watch replacement. Idk will see how battery life is for that thing lol

 

[RichardAZ]

On the burn while you aren't wearing it, I have to assume their algorithm takes this into account. Since its not a requirement to wear it 24 hours a day (like when showering) then I'm sure the software looks at trends and fills in the gaps based on past performance. I have nothing but intuition to base that on, but seems reasonable and smart.

I have debated returning mine, but I have learned so much that I didn't know before that i just want to keep experimenting to find the best sleep or the best calorie burn.

​Richard

 

[Silence#WP]

I will second that return also. Loved the band at first, GREAT potential but I'm returning it for the Jawbone UP3 that comes out in a couple weeks. Got to try on the UP3 and it felt amazing. It was better sensors, 7 days of battery life and fully waterproof. The band just wasn't accurate enough for me. I'll have it off and it would still read calories burn and heart rate? Like I said I see amazing potential in it and down the road when they update it more and more i'll buy it again. Till then Jawbone UP3 and maybe apple watch for my actual watch replacement. Idk will see how battery life is for that thing lol

The UP3 does look pretty interesting. Fully waterproof is great because I know it would just be a matter of time before I forget and wear a device in the shower. The UP3 is using a completely different heart rate technology than just about everybody else. I wonder how accurate it will turn out to be? I like how many options there are now and that Microsoft has a competitive offering. I have a Band, but I have yet to even open the box. I'm not sure that I plan to keep it and given the shortage I'd like to able to return it unopened if I choose to return it.

 

[Tim Stone]

I considered returning mine so I picked up a Fitbit Charge. I like their software and reporting, and it ties together well with MyFitnessPal. After 2 days, the screen was heavily scratched, and there were a few issues. When I turned to tech support, the standard reply was "call them", but then I looked at the many not positive experiences with their tech support. So, I took the Charge back to the store and they were happy to accept it, and return it as defective. Seriously, when a very soft, thin, sweater scratches the face during a walk, that is sad.

So, that left me with the band. I found I quickly got used to wearing it all the time, reduced the settings so I can keep it well charged ( I put it on the charger for awhile in the morning while programming ), and the screen protector that came with it has eliminated the slightest markings on the face. I often don't hear my phone in my pocket so the vibration on my wrist is nice.

We have release 1.0 of the software. I'm quite interested in seeing what they do with it in the future. For now, it gives me helpful information about my daily activities. So, though I still have time to return it, I won't be. I think it will be worth seeing how it turns out, and it certainly fascinates people who see it on my wrist. BTW, I wear it face down on my non-dominant wrist. It works out great because that makes it very easy to read and access. I found I easily acclimated to having it there when I type, so no problems.

As a WinPhone user, I won't be considering the UP3. Fitbit is the only company that has created any WinPhone software so far aside from the Band. In fact, the others shared they have no plans to develop for this platform, and I have no plan to change phones.

 

[Silence#WP]

I considered returning mine so I picked up a Fitbit Charge. I like their software and reporting, and it ties together well with MyFitnessPal. After 2 days, the screen was heavily scratched, and there were a few issues. When I turned to tech support, the standard reply was "call them", but then I looked at the many not positive experiences with their tech support. So, I took the Charge back to the store and they were happy to accept it, and return it as defective. Seriously, when a very soft, thin, sweater scratches the face during a walk, that is sad.

So, that left me with the band. I found I quickly got used to wearing it all the time, reduced the settings so I can keep it well charged ( I put it on the charger for awhile in the morning while programming ), and the screen protector that came with it has eliminated the slightest markings on the face. I often don't hear my phone in my pocket so the vibration on my wrist is nice.

We have release 1.0 of the software. I'm quite interested in seeing what they do with it in the future. For now, it gives me helpful information about my daily activities. So, though I still have time to return it, I won't be. I think it will be worth seeing how it turns out, and it certainly fascinates people who see it on my wrist. BTW, I wear it face down on my non-dominant wrist. It works out great because that makes it very easy to read and access. I found I easily acclimated to having it there when I type, so no problems.

As a WinPhone user, I won't be considering the UP3. Fitbit is the only company that has created any WinPhone software so far aside from the Band. In fact, the others shared they have no plans to develop for this platform, and I have no plan to change phones.

Thank you for sharing your experience with the Fitbit Charge & the Band. Jawbone keeps saying stay tuned for a WP app. They are also slated to support Microsoft Health so maybe they will actually release a WP app eventually. I'm currently using a Misfit Shine. They have a WP app, but I wasn't able to get it working with my 1020 so I've been using an iPod touch.
​

 

[DroidUser42]

I'll have it off and it would still read calories burn and heart rate?

Off for how long? HR is on only for 1 minute out of every 10 in normal (non-exercise) mode. So you could see a HR for several minutes after taking it off.

 

[oldpueblo]

...I considered returning mine so I picked up a Fitbit Charge. I like their software and reporting, and it ties together well with MyFitnessPal....

I noticed the band only syncs over to myfitnesspal the logged activities, not the all-day generic step calories burned. So if you log a walk/run or an exercise session, that syncs over with nice specific details instead of just "fitbit adjustment". I almost prefer that to fitbit because it encourages me to actually get some exercise instead of just walk/run, which means more calorie burning at a faster rate instead of hours of walking/running.

 

[mijacs]

I noticed the band only syncs over to myfitnesspal the logged activities, not the all-day generic step calories burned.

That seems like a bug. I am pretty certain I have seen it sync some other adjustment two or so times for me.

 

[Shobin Drogan]

Sad to hear about your experience, and yes i totally agree, there will definitely be 2nd and 3rd gen bands from MS. For microsoft, it seems third time's the charm with the surface, lets hope the band will also improve significantly in the next gen, MS usually learns from their mistakes pretty fast, after actually failing in the first try, they always fail with the first try, some kind of ritual i suppose...
Anyway Im considering Razer Nabu, looks great and hopefully its a little cheaper than advertised. I know its cheap compared to others but its still kind of pricey, since it doesnt have a colour screen.

 

[raqball]

Returned mine as well.. My reasons for returning it were the horrible battery life (I get almost 10 days from my Fitbit) and its pretty bulky and awkward feeling on the wrist.

Other than that is was okay but not worth the money in my opinion.

 

[anon(5329748)]

I'm in the same boat as you, although I still have mine.

I really like it, but the sizing chart had my wrist right on the line between medium and large, and it said if there was doubt, order the larger size. I did, but it is just barely tight enough to wear on the smallest setting.

I would return it, but I wasn't thinking when placed the packaging in the trash. I'll contact MS to see what they say...

<update>Microsoft opened a support case, and the Live Chat technician had to push it to a higher level. I should hear back in 24-48 hours.</update>

 

[DroidUser42]

but it is just barely tight enough to wear on the smallest setting.

What do you mean by "tight"? There isn't much difference in sizes except the "height" from the back of the display to the HR sensor. The display itself is the same for all - which sets the same "width" at the display end.

 

[ytrewq]

I noticed the band only syncs over to myfitnesspal the logged activities, not the all-day generic step calories burned. So if you log a walk/run or an exercise session, that syncs over with nice specific details instead of just "fitbit adjustment". I almost prefer that to fitbit because it encourages me to actually get some exercise instead of just walk/run, which means more calorie burning at a faster rate instead of hours of walking/running.

MyFitnessPal assumes a certain amount of movement each day, not just a laying around BMR. If your steps are low enough that you are within the MFP assumptions, it won't add anything. Once you go over the threshold number of steps from walking around, it will add calories to the MFP log.

 

[DroidUser42]

If you don't mind, could we get a lot number (from the box) of the defective display? Just wondering if it's a bad lot. The only other one reported in the forum was after a shower, but it wouldn't hurt to track it.

 

[spaulagain]

Keeping mine. I love it. Just the sleep info alone is pretty cool to monitor.

As for size and comfort, I think it's great. I must just have the perfect wrists for it. I don't even notice it anymore. My fancy steel watch is definitely a lot less comfortable.

 

[oldpueblo]

MyFitnessPal assumes a certain amount of movement each day, not just a laying around BMR. If your steps are low enough that you are within the MFP assumptions, it won't add anything. Once you go over the threshold number of steps from walking around, it will add calories to the MFP log.

Ah thanks. I was actually starting to get sick right when I bought it so I haven't hit my usual 10k in a few days. I'll get rolling again and see if they pop up.

As for battery life, I've decided that I don't need to run with GPS and I've turned off watch mode since it's easy to just hit the button and still more convenient than pulling my phone out of my pocket. I mean what does the GPS really give you once you've calibrated it, do I really need a map to tell me where I ran or when I decided to go fast or slow? Is there a reason to use the GPS regularly after calibration? Regardless, charging while showering/prepping for the day tops it up enough for me regularly, so it hasn't been inconvenient.

 

[SteveVII]

Returning mine as well. Apparently Microsoft feels that the below isn't grounds for a replacement.

 

[Upstate Dunadan]

Returning mine as well. Apparently Microsoft feels that the below isn't grounds for a replacement.

View attachment 88092

That's not quite true. I read your other post, and they won't replace it because you never sent the first (defective) device back, you sold it to a relative?

Also, from the looks of your Band, are you sure you didn't bang it on something, or get it caught under something heavy? Every time I've had a device look like that, it's been a result of pressure damage.