Hands-on Experiences with the Microsoft Band 2015

[onysi]

Go check it out. My store here in LA has it and also surface pro 4. Its so flexible and light!!!

 

[donebrasko]

Re: Microsoft store has the Band 2 as a demo!!

Yeah the one in Durham NC had the 950xl pro 4 and band 2

Posted via the Windows Central App for Android

 

[cvflowe]

Re: Microsoft store has the Band 2 as a demo!!

The feel of the band is so much nicer. It's feels light on the wrist. The screen is easier to scroll. I wish I could've took more pictures.

Posted via the Windows Central App for Android

 

[jmerrey]

It does feel so much better! I'm a little disappointed in the charging mechanism. One of my favorite things with the original band was to use the charging stand from Shapeways on my bedside table. I'm not sure if that will be possible with the charger in the buckle, combined with the flexible band.

 

[DroidUser42]

I'm not sure if that will be possible with the charger in the buckle, combined with the flexible band.

They'll have to copy the display stand. You can't see it from that picture, but the outside clasp fits into a little "home" that keeps the display charged.

It won't be like the old stand where the magnet could hold the whole unit in place. It will have to have that little table to rest on.

 

[Brian Gobrecht]

yeah will have to make one/ order one (if im lazy)

 

[Nate Silver]

It does feel so much better! I'm a little disappointed in the charging mechanism. One of my favorite things with the original band was to use the charging stand from Shapeways on my bedside table. I'm not sure if that will be possible with the charger in the buckle, combined with the flexible band.

I'm sure someone will 'print' a new design for a charging stand as soon as they get their hands on a new Band.

 

[Muessig]

Is the 2 day battery life thing to going to be a problem for anyone? Would this stop anyone buying it?

 

[jmerrey]

I'm sure someone will 'print' a new design for a charging stand as soon as they get their hands on a new Band.

Probably so, but it won't be nearly as elegant as the current solution, unless I'm missing something obvious. All the weight is near the charging mechanism of the Band 1, and it magnetically snaps into the stand very nicely:


Obviously a small nitpick; I'll be purchasing, and loving, the Band 2 just like the Band 1.

 

[Nate Silver]

Probably so, but it won't be nearly as elegant as the current solution, unless I'm missing something obvious. All the weight is near the charging mechanism of the Band 1, and it magnetically snaps into the stand very nicely:
View attachment 114140

Obviously a small nitpick; I'll be purchasing, and loving, the Band 2 just like the Band 1.

Yeah, it'll be harder to come up with something as sleek as that. Mine is only on the charger for an hour or so in the morning, so I never got a stand for it. My Band 2's on pre-order, and if its as useful as Band 1 (and hopefully more durable), I'll be ecstatic! I keep hoping to see an email saying its shipped, but I know it probably won't be until the end of the month. One of my Band 1's is dead, and my spare is borderline too large for me. Can't wait to see the new one!

 

[James8561]

from the photos, the back part where the strap secures seems really thick. can someone take a photos of themselves wearing it for reference? I feel like that back pack is going to either stick out ugly or squeeze the wrist

 

[ArtificiallyYours]

I think its contour is just right. The first version looked (and probably felt) awkward, but worked as it should -- this one should be even better.

 

[littlebib]

from the photos, the back part where the strap secures seems really thick. can someone take a photos of themselves wearing it for reference? I feel like that back pack is going to either stick out ugly or squeeze the wrist

I'm worried about that too. From the pictures out there, the clasp looks like it will be at least twice as thick as the side with the screen. It does seem like it's going to stick out from your wrist quite a bit.

 

[drachen23]

The clasp area is quite thick. For those with the original band, the battery/galvanic sensor without the clasp is about the same thickness as the original Band's heart rate sensor PLUS the clasp. Honestly, with the improvements to the size of every other part of the Band 2, it's a livable compromise... under the assumption that you will use the band face-down. If you intend to wear the band face-up and you type a lot, you might want to reconsider it. Overall, my opinion is that the gaps between the edges of the flat display of the original Band and my wrists were more noticeable and ugly than the thick clasp of the Band 2.

One more thing that Dan Rubino mentioned in his Band 2 review that I've found to be true in just the first few hours of owning the device is that the surgical steel connector for the clasp gets scuffed pretty easily by the clasp itself. I have a few barely-perceptible scratches on the back of the clasp too. I don't care much about the connector scuffing; it's going to be hidden by the clasp, but I'm not looking forward to a completely scuffed clasp in a few months.

Overall, it's a huge improvement over the Band 1 in every physical way except the points above.

 

[Psy Chotic]

Actually the MB2, has made me really like my Nokia Lumia 1520 even more, I am torn between my Note 4 and my Lumia 1520. The MB2 just gives me more reasons to carry my 1520 than my Android. It is just my preference but I dont like really mixing the manufactured devices.

 

[Mark Kaplan]

I really like the Smart Alarm feature in sleep mode. It would be better if you could set it for weekdays only.

 

[TealHaze]

It's the alarm that gets set for a certain time you want to be awake and the smart alarm feature may wake you earlier than the alarm time based on how you have slept that night. The alarm can be set for weekdays only. So you have the alarm set for weekdays only, the smart alarm feature is also only enabled for weekdays.

 

[Alan Mushnick]

Can this band receive heart rate from an H7 polar band?
Can it transmit heart rate to another device or app via bluetooth smart?
Alan

 

[Mark Kaplan]

It's the alarm that gets set for a certain time you want to be awake and the smart alarm feature may wake you earlier than the alarm time based on how you have slept that night. The alarm can be set for weekdays only. So you have the alarm set for weekdays only, the smart alarm feature is also only enabled for weekdays.

That isnt how its working though. The sleep alarm seems to be separate from the main alarm controlled via the app.

 

[anon(8555314)]

Can this band receive heart rate from an H7 polar band?
Can it transmit heart rate to another device or app via bluetooth smart?
Alan

I haven't seen that, and I'd be 99% sure that the answer is no, although if someone held a hackathon, they could probably figure out a way around current limitations.