Band User Reviews

[chekleto]

If find the MS band being a very interesting concept . It is at the borderline of activity tracker and having the essential of a smart-watch. This is ultimately what I (think I) want. This huge number of sensors and the gorgeous display made my purchase almost an impulsive buy

Now, a three weeks later, I'm walking with different band on my hand and here is why

I got vivosmart and for me that is a keeper.
Do I miss the beautiful display on MS bans? - certainly, well... a little. But I still get all notifications I need on the vivo and it is enough for me. And I'm not going to watch the supper bowl on a wrist band so I can live with what vivo has as display.

Band seems to have few types of notifications, which seems to do a good jobs on filtering the categories they are designed for. For example I was impressed by the fact that MS band recognizes the notifications from several different email clients. Were it felt short is the last category, which is "everything else" including sync with the band notifications?! (at least on android) . On vivo I can choose one by one the apps which I'm interested in
which is much more convenient.

Optical heart rate monitor is a neat addition to the MS band, but the technology is shaky when it comes to applying it to intensive workout. For me it work very poorly, which was a big part of the decision to part with the MS band. Vivo has a chest strap which does the job well.

The overall design - well rubber band is not exactly a classy accessory (maybe depends on who you ask :winktongue: ) so comfort and it discreet appearance come forward. I did get use to wearing MS band, but I notice it comes at the price me changing how I gesticulate with the hand with the MS band on. So this type of getting use to is not exactly what I was hoping for. Vivosmart is thinner, lighter and much more rugged, so I truly forget about it, until it notifies me for something.

Now those metallic-plated sensors on the inside of MS band - have mercy! I'm not a sissy, but those things are irritating at moments, especially when you rest your arm and press on the MS band.

It is wonderful that the MS band is mulch-platform, but as android user I fill a bit unregarded, knowing what extra features have WP owners. No wonder that 2/3 of MS band owners have a windows phone.

The adjustable clasp on the MS band is real blessing. Arm is naturally swell a bit, depending on the ambient temperature and it is very easy to correct the MS band tightness.

I like the sleep summary better on MS band related software, but it still has very little use for me :winktongue: - not that I know what to do with this information, except satisfying my initial curiosity

I'm still intrigued by this MS initiative. Will come back in few months and check how it is going :smile:

 

[Wilson Yu1]

I've killed 2 bands by doing hot yoga with them. Luckily, they all died within 30 days, and MS was OK to replace them. Not sure if anyone with the same experience doing hot yoga. The band didn't die right away but I saw moisture inside the sensor hole on the watch face. These bands don't seem to be IP67 certified. That's one thing I am really concerned about.

 

[onysi]

I've killed 2 bands by doing hot yoga with them. Luckily, they all died within 30 days, and MS was OK to replace them. Not sure if anyone with the same experience doing hot yoga. The band didn't die right away but I saw moisture inside the sensor hole on the watch face. These bands don't seem to be IP67 certified. That's one thing I am really concerned about.

how do you HOT YOGA? do you yoga inside a steam room? it is the calmest work out.

 

[onysi]

anyone know how to use a cycling app?

 

[NeoMatrix12171]

I picked mine up on Saturday and so far so good Band does not feel uncomfortable at all as many people have posted I am using a med one I have what I consider a smaller wrist. So far I have been sleeping with it and using it throughout the day without problems I do occasionally flip from traditional wear to use the screen at the bottom. I have been using the band for Crossfit workouts and been loving it does not get in the way at all and it's nice to glance and see what my heart rate is at and how many calories I have burned. In terms of tiles I am using Mail, text, Cortana, phone, calendar , workout , sleep , alarm, weather, strabucks , notification center, run and UV I removed facebook and twitter since the notification center will display those as they come in anyways. I also love the sleep tracking and integration with MyFitnessPal very well done in terms of charging I just always charge when I shower everyday and seems to be good enough. The one thing I have noticed with Lumia 830 is that the Bluetooth seems to go haywire every now and then and I need to reboot the phone this was not happening prior to the Band I do wish that the Cortana integration was faster but it's still cool to talk to the Band.

 

[Wilson Yu1]

Not in a steam room. Bikram Yoga, in 105 degree heated room. There is a lot of sweat for sure. Combining with the heat, that could be some steam naturally. Just try to give people a warning about using the band in hot yoga sessions.

 

[bksalt]

Been using over a week I just love it, was on fitbit flex but the band has eaten their lunch, complaints seem to be over stated here. WAY TO GO MICROSOFT KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK.

bksalt

 

[mtalinm]

I'm about a week in with the Band. Mixed results but I will probably keep it.

It's not as uncomfortable as some people make it out to be, but I can see that it would be unwieldy for someone with a small wrist (mine is wider than the screen; if the opposite were true that would feel odd). I sleep with it just fine. I also like that it is wider than thin bracelet style trackers which look weird on my wrist.

In fact, sleep is one of my favorite features. I charge my phone downstairs so I don't get tempted to look at twitter etc, but the first thing i do in the morning is head downstairs to check what's new. now all that gets forwarded to the Band when I come out of sleep mode. and I can check the weather easily, too. very nice and unexpected treat.

overall I find it much more socially acceptable to glance quickly at my wrist than to pull out my phone. though I wish the text alert would sit there for more than a couple of seconds, as I often want to use a canned response but usually don't get to the Band in time.

I wish they had a version w/o GPS and maybe some of the other sensors I don't care about like UV or galvanic skin response (whatever that is). could help to de-bulk a bit. I can't think of a use case where I need GPS, as I always have my phone with me. then again, I also have a step counter (Lumia Icon) so to some extent I don't need that either). but I like the wrist notifications and HR monitor.

Battery life is of course a groaner. I insist on leaving the clock on, and it usually makes it through a day, though yesterday I did a two-hour workout with the screen on (GPS) and it died overnight even though I charged it fully in the morning. that's lame. I suppose I can turn the screen off next time.

Previously I had the Garmin Vivofit, which had amazing battery and a nice reminder to get moving. but their website is so awful I returned the device (no winphone support either).

I am thinking about the FitBit Charge HR, though as far as i know it does not do notifications. Surge appears to but then you are paying for the to-me-useless GPS function. I'll see though. and I do like the Cortana/fitbit integration.

lastly, I love being able to check ,my calendar on my wrist. Cortana on my wrist is just awesome (though the accuracy is much lower than with the phone, thanks to better microphones)

 

[Nate Silver]

Ordered mine on release day, and been wearing it ever since. Overall quick take? I like it, but it seems capable of so much more, and I really hope MS follows up with firmware updates, app updates, and a full-featured web based app.

Comfort - This has never been an issue for me. A slight curve to the screen wouldn't hurt, but its ok as is.

Features - Not bad, but I'd like to see more flexibility in activity types. A cycling tile would be nice. I know, I can rename a running activity or a workout activity, but still. Wish the notification vibration was a bit more robust and could be made to last a little longer. Battery life has been ok for me so far. I throw it on the charger as soon as I roll out of bed in the morning, and by the time I've had breakfast, shower, and gotten dressed for work, its fully charged. However, its winter here in northern Maine, so I haven't had occasion to do much with the GPS yet. Might have to figure in some additional charging time to make through a day and night when using it.

Health App - This is one area with a lot of potential for added value. Ability to edit, share, import/export, etc. Integration with HealthVault? (I know its supposedly in the works)

Web App - Well, there isn't one yet. Really?

I like the Band very much. Was previously using the Garmin VivoSmart and was fairly happy with it. Trouble is, there is no WP support. I also wasn't thrilled with the Bluetooth range. It'd lose connection as soon as I went into another room from where the phone was. The Band, however, stays connected no matter where I am in the house, and if I go outside without the phone and it loses connection, it always automatically reconnects immediately once in range. With the VivoSmart I'd always have to cycle Bluetooth off and back on to reconnect.

Although I like the Band, when the Fitbit Surge comes out, I will give it some thought. Particularly if MS doesn't get moving with updates/enhancements to the Health App, and release of a full-featured web app.

 

[David Mathews2]

If you ask me I think we are way over due for a firmware update and same for the app

 

[rambo47]

I'm an iPhone user and bought the band knowing it was really designed for use with a WP device. I was very pleasantly surprised at how well it integrated with my iPhone 6. Even text notifications, a prime reason for my buying it, works great. And I didn't even know I would have my Starbucks card on my wrist when I bough it but it was a wonderful surprise!

Pros:
Great fit and feel. Easy to slip on and off.
Battery life is great. Give it a short (30 minute) charge. like when I'm in the shower, and I'll never run out of juice.
Doubles as a watch. I'm more of an analog watch kind of guy, and I ALWAYS wear a watch, but the Band never leaves me feeling naked.
Apps!
Sleep monitoring.
Customizable via the Microsoft Health app - background color, tile arrangement, etc.

Cons:
Heart rate monitor is WILDLY INACCURATE. To the point of being utterly useless.
Calories burned is equally inaccurate.

I'm hoping this inaccuracy is not a design flaw and can be improved with a firmware update. Maybe I was too optimistic, believing a wrist-only monitor could be even close to a Polar heart rate monitor chest strap. But this level of inaccuracy is troubling. The hand grips on the treadmill read my heart rate at 145 bpm. My Band says 200 bpm. If my heart was beating at 200 bpm I'd be staring at it on the floor next to me, in tatters, getting blood all over the clean gym floor. Likewise, even working as hard as I do in the gym for 45 minutes straight, there is NO WAY I burned 1200 calories. I'd estimate calorie burn at maybe half that. MAYBE.

I'm going to try a Jawbone Up24 or one of the FitBits (Charge or Surge). The Jawbone doesn't have a screen so results will only be viewable on my phone after my workout. But considering how useless the Microsoft Band's hear rate monitor is, I'm not really losing anything with that feature. And there is no telling if the FitBit units will be any more accurate for heart rate monitoring, but they can't be any worse.

 

[anon(5346243)]

I was also worry about all the nasty reviews about the bulkiness, comfort, weight etc.
I opened mine yesterday and very pleased to report that it is actually smaller than my previous watch, a Suunto. Thinner, it fits perfectly my wrist (large) and the screen on the inside is Best ( to use and read the band)...
Absolutely no complains about comfort, weight and size... I really forget it on my wrist... (perhaps also because I was used to wear a large metallic (heavy) watch before.)
I can easily put my shirt sleeve on top of the band, so that the band is hidden while typing on a keyboard etc.
The claps mechanism is great for a perfect fit...
Well impressed with the band (not even mentioning the features of the band etc!)
To me, all these bad online reviews are so far overstated (our the guys are not used to wear a watch!)...

 

[anon(7901790)]

I've had mine now for two days and LOVE it!

Pros: It replaced a fairly large Casio G series watch, so weight at bulk are negligible for me. I'm kind of mixed between screen on the inside of my wrist or on top. Both are fine with me. But using the Starbucks app seems to be easier to use when it is on top. I am so glad Microsoft included a screen protector! I have already put marks on it from the railing on the stairwell in our house. lol. The ability to adjust the band makes the fit perfect (I have a large). I haven't tested battery life yet. I normally don't wear my watch to bed so I haven't tried the sleep tracking function yet. I have an Icon with WP8.1.1 DP and it doesn't seem to affect my phone's battery life much. We're supposed to get Denim in Jan so we'll see how Bluetooth 4.0 helps.

Cons: The biggest issue I see with this device is that it is not waterproof. In this day in age you would have thought Microsoft could have at least made it waterproof down to at least 10 - 15 feet. That would allow for people who swim and would work in pretty much any swimming pool. Of course waterproofing would have added bulk to the device. According to Microsoft it water resistant down to 1 meter for 30 minutes. I'm not planning on testing that. lol. I haven't found any other major cons yet.

Overall: This is my first smart watch of this type. I have the original Pebble, but because of Pebble's lack of WP support, I hardly use it. This does everything my Pebble does and then some, and it looks really slick. I am so glad I got one. Microsoft did a great job for a first time try in the wearables market.

 

[David Guzman3]

It's cool but I wish the voice recognition would allow us to utilize the text reply function better. Why can't we reply to a text using our voice. Would be a lot cooler

 

[threewulfmoon]

I've had my Band nice Christmas day, and overall I am satisfied with it. I was interested in the Band ever since it was announced, and despite the mixed reviews, I wanted to give it a try. I found one in stock in mid-December, but since it was so close to Christmas, I put it under the tree as a gift from Santa. I'm using mine with a Lumina 1520 and set up had a few hiccups until all of the developer preview updates were installed. That being said, the Bluetooth connection is fairly steady.

First observation: It's not as big, clunky, or uncomfortable as many of the leading reviews would lead you to believe. I've got small hands for a guy, but I wear a large Band comfortably with the screen facing the inside of my wrist. Second observation: the concerns raised about durability are true. I got mine on Christmas Day and spent the next few days at home (other than a target shooting outing on Saturday). While I was checking a notification today, I noticed a large nick on the side of my Band. Nothing that would affect the functioning of the unit, but I have no clue on what I did to cause it and I have a feeling it will be collecting more character marks over time. I purchased the protection plan so I'm good to go on accidental damage.

The Band is an ambitious device to say the least, and it does a decent job at everything it tries to do, but it doesn't excel at anything. However, the upside is that a lot of what is wrong or lacking could perhaps be corrected with a firmware update. I'd love to see double-tap to wake or an accelerometer-activated watch mode. It will also be interesting to see how 3rd party developers expand what the Band can do.

If the second version could work on durability and waterproofing, the Band could be the best piece of wearable tech out there. Even in its current form, the Band is a good piece of kit. I applaud Microsoft for making the Band platform agnostic. Microsoft also deserves kudos for beating Apple to the punch in the wearables market and delivering a device that does an admirable job of covering a wide range of bases. If I was assigning a numerical score, I'd give the Band a solid 85%. It does much more right than it gets wrong, and is a good value at $199.

 

[Jeremy Griffith]

I bought my Band about a month ago and have worn it every day since I bought it. I have a size medium and wear it on my left (non-dominant) wrist facing out. The short version is, I love it.

This is my first fitness wearable so I can't really speak to the accuracy of the data it gives me as compared to other, similar devices. I do not find it bulky or uncomfortable. I charge it every day while I'm in the shower/getting dressed/ready for work. I've never worn the battery down all the way to empty, but I imagine I would get 48 hours out of a full charge (it drops from 100% to about 60% after 24 hrs).

I really like it because it gives me data that makes it easier for me to change my behavior. I've lost about ten pounds and an inch off my waist in the last six weeks or so just by monitoring my daily caloric intake and setting a realistic daily step count goal.

I have it paired to my Lumia 920 and use the Cortana features to set calendar reminders. I like the notifications feature more than I thought I would and I particularly like the haptic feedback for incoming texts. I don't always feel my phone vibrate in my pocket.

It has turned out to be a great purchase. I'm really excited to see how MS updates the software/firmware in the upcoming year.

 

[ablahblah]

I never really bought the band as a fitness wearable. It's nice to see heartrate monitored and sleep tracking motivates me to sleep more sometimes, but the impact isn't really a lot on me. Guided workouts are nice, since I'm usually not very motivated to workout on my own, heh.

I wanted to get the band as a phone accessory. In today's connected world, it irks me sometime when I'm not able to communicate because I'm rushing somewhere or when I'm on a bike. There are times when you can't have your phone out. At the same time, I'm sick of always pulling my phone out, because I keep seeing people do it, and I think it kills social interaction in my generation to an extent. I was excited when Cortana came out, because of all the things she could do, and I contemplated getting a Bluetooth headset as a solution. I decided against it because a., it's not safe, ideally I would use a bone conduction headset so I could hear my surroundings but that tech isn't mature yet, b. there isn't a design yet that won't fall off when you're jostling around.
The band gets close to all that I want. I was stoked for Cortana integration, since now I can just dictate off a quick line while walking or when I'm at a stop light. It also just pushes a lot of data to you via tiles. I don't really need to ask Cortana "How's the weather going to be like?", I just scroll to the tile, and done. Same for appointments, texts, and calls. Overall, the result is that I don't need to pull my phone out to check basic info anymore; my phone itself has literally not made a notification beep or buzz in the past month. The band has also been somewhat discreet, and I like that. Most people don't question it; most people don't even realize it has a screen until I deliberately show them. For all they know I'm just looking at my phone less and less.

From using it over the last month, it is definitely a part of a first generation of devices, it's a 1.0. Generation 2 will be a heck of a lot better implemented, but for a proof of concept device, I'm really excited.

 

[Shad0wguy]

Finally got a hold of a Band yesterday after hunting for one since late November. So far it is nice. I am not a watch person, but I don't find it uncomfortable. In fact a lot of the time I barely notice it. With just a day of use I don't have much to go on so far, but I already have a few gripes. Mainly not all notifications come to my band. I've had multiple instances of emails not alerting me on my band. Another thing is that the Facebook tile always says there is no data. I'm wondering if this is because I use the facebook beta app on my phone. I haven't tried all the features yet, but sleep tracking seemed to work well. I'll update in a month or so after I've have the chance to test more features.

 

[novaprime9]

You are correct, Facebook Beta doesn't sync with the band. Only the actual Facebook app (I haven't actually tested this, just read it. I use the notification center and allow Facebook Beta to use toast notifications, so they show up on the band).

 

[Shad0wguy]

You are correct, Facebook Beta doesn't sync with the band. Only the actual Facebook app (I haven't actually tested this, just read it. I use the notification center and allow Facebook Beta to use toast notifications, so they show up on the band).

Thats another thing, the notification tile doesn't seem to update for me. I have one notification in there from yesterday, but no additional notifications, though plenty have come through.