Is it worth it to get a Microsoft Band now!?

[AlwaysColtron]

I've been closely watching the Band for some time and finally want to consider buying one. My only concern, like guying any electronic, is that it will not only be replaced by a new model but also I'd rather have a full "watch" similar to that of Moto 360 and iWatch more then a "band" item. Should I wait and see if this comes out ever or does anyone know the long term plans for this device which would make it worth it to buy it now?

 

[realwarder]

With all electronics a new and better one is always coming. However since the current one has more sensors and a battery life of 2-3 days which beats quite a few smart watches, its already very good.

For health and notifications its excellent. Price for features is good. If you for some reason want to run an app on a watch, currently other watches may be a better choice. Personally I find watches too small for apps, but that is my opinion.

 

[AlwaysColtron]

I love the idea of notifications and monitoring on a watch, that is more what I'll use it for to give me a reason to only use my phone when I need to not out of curiosity. I did this when the Surfaces came out, got a Gen 1 RT and the Surfaces 2s came out a few months later and I kicked myself for it.

 

[stephen_az]

I've been closely watching the Band for some time and finally want to consider buying one. My only concern, like guying any electronic, is that it will not only be replaced by a new model but also I'd rather have a full "watch" similar to that of Moto 360 and iWatch more then a "band" item. Should I wait and see if this comes out ever or does anyone know the long term plans for this device which would make it worth it to buy it now?

Why bother to ask if you have already said you want a watch? It will not magically transform into another device. It is a health band with watch functions. As for comments about new models there is not a single person on this site who has any relevant information. If you choose to make purchases based upon what might come in the future, you also have a really long wait since there will always be something else on the drawing board somewhere. The simple question is does the Band meet your needs and preferences? As you would appear to have answered the question yourself with "no" I would suggest it is not worth purchasing....

 

[TwoClipz]

I did this when the Surfaces came out, got a Gen 1 RT and the Surfaces 2s came out a few months later and I kicked myself for it.

Same here..

I use mine primarily as a watch... steps keep me motivated to move and sleep is cool, but everything else is why I have it.

Moto360 is also cool, but too much stuff going on for me on my wrist.... I want to get what I want and get on with what I'm doing.

I know Band 2 may come out as early as November (who knows) but I think the band is worth it, even if its another RT situation

 

[anthonyng]

... but also I'd rather have a full "watch" similar to that of Moto 360 and iWatch more then a "band" item....

What's a full watch to you? there's a watch mode so you can keep the time always on if that's what you want.

 

[DroidUser42]

MS hasn't announced if/when there will be a new generation. So we can only speculate. While I can feel for you in buying a 1st Gen RT, I don't know as there's anything you can do/could have done to prevent that. I will say the longer you wait the more likely that will happen.

The real question is - does the Band meet your needs/pricepoint now? Beyond that, you're going to have to find a gypsy with a crystal ball. Because MS kept he original Band under wraps pretty good. I'm sure the 2nd gen is likewise.

 

[pallentx]

I did this when the Surfaces came out, got a Gen 1 RT and the Surfaces 2s came out a few months later and I kicked myself for it.

I bought an original Surface RT at launch and have never regretted it. I eventually upgraded to the Surface 2 and its still my daily companion. If the gen 1 band does that well, I would be very happy.

 

[bockersjv]

I know ?169 is not cheapo, but it's not expensive either. Worse case scenario is next gen comes out around November. I would sell my current one and upgrade for not much extra.

For me the band is proving far more useful than I expected and well worth the early adopter risk.

 

[TechFreak1]

The first gen RT is not a bad device, if you have a fairly decent laptop with an ethernet port (WiFi works but you don't have to worry about the o/s going into power saver mode with Wired Ethernet plus it is more stable) or a pc you can use remote desktop and expand what it is capable of.

In regards to the Band, if your not sure whether to get this or not, then I would say just wait a bit longer until Build as that is only a few days away. More details may appear shortly after, however I doubt it as the Band just hit markets outside the US this month.

 

[DroidUser42]

the Band just hit markets outside the US this month.

Good point. I seriously doubt we'll see V2 until "just in time for Christmas". Even that's seems like a bit of a push given that it just left the U.S.

 

[Jcmg62]

yes, its worth getting hold of one as soon as you can. I've had mine for a couple of weeks now and love it. You won't be disappointed.

Sure, Microsoft could launch a new model in the next few months....I really hope they do. But that's the beauty of the Band... at ?160 its affordable enough to replace every 12-18 months.

Putting that kind of money into perspective, ?160 is what a typical family of 4 will spend every week in Tesco.

So yeah, as long as MS are happy to keep the tech cheap they should be improving upon and rolling out new versions of the band every 12 months at least.

 

[Chris_Kez]

If it won't break the bank, then go for it. Enjoy it until you don't enjoy it anymore. There will almost certainly be other Windows smart watches within the next year, but who knows when or how much they'll cost? And then you'll again wonder whether you should wait for some news out of Mobile World Congress or Build 2016.

 

[William Grafton1]

Gotta agree with the other posters here. It's worth having. It's not perfect, but it is very very good. The notifications and limited ability to respond to things are truly all I currently need out of a wearable.

 

[Jcmg62]

Gotta agree with the other posters here. It's worth having. It's not perfect, but it is very very good. The notifications and limited ability to respond to things are truly all I currently need out of a wearable.

The important aspect when it comes to deciding whether to get a Band is the cost.

The Apple Watch is getting a lot of mixed reviews but the general theme is that its an Ok device, but not great, however it's going to cost you a lot of money to figure that out.

The Band is a cool device, but its far from perfect. For me, I don't care what it looks like or if it gets scratched and knocked up. I'm using it on a purely practical basis. I want it to build as complete a picture of my health as possible, and that means I have to wear it a lot and it's gonna get banged up a bit.

But at ?160 most of us will be able to afford an upgrade quite regularly.

If, however, you go the Apple route and shell out ?400 or more there's no way you're going to want to replace it every time Apple improve on their still very experimental device.

That said, the ifans will still buy that thing by the millions

 

[gadgetrants]

The Band is a cool device, but its far from perfect. For me, I don't care what it looks like or if it gets scratched and knocked up. I'm using it on a purely practical basis. I want it to build as complete a picture of my health as possible, and that means I have to wear it a lot and it's gonna get banged up a bit.

I agree 100% with all the "sure, buy it now" votes. The only minor point I'd reinforce here is to keep your expectations at a realistic level. I've heard gripes about pretty much every feature...

-- bezel scratches
-- sporadic Bluetooth connection
-- clunky
-- poor HR lock
-- poor sleep tracking
-- and on and on and on

Pretty much the significant concerns fall into two groups...the first is they got a lemon and it needs to be replaced, and the second is issues with the metal sensor cover and skin reactions (perhaps related to skin chemistry?). For the majority of everyone else, it's not perfect but it works great!

-Matt

 

[DroidUser42]

-- sporadic Bluetooth connection

Isn't that phone OS specific? I've had an issue a time or two, but no ongoing problems with my Android. I think it was iOS that had problems. I've heard that the Apple Bluetooth stack is a problem for a lot of products. There are some devices that outright say "Bluetooth not for iOS, use the WiFi version."

 

[William Grafton1]

iOS users did see a lot more Bluetooth problems, but it's happened to most everyone that I know who has used their Band for more than a few weeks that the Bluetooth needs to be fiddled with the keep a solid connection. I don't know that that's phone or device specific. I particularly noticed problems around times when the phone App has updated.

 

[jasqid]

All this watch and band stuff, IMO, is a fad that will be here today and gone tomorrow. I haven't worn a watch in 15 years and have no plans to do so anytime soon. Guess Im old school.

 

[MrGoodSmith]

I'm in Canada and got my band 3 days ago. I had to drive to the US to buy it. It might be disappointing if Microsoft announced a newer version this year or if it becomes available in Canada for a cheaper price than what I had to pay, but after 3 days I'm really enjoying it and it exceeded my expectations and was worth every penny. If a newer version is announced that has worthy features I will try to buy it at day one and sell my older band.