Microsoft Band is a discontinued smart band with

smartwatch A smartwatch is a portable wearable computer that resembles a wristwatch. Most modern smartwatches are operated via a touchscreen, and rely on mobile apps that run on a connected device (such as a smartphone) in order to provide core functions. ...

and

activity tracker A fitness tracker or activity tracker is an electronic device or app that measures and collects data about an individual's movements and physical responses in order to monitor and improve the individual's health, fitness, or psychological wellne ...

/ fitness tracker features, created and developed by

Microsoft Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational corporation and technology company, technology conglomerate headquartered in Redmond, Washington. Founded in 1975, the company became influential in the History of personal computers#The ear ...

. It was announced on October 29, 2014. The Microsoft Band incorporates fitness tracking and health-oriented capabilities and integrated with

Windows Phone Windows Phone (WP) is a discontinued mobile operating system developed by Microsoft Mobile for smartphones as the replacement successor to Windows Mobile and Zune. Windows Phone featured a new user interface derived from the Metro design languag ...

, iOS, and Android smartphones through a

Bluetooth Bluetooth is a short-range wireless technology standard that is used for exchanging data between fixed and mobile devices over short distances and building personal area networks (PANs). In the most widely used mode, transmission power is li ...

connection. On October 3, 2016, Microsoft stopped sales and development of the line of devices. On May 31, 2019, the Band's companion app was decommissioned, and Microsoft offered a refund for customers who were lifelong active platform users.

History

The Microsoft Band was announced by Microsoft on October 29, 2014 and released in limited quantities in the US the following day. The Band was initially sold exclusively on the Microsoft Store's website and retail locations; due to its unexpected popularity, it sold out on the first day it was released and was in short supply over the 2014

holiday shopping season A holiday is a day or other period of time set aside for festivals or recreation. ''Public holidays'' are set by public authorities and vary by state or region. Religious holidays are set by religious organisations for their members and are ofte ...

. Production was ramped up in March 2015 to increase availability, several months after the release of Android Wear but ahead of the

Apple Watch The Apple Watch is a brand of smartwatch products developed and marketed by Apple Inc., Apple. It incorporates activity tracker, fitness tracking, Health (Apple), health-oriented capabilities, and wireless telecommunication, and integrates wit ...

. Availability was expanded in the US to include retailers

Amazon Amazon most often refers to: * Amazon River, in South America * Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin * Amazon (company), an American multinational technology company * Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek myth ...

, Best Buy, and Target. On April 15, 2015, the Microsoft Band was released in the UK priced at £169.99 and available for purchase through the Microsoft Store, or from select partners.

Features

The Microsoft band incorporates ten

sensor A sensor is often defined as a device that receives and responds to a signal or stimulus. The stimulus is the quantity, property, or condition that is sensed and converted into electrical signal. In the broadest definition, a sensor is a devi ...

s, though only eight were documented on Microsoft's product page: # Optical

heart rate monitor A heart rate monitor (HRM) is a personal monitoring device that allows one to measure/display heart rate in real time or record the heart rate for later study. It is largely used to gather heart rate data while performing various types of ph ...

# Three-axis

accelerometer An accelerometer is a device that measures the proper acceleration of an object. Proper acceleration is the acceleration (the rate of change (mathematics), rate of change of velocity) of the object relative to an observer who is in free fall (tha ...

# Gyrometer # GPS #

Microphone A microphone, colloquially called a mic (), or mike, is a transducer that converts sound into an electrical signal. Microphones are used in many applications such as telephones, hearing aids, public address systems for concert halls and publi ...

# Ambient light sensor # Galvanic skin response sensors # UV sensor # Skin temperature sensor # Capacitive sensor The Band's battery was designed to run for two days on a full charge, and the device partially relies on its companion app Microsoft Health, which was available for operating systems beginning with Windows Phone 8.1, Android 4.3+, and iOS 7.1+, if

was available. Despite being designed as a fitness tracker, the Band has numerous

-like features, such as built in apps (called

tiles Tiles are usually thin, square or rectangular coverings manufactured from hard-wearing material such as ceramic, stone, metal, baked clay, or even glass. They are generally fixed in place in an array to cover roofs, floors, walls, edges, or ot ...

) like

Exercise Exercise or workout is physical activity that enhances or maintains fitness and overall health. It is performed for various reasons, including weight loss or maintenance, to aid growth and improve strength, develop muscles and the cardio ...

, UV,

Alarm ALARM (Air Launched Anti-Radiation Missile) is a British anti-radiation missile designed primarily to destroy enemy radars for the purpose of Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses (SEAD). It was used by the Royal Air Force, RAF and is still used by ...

Timer A timer or countdown timer is a type of clock that starts from a specified time duration and stops upon reaching 00:00. It can also usually be stopped manually before the whole duration has elapsed. An example of a simple timer is an hourglass ...

, Calls, Messages,

Calendar A calendar is a system of organizing days. This is done by giving names to periods of time, typically days, weeks, months and years. A calendar date, date is the designation of a single and specific day within such a system. A calendar is ...

Facebook Facebook is a social media and social networking service owned by the American technology conglomerate Meta Platforms, Meta. Created in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with four other Harvard College students and roommates, Eduardo Saverin, Andre ...

Weather Weather is the state of the atmosphere, describing for example the degree to which it is hot or cold, wet or dry, calm or stormy, clear or cloud cover, cloudy. On Earth, most weather phenomena occur in the lowest layer of the planet's atmo ...

and more. The Band worked with any Windows Phone 8.1 device. If paired with a device running Windows Phone 8.1 Update 1, Cortana might also be available, although some features still require direct use of the paired phone. This Update 1 was included with the Lumia Denim firmware for Microsoft Lumia phones. Users can view their latest notifications on their phone by using the Notifications Center Tile. The device functioned as a way to promote Microsoft software and license it to developers and OEMs.

References

External links

* * {{Smartwatch Microsoft hardware Products introduced in 2014 Discontinued Microsoft products Smartwatches Smart bands

History

Features

See also

References

External links