I've had Redmond's wearable on my wrist for a month now, and while I love the idea of the Microsoft Band and I'm really enjoying the statistics that it provides, but there are just enough quirks and issues that leaves me thinking the old rule of thumb about Microsoft needing three attempts to define a successful product is still true. That's not to say that you should skip this wearable, because there is a lot to like, but you do need to be aware of its shortcomings.
Every single late seventies / early eighties science-fiction show had some form of wrist-based device. Be it the communicator wristband from Knight Rider or the teleport bracelet in Blake's 7, the future was always big, black, chunky, and on the wrist. Welcome to that future, where Microsoft has been inspired by Mat Irvine and the BBC Special Effects Workshop. And just like Irvine's best work, the Microsoft Band is a cumbersome, oversized bracelet of a smartwatch.
Part of this comes down to the screen. Rather than curve the display, the touch-sensitive 320 x 105 pixel screen sits flat across the display surface of the watch. Wrap this up in hard plastic which blends into the fixed wristband, and you have a watch display that overhangs the curve of a wrist. Pack a few more sensors into the wristband on either side of the screen and you have an almost rectangular construction that touches parts of your wrist, rather than wrapping comfortably around it.
The clip is unusual as well, as it has an integrated heart-rate monitor on the skin side, and a recessed runner that allows a ratchet-like clip to secure the watch on its outside. It's unusual but also rather bulky and means that resting your hand on a surface will actually see it rest about a centimetre above a surface you have your wrist on. The ratchet does allow a tight fit and quick adjustments to loosen the Band as required, but it's cumbersome, catches on clothes, the edge of a table, the base of a computer keyboard, and generally all four sides of the Microsoft Band get in the way of many everyday tasks.
Perhaps the reasoning behind the lack of style is that fitness trackers are all black and rather functional, but that belies the power that smart design can have. The Apple Watch is all about the style, the more successful Android Wear devices have focused on looks, and even the upstart Pebble plays with smart forms as well as smart functions with Pebble Steel and the upcoming Pebble Time Steel.
Microsoft's angular, chunky, rubberized look is distinctive, but not in a good way. The look is, perhaps, the greatest flaw of them all.
Looks aside, there is a lot going on under the bonnet with the Microsoft Band. It features ten sensors to gather information that is stored on the Band before being synchronised to your smartphone. From there it can be analyzed and then synchronized to your Microsoft account in the cloud. The Band generates a lot of data with very little input or management required by the user (for the record, it has a heart rate monitor, accelerometer, gyro, GPS, microphone, light sensor, galvanic skin response sensors, UV sensor, and a skin temperature sensor, plus the capacitive screen and two function buttons).
All of this does explain the bulk of the Band. Rather than pack everything into a space that matches an oversized watch dial, it uses all the area in the wristband (hence the name). That makes it a bit more balanced and while I still think that the band needs to be physically smaller, the overall feel is a good feel thanks to the distributed weight.
The size of the band and the location of the screen does lead to some awkward interaction with the Band. There is no 'portrait' mode for the screen, which meant my arm has to be held straight out so I can read the 'locked in landscape' display. While this is awkward, the UI is built around swiping the screen or using the two buttons (one to toggle the display on or off, and one 'action') to let the Band know what you are doing (such as starting a cycle, going for a run, or settling down to sleep). The Band is set up to mostly record, and the third-party application on your smartphone will help you do the analysis. This lack of heavy lifting on the band makes the UI easier to live with.
Building on the square tiles metaphor from Windows 10, the UI is surprisingly clean and easy to understand. While the tiles are fixed in order on the Band, the companion app will allow you to organise the layout and decide which apps/tiles you want to show in the single strip of icons you can flick through. Tap them to open, or hit the small 'back' strip at the left of the screen to return to the previous screen.
Around half of these app tiles allow you to monitor your health or track exercises. Choose the appropriate app when you start an activity and the data is logged with that activity in mind. This means that a cycling session will not interfere with your steps taken counter. It does mean you need to remember to start these tasks (including the night-time sleep analysis) and that can be a bit tricky when you start - but the bulk of the Band acts in its favour here to always remind you that you have this Band on your wrist for a reason.
You can also start guided exercise routines, designed to build you up to certain activities (such as "Couch to 5km" to build up your stamina for jogging and running) which takes you through routines that build in intensity while considering factors such as your heart rate and body temperature. It's a nice coaching touch, although as with all exercising you should consult your GP before commencing any long-term training plans.
At the same time as being a fitness tool Microsoft has tried to make the Band into a smartwatch, with the other half of the tiles made up of apps that allow you to be alerted to our alerts on Facebook, Twitter, and email. Depending on the smartphone you are using, all the notifications that show up in your status areas can be reflected to the Band. If you leave all of these notifications on, you will get quickly overwhelmed. Luckily the software on your smartphone can be set up to only let through certain applications, so you can stop the alerts on anything except the most important applications.
A small number of third-party apps are available for the Band, although the basics are all covered by Microsoft, including the obligatory weather app. Also bundled are apps for Facebook, Facebook Messenger, Twitter, and Starbucks. Yes, the height of technology is now waving a watch at a Starbucks till to pay for a coffee. Truly this is the future.
Following on from the strategy used by Microsoft's OneNote and Outlook applications, the Microsoft Band client software is available for Android and iOS as well as Windows Phone. All three of these applications sync to the cloud, and you can easily switch handsets and still have access to your data. Functionality is consistent across all of the handsets, although Windows Phone has an extra trick up its sleeve by allowing voice access to Cortana's voice-based search engine by the Microsoft Band when it is connected.
The smartphone software allows you to analyse the data gathered by the Band through graphs and charts of the various functions, but you always have the option of visiting the main website. Your data might stay within Microsoft, but at least you have a number of options to access it that are not limited to using just the Band or a single handset that holds all your personal data. While there are no current data standards for portability of health data between services, being able to view it from any web browser is a start.
The Microsoft Band packs in a lot of functionality, and this does come at a cost in terms of battery power. You can leave the display on at all times so it becomes more watch-like, but this means charing every twenty four-hours or so. By leaving the display off you can reach two days with the GPS running, and three days without. Charging is through a custom USB cable that means you'll be carrying another charging cable with you when you travel. It's not an elegant solution for a piece of hardware, and I wish that a standard microUSB cable could have been used, but very few smartwatch manufacturers are going down that route these days.
All of the Band's functionality is useful, and it does generate useful data (at least to me, your mileage may vary). But the size of the Band means that it is uncomfortable to wear for long periods. It gets in the way of many everyday tasks (such as typing, where it pushes my wrist higher than comfortable while typing on a laptop), and the awkward shape and bulk easily catches on clothing. Wanting to remove it negates the usefulness of all day trackers such as the step counter or heart rate monitor.
Over time I would expect the Microsoft Band to iterate a smaller and more comfortable design. Right now I don't think that the functionality fully compensates for the styling, but this is a far more subjective view than if I was criticising the software.
Much like the Apple Watch, the Microsoft Band feels like a very big public beta test, and that subsequent iterations will help with the various issues. I'd expect a lot of changes to be made on the software side of things and changes made through over-the-air updates, but the hardware needs some addressing as well in terms of size and style. Unlike the Apple Watch, I'm not sure if the public will be happy to keep buying Microsoft Bands until all the flaws are ironed out.
The Microsoft Band does the job it was asked to do in a brutal style. It works, but it's not pretty.
