Since this year, the wearable market has been booming, and major technology giants have successively launched wearable products and digital health platforms. Not long ago, as a PC giant, Microsoft also stepped into the wearable product market and released its own brand fitness tracker - Microsoft Band. After thousands of mountains and rivers, the author finally got this giant engine.

Basic parameters

• Product size: 19 × 8.7mm
  

• Product weight: 60g

• Product material: thermoplastic rubber

• Processor model: ARM Cortex M4 MCU

• Memory capacity: 64MB

• Battery capacity: 2 × 100 mAh rechargeable lithium-ion battery

• Screen: 11 × 33mm, TFT full-color touch screen

• Waterproof grade: IP 54

• Software version: Windows Phone 8.1, iOS， Android

• Sensor: optical heart rate sensor; Triaxial accelerometer; Gyro tester; GPS； Ambient light sensor; Skin temperature sensor; UV sensor; Capacitive sensor; Picoelectric reaction sensor

Unpacking

▲ The square paper packaging box makes the whole package very simple.

▲ There is only one design of the bracelet on the front. The main diagonal line shows the Microsoft logo and the corresponding size of the bracelet (this time, the size is M).

▲ Some information about Band is marked on the back in English.

▲ There is a product ID label on the bottom.

▲ There is a wrist measuring ruler on the side, so users can easily find their own size, which is a very user-friendly design.

▲ Remove the binding to see the black box inside.

▲ In order to highlight the black bracelet, the white supporting parts occupy most of the packing boxes.

▲ A family photo, including Microsoft Band, data cable and instructions.

Hardware

▲ When I get Band, I feel heavy and stiff, giving me a feeling of engineering machine.

▲ The front of the Microsoft bracelet is equipped with a 1.4 inch, 320 x 106 pixel color touch screen, which can be read in strong sunlight. But it is precisely because of this wide and flat screen that the band's body has become a rather rigid semicircle.

▲ There are 7 metal contacts on the back for charging, which is an exaggeration.

▲ Of course, so many contacts are equipped with special charging lines. Like other bracelets, the charging connector is directly connected with the bracelet through magnetism, and the two can automatically fit when they are close to each other.

▲ The main part is a semi-rigid plastic belt. An adjustable buckle is designed at both ends of the wrist belt, so that users can easily relax or tighten the wrist belt. All the mediation processes can be completed directly on the wrist without removing the wrist ring.

▲ The wrist strap itself has no elasticity, and there is even a protruding hard plastic block on the left and right (with two lithium ion batteries inside). So the whole Band is not very comfortable to wear. You can always feel its presence.

▲ Since the wrist strap itself does not have elasticity, when the wrist strap is bent, a very large gap will appear at the raised plastic block, which is believed to be one of the main reasons for the low waterproof level of Band.

▲ On the back of the adjustment button is an optical heart rate monitor, which can emit neon green light to measure your heart rate.

▲ There are two entity keys on one side of the screen.

▲ Although Microsoft Band has waterproof function, it can only cope with life waterproof, and the waterproof grade is only IP 54.

Wearing mode

There are two ways to wear Microsoft bracelet, which provides users with a relatively comfortable solution.

▲ One way of wearing is that the display screen and the back of the hand face one side.

▲ Due to the larger size of Microsoft Band compared with other bracelets on the market, and the long screen, it is more comfortable to wear the screen facing the inside of the wrist.

Endurance

Microsoft Band is equipped with a 2 × 100 mAh lithium-ion battery, which can last for up to two days. The author tried it for two days, and connected the power supply during the activation process. So far, there is still a weak battery, so the two-day endurance is still guaranteed.

However, if GPS is turned on, the power will decline exponentially. The power will drop by half after the author turns on GPS for about one hour. It can be seen that the GPS function is just a device for Band.

Summary

Although the Band is equipped with up to 10 kinds of sensors, which can be described as "powerful", as a wrist strap device, the wearing comfort of the Band is very poor, and the sense of presence is strong. You even have to remove the Band during keyboard operation.

Software

In terms of hardware, Microsoft Band is unsatisfactory, but in terms of software, Microsoft has once again proved its power.

▲ Microsoft Health supports three major mobile platforms: iOS, Android and Windows Phone. At this point, Microsoft won. Except for Cortana on WP, the experience on each platform is basically the same.

▲ A giant is a willful, exclusive account login.

Despite its hegemony, Microsoft has obvious advantages in user interface. Microsoft Health uses active magnets and slide out menus, and even more enchanting purple in color matching, which is full of vitality.

▲ On the main interface, the user can see the main magnets of sleep, steps, training and calorie consumption, and the data collected by the sensor is clear at a glance.

▲ You can get deeper data in the submenu of each tile.

▲ With others In comparison, Band has an additional "discovery exercise plan", from which you can select exercise modules to synchronize to the Microsoft Band bracelet. There is a specific exercise demonstration video above. The bracelet will also tell you how to exercise and how long it lasts. When it is time to take a break or move on to the next project, Band will get your attention by shaking. Finally, it will summarize the results of this exercise.

▲ In addition to taking steps, Band can also send reminders for incoming calls, emails, SMS, etc. According to personal needs, you can also set the Band to display all the notification content on the phone. Unfortunately, so far, only the reply operation of WP series mobile phones is supported.

▲ For personal information input, Band can set its own body data to give users better guidance based on the analysis of the database.

▲ In order to show its strong inclusiveness, Microsoft has added many custom options in the interface settings of the bracelet.

summary

Microsoft Band, as a masterpiece of Microsoft for three years of research and development, has unmatched capabilities in functional technology. However, as a consumer product, Band's defects are unforgivable both in appearance and wearing comfort.

If we can say what Microsoft really likes, the author believes that the protagonist in Microsoft's heart must be Health. Microsoft has built its own health database through Health. Its purpose is not to let users understand the data of each exercise, but to tell users what you should do next through data analysis, so as to achieve the goal of changing people's lifestyle. It is ambitious.

Purchase suggestions

The Microsoft Band sells for US $199 (equivalent to 1220 yuan) and is currently only available in the US market.

  Although Band can be purchased through overseas purchase agency and other channels, the author does not recommend starting with it.

  Anyone who plays handsome needs to pay a price; Not to mention playing international handsome?

  Although Microsoft Health supports three mobile platforms at the same time, no matter which device you own, you need to pay a certain price.

▲ If you have an iOS device, you also need to prepare an American Apple ID.

▲ If you have an Android device, you need to be able to climb over the wall and "disguise" the phone model.

▲ If you own a WP mobile phone, the premise is that you own it.

For mainland users, the learning cost of Microsoft bracelet is too high, and the wearing comfort is too poor. If you simply want to take a picture and send a circle of friends, then~~~local tyrants, be friends! Finally, thank Nutnet for providing products!