Microsoft Band One & MS Health Review - by an Android user (Try The Tech) Part 3

[Fellwalker]

A bit about the Microsoft Band

I've almost forgotten that I have it on - then the sheer bulk of it gets in the way of doing something and I remember.

It is light, the screen is remarkably easy to read, and I am finding out more about it daily.

I've realised that when I am recording a walk to post on this site, I should not really start from and end at home...

To get the best out of the band, you need to set it up with Microsoft Health on a phone, easy to do using bluetooth.  Sadly there is no Microsoft Health app on the PC, just MSN Health & Fitness, whcih so far as I can tell doesn't have anything to do with the Band.

There are two major aspects to the band - firstly it is a tracker, monitoring your activity and recording that in different ways depending on how you excercise.  Secondly, it is a smart remote display for your phone, for the likes of mail, texts and news.

STEPS:  The band constantly counts how many steps you are taking, and shows that on the clock screen so that it is in your face always.  I'm torn between wanting to exceed the target 5000 (about 3km) and wanting to just ditch it.  Instead, I have finally realised that if I press one of the buttons that display cycles round between steps, date, distance, calories and heart rate - and remembers what you last had it showing.  As it is, a round of golf achieves a bit over 10,000, so I am doing that three times a week.

This is how the displays cycle round - for me.  Using MS Health app on the phone, you can choose which apps show on your band, and download others.

Time / steps etc. message/mail/news/phone/diary/golf/run/sleep/alarm/uv /settings

A little deeper look at these tiles:-

Swipe and hold right and you get to see battery status - I have found it has lasted 2 days.  I charged it last night, played golf and played around taking screen shots and showing friends what it looks like, and it is still somewhere around 80%

It does get upset when you take it off!  It also grumbles at me for this anyway, as it is a size too big for me really.

Fitness tracking does rather get under your skin and you start to need to review your information.  Tomorrow I hope to post a section about the running recording and the golf app, but I've got to go now...

email:-

and if you press the small button it gives a word by word large read-out of the email. THe same applies to the other apps.  I hope the link to the video works.  Youtube seems to be having a bit of bother with it, showing it to me but saying they are working on it to show to others.

might be useful, but if it can get the info, then so can my phone which is only in my pocket!

  

news from Cortana not sure if I can be bothered by this...

and the alarm clock etc. Not yet tried

More to follow...

To see the band and learn more about it go further down the page through this link

You can also read the review Microsoft Lumia 640 LTE and Microsoft Band 1 (Try the Tech) Part 1

And read about the Microsoft Lumia 640LTE camera Review - by an Android user (Try The Tech) - Part 2

[jonsie]

No offence @Fellwalker but having trialled the samsung gear S, which is curved, I hate the look of this band and would not be happy wearing it. It looks clumsy and awkward and tbh just plain ugly. Sorry Microsoft but you need a redesigned wearable.

[Daddydoink]

---

@jonsie wrote:

No offence @Fellwalker but having trialled the samsung gear S, which is curved, I hate the look of this band and would not be happy wearing it. It looks clumsy and awkward and tbh just plain ugly. Sorry Microsoft but you need a redesigned wearable.

---

The Band2 is curved, fixing the issue.

@Fellwalker - try the Microsoft Health website, best used in Edge or IE - it enables you to drill down quite a bit into your stats.  I'm returning the Band Monday, so am going to go for another long walk today with the GPS to see what I can garner.

[Fellwalker]

@jonsie @DaddydoinkI agree that the Band One needs a particular shape of wrist, which I do not have.  It is actually surprsingly mostly comfortable, as much as any watch anyway. 

The fact that Microsoft band can play golf with me - both acting as a DMD (Distance Measuring Device) and track my golf game through the TaylorMade web site is a HUGE plus.  It means I don't need a separate Golf device (which might cost as much), nor do I need to be constantly getting out my phone, switching it on and looking for the distances on an app on that (which drains the battery as it requires GPS always on).  I used it again today

I am now seriously considering buying a band two as soon as it is released.

Thanks @Daddydoink I did find the Microsoft Health web site as I was writing the last installment, but SWMBO called and we had to go out, so I didn't have time to comment on it. 

[Fellwalker]

Now, a bit about the Band and MS Health app.

Summary :

Pros:

• Input (Johnny 5 is alive!).  More data than you can shake a stick at.
• Easy to wear, if a bit bulky initially
• Long battery life - I reckon 2 to 3 days or even more if just used in general day to day wear.
• Discreet - I have not had anyone come up to me and ask what I'm wearing.  Some of the smartphones I've seen are huge lumps.
• Clear and readable display, even without putting my glasses on.
• My phone battery has been lasting a full day, almost.
• • I don't need to turn my phone on to find the time. I haven't worn a watch for at least 5 years.
  • If used to track a run or walk, instead of Runkeeper on my phone, it uses far less power and means my phone still works afterwards.
  • If used for golf, I can get distances to green from the band, which saves an app on my phone that uses significant battery.

• I could save from not needing to purchase a golf watch, and a running watch.
• The charging cable with magnetic clip so that it feels to jump into the right place on the watch is just wonderful.  I think that would be so much better than USB C with its any way round but still plug in connector on modern phones.  There must be a size and weight issue with it.

Cons:

• The analysis of said data is still a work in progress, probably as developers realise just how much it creates and what it can be used for.
• I would perhaps have been better with a medium band; it would nag me about where I had gone as it couldn't get a heart rate - so I don't know how that might have skewed the results.
• It is a bit chunky, and the Band One has a flat bit for the display which makes it a bit awkward to get the  sizing right.  (Sorted in band 2)

Wearing the band 1

The band has a sensor at the catch which shines a light that magically measures your heartbeat. It grumbles if not able to do so. On the Band 2, that sensor is underneath the main display, swapped for the charging connector that is moved to the clip area.  I can see this being a far bettter arrangement.

The clip works easily and as @Daddydoink says, has plenty of easy adjustment.  I have found that if set tight (as they ask) and it slips down over my wrist bones, then it does slide open a bit when I flex my wrist.  That could be because it is a little bigger than my wrist. 

I would imagine that the new Band 2 would fit better being more rounded.

The display is at right angles, which makes the band much slimmer.  It is worn on the INSIDE of the wrist, which is slightly easier to read.  I've no trouble at all with the time display, for which I press the big button.  The tile contents are not at all bad once you get used to them.

Using the band 1 for walking (sorry, knees are not capable of running more than a hundred yards)

Press power, swipe the display sideways to get to the running man , press him, then press the action button and go.   

 It tracks your walk.  I used it earlier in the week when I went to Thorp Perrow arboretum to look at the autumn colours, and disappointingly to not see any mushrooms.  A few years ago it had been full thereof, but the weather this year has been much colder.

 

It looks to me as if the heavy tree cover meant it lost GPS fix at various points.

Some photos of the trees and the park here on Flickr

 Using the Band 1 for Golf

Very similar once set up. 

First, you have to have linked the band to MS Health app, and signed up for a TaylorMade "Myroundpro" account.  In MS Health, swipe down to the golf section and choose to load a new course.  You can search locally, or farther afield so as to be prepared in advance of going on holiday.  It then gives a list, from which you can choose one.  Selecting that gives you a final screen with a summary of the course before you download that to your band using the bluetooth link.

When you get to the course at which you are ready to play, wait to set up the golf until you are in a place where you can take a practice shot with your driver.  Press power, swipe to the golfer , press the icon, then double press the action icon.  The band searches for GPS, then when that locks, it loads the previously downloaded course.  As soon as you are ready to go, you press the small button, and take a practice swing - which calibrates it.  The it shows you the hole brief details - which hole and the par of the hole.  Press the small button and the band gets the current position, and tells you how far it is to front, middle and back of the green.  You can do that any time during the round.

If you have set up the band with a practice swing, it then records each shot you take, having some clever system that means it doesn't count practice swings as well.  Unfortunately, for a 19 handicap golfer like me, one sometimes needs to take a second ball off the tee when the first sails majestically over the trees and into the river.  Whilst the band cannot accurately count that, just turn the display on and swipe from the right to add a penalty shot, and then again for the second ball that you struck.

I found that it was MOSTLY accurate in counting shots, but occasionally didn't count a soft shot.  Having said that, on some occasions it caught even the gentlest of putts.  I would say not to rely on it catching each stroke, and to check after each that the count has gone up by one.  Adding (or subtracting) a shot is as easy as swiping the display, but to get the best analysis later, that should be done at the point the shot was taken - as it records the GPS location of the shot.

The Health app on the watch retains the latest round, so having taken a video to show the set up of the watch, it now has a 2 stroke round for a screenshot, rather than the full thing.

As you proceed, the band recognises when it has entered a teeing ground, so it automatically advances to the next hole.  As it does so, it vibrates - so if the mappers have got it wrong, you can go back to the previous hole and continue.

 The "MyRoundPro" web site has a lot more information and analysis - more than I have yet got to grips with.  At its simplest, the band could replace a GPS distance measuring device, and for those who don't understand, or want to understand, golf, that helps.

I also found a screenshot I took on the phone with that same round on to compare.

And there is all sorts of stuff here that I cannot make head nor tail of...

For the moment, I will be stopping for lunch. 

I think i need a good sleep - but I see that @Daddydoink has done an excellent job of reviewing the sleep app.  Suffice it to say that my sleep pattern is wrecked at the moment due to a sore right knee that is waking me up. The app certainly shows that I am having disturbed mights.  I wonder my wife puts up with it.

===========================================================================

I did a spell check, and Lithium doesn't know the word "phone". 

Nor does it know bluetooth, GPS, watch... 

[Toby]

@Fellwalker this is astoundingly good!

How do you feel about me splitting it up into threads for each part? Totally up to you of course, but it could be easier to find certain aspects and we could link each one to another. If you're interested, send me a message

[Anonymous]

I don't have words to describe how impressed I am.

I love the autumnal pictures

[Fellwalker]

@Toby Yes - see your PM

Jim

[Fellwalker]

@Anonymous thanks.  I try. At least my wife says I'm trying...

[Cleoriff]

@Fellwalker An absolutely outstanding review. I really can't think of anything you have missed out. Brilliant.

Very comprehensive and detailed report about the apps....

[jonsie]

But can it replace what's missing in your life.  Can it bring you peace of mind. If so I want one

[Fellwalker]

@Cleoriff Thanks.  I have enjoyed doing it, as I am seriously looking at whether to get a Microsoft 950 XL.  I'm glad @Daddydoink did the section on the sleep monitor; that was great, so I don't need all of the screenshots that I created.

I've just found something I missed - a screenprint of the run GPS track - just added it now.  I do wish this forum had better image uploading.

[Fellwalker]

---

@jonsie wrote:

But can it replace what's missing in your life.  Can it bring you peace of mind. If so I want one

---

You've got something missing?  Try golf

[jonsie]

I need time travel mate...backwards 

[Daddydoink]

---

@Fellwalker wrote:

@Cleoriff Thanks.  I have enjoyed doing it, as I am seriously looking at whether to get a Microsoft 950 XL.  I'm glad @Daddydoink did the section on the sleep monitor; that was great, so I don't need all of the screenshots that I created.

I've just found something I missed - a screenprint of the run GPS track - just added it now.  I do wish this forum had better image uploading.

---

The GPS tracking is good - I had to resist the urge to draw immature shapes - like a rabbit or stick men...

[Cleoriff]

If rabbits or stick men are all you were tempted to draw.....you will do fine...

[Fellwalker]

---

@Daddydoink wrote:

---

@Fellwalker wrote:

@Cleoriff Thanks.  I have enjoyed doing it, as I am seriously looking at whether to get a Microsoft 950 XL.  I'm glad @Daddydoink did the section on the sleep monitor; that was great, so I don't need all of the screenshots that I created.

I've just found something I missed - a screenprint of the run GPS track - just added it now.  I do wish this forum had better image uploading.

---

The GPS tracking is good - I had to resist the urge to draw immature shapes - like a rabbit or stick men...

---

[Cleoriff]

Oh look...a rabbit...a stick man...and a car ...bonus

[Fellwalker]

It is almost the end of my fortnight, so I need to give a balanced view of the Band in use - for me.

*** The band 1 is now available for £99.99 from Amazon, brand new, reduced from £169.99.  You can no longer order it on the Microsoft web site.  It has nearlly all that the Band 2 has, except VO2.  I can't find out whether the sensors have been upgraded.

As with all bits of technology, there are goods and not so goods.  An awful lot comes down to the user's personal needs and wants.  Noone actually NEEDS a band. 

I have always loved technology, and am fascinated by data.  The Band produces a lot of data; you could be forgiven for thinking too much.  I've tried to give an idea of how much; the question that arises is "what is the point of it all?"  I guess the only answer to that is that it is useful if you are trying to improve - your game, your health, your life. 

The Band is useless without a bluetooth link to a smartphone on which is loaded Microsoft Health app. The good thing is that the app is available on 3 platforms.  The Microsoft Health app works with Android™, iPhone® and Windows Phone*.  https://www.microsoft.com/microsoft-band/en-gb/microsoft-health

It can guide you to make choices.  NB if you are in doubt, or making a big lifestyle change, discuss it with your doctor first.  Don't suddenly go out and max out the activities.  The Band shows, next to the time, your activity - a revolving display of steps, distance, calories used, and heart rate - or you can chicken out and just show the date!

That and the Health app certainly highlight your general activity levels; very hard to argue with it when that data shows you have hardly walked the length of yourself on a particular day.  Some of the data, like your heart rate, will be useful over time, as in addition to the absolute value, the trend will be interesting and could highlight a problem.

The phone app gives a quick, and quite detailed, display of all of these things.  I have found that the app on Windows phone and on Android is identical in look and function.

The web site gives far more detailed information, more easily analysed.  From there you can also set up links to other apps - like RunKeeper, for example, which can give you deeper insights being a specialist running site.

As a golfer, I used the Taylor Made golf app; downloading my local course and using the band to record my play on it.  As a DMD, it was great - a quick touch on the small button and it measured the distance to the front, middle and back of the green.  As it is working on a proper map of the green, that is accurate from whatever angle I approach.  As a score recording device, it was not good.  It records MOST of the shots played, but not all, and some of the putts, but without logical reason as to why it ignored a long putt, but recorded a short one.  It needed constant interaction to check each time that it had recorded a shot, which is a joint issue between the hardware registering movement, and the software interpreting that movement as a stroke.   However, I had work to do to keep it on track because it kept jumping to a different hole on the course when I got too near the other hole's teeing area.  It is utterly illogical for it to jump to an earlier hole, which it did three times each round due to the layout of our course.  Coming off the last hole, it even jumped to the first again!  This is a problem with the app and poor software writing, rather than necessarily the band.

In summary

Display tiles

• Messaging * you can reply to these using an on-screen keyboard (wow, tiny or what) or using Cortana voice recognition.
• Mail
• Cortana - news
• Calls *
• Calendar
• Run
• Bike
• Golf
• Excercise
• Sleep
• Alarm & Timer *
• Guided workouts
• Weather - day by day for current location
• Finance - up to 7 stocks or shares
• UV
• Starbucks - add your starbucks card for easy payment at their stores (though I am not keen on their coffee!)
• Facebook
• Facebook messenger
• Twitter
• Notification Center (sic)

However, you can only have 13 at any one time.

* Cortana (speak to the Band, so long as it is in bluetooth connection with the phone, and the phone has a signal or wifi.)

• Press and hold the action button (the small one) and you can ask Cortana anything - she'll display the result or refer you to the phone if it needs a bigger display.
• You can use the band to ask her to set an appointment.
• You can instruct her to send a text or email, to whom and what to say in it.  It has worked surprisingly well.

Data it tracks

• Steps
• Calories burned
• Run
• Bike
• Golf
• Exercise
• Sleep
• Guided Workouts
• UV exposure

Pros

• Light
• Unobtrusive
• Clear display (if at right angles to what you'd expect)
• Long battery life
• Choice of always on clock display, or button press to switch on.
• Choice of colour for display
• Multiplicity of information
• Cortana integration, which seems very good.
• Cost for what it gives you
• It will upload to my existing running data which I have up to now recorded using my phone in RunKeeper.

Cons

• Bulky, sometimes gets in the way of resting my wrist on a table or arm of a chair.
• Far too much for most people
• No "proper" watch face - it looks like a fitness band, but has far more
• Not actually cheap, even at £100 now it is on its way out - and Band 2 is £199.99 available 19th November

Summary and Conclusion

For me, it scores about 8/10.  I'm sorry to see it go back.  It is easy to wear, gives me my golf distances, and tracks basic activity data very easily. It has a long battery life so does not need daily charging.

I guess given time, I might use Cortana a bit more - the potential is very high for that to frequently save pulling your phone out of your pocket or handbag.

It loses because of the bulk, and because I haven't been wearing a watch for the last 5 years, and in principle, I don't want to!

I am now saving my pennies, and preparing to go try on a Band 2 as soon as it is in the shops and I can feel what it is like.

Thankyou to Tony, and to O2 for allowing me the opportunity to try the tech.  It is a superb concept, and I hope that there is more to come.

[Cleoriff]

Thanks once again for an excellent review @Fellwalker. I enjoyed reading this and loved the fact that it was balanced. ie " No-one actually needs a band" For those that actually want one you have given a very positive review.