Written by 7:17 pm Fun, Hardware, Microsoft, Microsoft Azure, Windows • 3 Comments

Impressions of the Microsoft Band 2

Microsoft Band 2

A couple of months back I had the chance to visit and speak at several tech conferences, and during this time Microsoft released several devices such as the Surface Book, Surface Pro 4 and the Microsoft Band 2. I was a Microsoft Band user since November 2014 and as you can see at my review on the Microsoft Band and Microsoft Health I really liked the concept of the device.

With the Microsoft Band 2 Microsoft address some of the wishes of the users. So here are some of my impressions:

  • The Microsoft Band 2 is a welcome upgrade in terms of quality and design over the first version of the Microsoft Band
  • The new curved AMOLED display is bigger and looks much better than the old one. It also improves the touch quality after workouts with wet fingers.
  • The feel is much better. Even I got used to the first version of the Microsoft band very quickly the Microsoft Band 2 improves that and sometimes I even have to check if I am still wearing it.
  • Microsoft also added some new functionality to the Band 2 such as a Barometer and a better or always one UV sensor. But what I really like is the new Smart Alarm. When you are using the Band and start sleep mode you can also set an alarm, as a option you can also enable the Smart Alarm, and this will wake you up at the optimal wake up phase 30 minutes before the alarm was set. If you are still in deep sleep the Band will take the time you set as the alarm time to wake you up.

Microsoft also added some fun things to the Microsoft Health app. You can now compare your workouts, runs, bike rides, steps and more with your friends. And you can also create challenges and invite your friends, which is really fun.

Conclusion

The Microsoft Band 2 is a very welcome upgrade and looks much better and more mature then the first version. And Microsoft also improved some of the functionality and added some cool new features. Since I started using the Microsoft Band (v1) a while back, I also started to loss some weight. Well of course this also could have been done without any tracker, but a fitness tracker really helps you to stay motivated and have some control over your health. Now after more than a year of using Microsoft health, it is great to find and compare some data about your health, for example how much did I sleep per month, which effect did my sleep have on my running performance and so on.

Tags: , , , , , , , Last modified: September 2, 2018
Close Search Window
Close