“I’m really digging the Microsoft Band. I’ve worn various fitness trackers for a couple of years now, starting with the original Jawbone UP and most recently the new Fitbit Charge,” Leander Kahney writes for Cult of Mac. “I’ve had mixed results with them, and none have became indispensable. The Microsoft Band, on the other hand, is rapidly becoming a fixture on my wrist. It’s a great omen for the Apple Watch, which is due in early 2015. The Apple Watch will be like the Microsoft Band on steroids, and if it works as well, it’s going to be awesome.”
“The killer feature of the Microsoft Band is, of all things, notifications. The Band buzzes when I get a text, phone call or calendar event, among other things,” Kahney writes. “I say “of all things,” because this was initially a feature I had little interest in. I bought Microsoft’s $200 fitness tracker for its fitness functions, especially the built-in heart-rate monitor… But the Band handles notifications intelligently. The things it notifies me about are the things I want to see: calendar events, reminders, incoming texts from my family.”
“I already got all this on my iPhone, of course, but the wrist is the best place to see this stuff. It’s natural and easy to quickly glance at your wrist to see if something warrants your attention. It’s a lot easier than pulling out your phone,” Kahney writes. “This all bodes well for the Apple Watch, which will handle notifications plus much, much more. Apple’s wearable will be a little more interactive. You will be able to respond to incoming messages with pictograms or canned responses, and you’ll be able to telegraph your heartbeat. I think this, plus notifications, will turn out to be the Apple Watch’s ‘killer app’ — the thing that drives people to buy and wear it… True, almost no one wears watches any more, but watches just tell the time. Add a host of other functions, and people will happily slap one on their wrist.”
Much more in the full article – recommended – here.
Related article:
Microsoft unveils $199 iOS-compatible fitness band, health app – October 30, 2014