This is a high quality, activity tracker that also supports low- to medium-level sporty activity with an inbuilt optical HR sensor.
Positives: It looks great. It is compatible on iOS, Android and Windowsphone. It has optical HR AND it has GPS in the device. It has a high-resolution screen. The battery life is fantastic considering all the aforementioned features. It does all the usual notification stuff with your phone AND it properly addresses sleep tracking by periodically turning on the HR through the night.
Negatives: Along with all similar devices, the optical HR is not up to the job of intense sports activity. Some people claim it is uncomfortable. It’s not cheap. Apps are limited to what is suitable for this kind of band-like device – it’s NOT a smart watch format device, it’s a band.
Comments: Personally I think this product is brilliant, well thought-through and easily the best in class and, no, I didn’t get a freebie from Microsoft. If you buy it for what it is rather than what you want it to be, then you will be a happy chappy (chapesse). If you want a super long battery life and all the included features then I’m afraid the product that you want does not exist. Quality screen, GPS and HR require lots of battery juice – even Mr Apple failed to do that properly with his recent WATCH. It has small-footprint ‘apps’/tiles – very much apps-lite. If I had a need for this type of product (which I don’t) then I would buy this one (which I haven’t).
Alternatives: This link covers some alternatives.
Detailed Review: This link covers a more detailed review of the Microsoft BAND from a sporty perspective.
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