Microsoft Band On Sale Now For $199.99

The wait is over as Microsoft has finally unveiled their version of wearable technology called the Microsoft Band. This Smart Watch is not quite what I had envisioned but it is feature rich and comes in at a very attractive $199.99. As previously mentioned, the Microsoft Band will come with a battery that will last you 2 days on a single charge. The Microsoft Band also comes with plenty of sensors to help you live a more health conscious life by keeping you informed of multiple things.

The Microsoft Band comes with 10 sensors that even include a UV sensor for sun exposure and galvanic skin response measurement which can identify stress. With its optical heart rate sensor, the Microsoft Band can keep up with your heart rate even when you are at rest.

Microsoft even launched a cloud based health app called Microsoft Health that will help you keep up with all the date the Microsoft Band is logging. Along with two days of battery life another huge selling point for Microsoft is that the Band will be available for not just Microsoft Phones, but iPhone and Android as well. The Microsoft Band will also keep you connected with emails, text messaging as well as Cortana.

You can even personalize the Microsoft Band by setting one of three colors for the back ground and changing up tiles to where you want them. The Microsoft Band resembles the Samsung Gear Fit as it is very slender with a long face. Something I’m not to sure how I will like is that the sensors are behind the clasp which is worn on the top of your wrist while the display face is worn on the bottom side of your wrist. I’ve never been a big fan of this way of wearing your watch but do admit that turning your wrist to view the bottom side is a lot easier movement than turning over to view the top or traditionally where the watch face is traditionally worn.

Microsoft is working with a lot of partners, including MapMyFitness, RunKeeper, Jawbone and Starbucks. Starbucks is going to allow users to pay for their coffee with a gift card barcode on the watch. Microsoft has stated that they will release more software at the beginning of 2015.

All in all I’m pretty impressed with the Microsoft Band. It’s feature rich, long lasting battery and comes in at a very attractive price point. Microsoft is also not alienating competitive smart phone owners like Apple and will make the Band available to iPhone and Android. For $199.99 the Microsoft Band has launched itself into first place until Apple Watch comes out next year. Hopefully consumers will take notice and seriously consider the Microsoft Band.

Head to the Microsoft Store to purchase the Band.