Wearables have taken the technology world by storm as of late. It’s a growing market, and one that will continue to grow as technology improves within the small frames. Designs will — eventually — get better, and battery life will — eventually — stop being terrible. Until that day, though, it’s all about getting whichever device catches your eye, offers what you’re looking for in features, and has a battery life you’re okay with. Or, whatever device you’re okay with charging most often because of those other features.
And let’s face it, there are a lot of options out there. It’s almost bad enough that just about every manufacturer, including companies that have focused on smartphones and tablets for years, are jumping into the game. But so are computer manufacturers. It’s not a secret that the wearables market is going to be huge some day, so companies are trying to take a bite of the pie early, to hook consumers to make sure they keep coming back.
So when rumors of Microsoft getting into the market rose up, it really should not have surprised anyone. If anyone was going to do it, it was going to be Microsoft. Apple was another surefire bet. And now that Microsoft’s wearable, the ‘Band,’ is official, I can actually say that something did surprise me.
How nice it looks.
There are a lot of features to like, including plenty of sensors, a microphone and more. I’ll go ahead and say that 48 hours of battery life with “normal use,” (is there actually any other way to use this thing?) isn’t all that great, but we take what we can get when it comes to wearables. It’s not like the Apple Watch is going to have much better battery life. Though, there’s a lot more going on with that wearable.
In any event, the biggest draw of Microsoft’s Band has to be the multi-platform support, which is something that Microsoft has started to embrace lately, and that’s a good thing. It’s especially good for a wearable, as it means that the device can be used no matter which platform the owner selects in the months after the wearable’s purchase. Because sometimes people switch platforms.
I’ve tried different wearables in the past, but none of them have really struck a chord with me. That may change with Microsoft’s effort, though. I like looking at it, which is a good place to start, and while I wish it didn’t necessarily depend on a dedicated, proprietary application to sync all the pertinent information, I guess I shouldn’t be shocked that that’s how Microsoft chose to do it. Still, it’s a nice looking wearable with plenty of features, so I think I’m definitely going to check it out.
What are your thoughts on Microsoft’s Band? Do you plan on picking one up? Is it too expensive? Does it stand a chance in the wearables market?