The Microsoft Band is the company's first wearable fitness tracker that was initially released in the United States in limited quantities late last year. With the Band being released in the United Kingdom on April 15, more users now have access to the wearable device.
The Band features a collection of 10 sensors and is compatible with all major smartphone platforms.
Early reviews of the Band's first release did not go so well for the wearable device. With the recent release in the United Kingdom right before the arrival of the much-anticipated Apple Watch, will reviews on the Band improve or worsen?
The Independent: "Frankly, it's not attractive... Put it on and your wrist feels clamped into place, though it's not uncomfortable... There are lots of sensors built into the Band. Most importantly, GPS is included, unlike on the Apple Watch... This is not the most attractive smart watch or health monitor on the market, but it's one of the most advanced in terms of its sensors and the way the software integrates the information it gets from the sensors."
The Guardian: "Some will love its almost industrial design, others will think it looks like a house-arrest ankle bracelet... The Microsoft Band packs more sensors than most smartwatches... I found the Microsoft Band one of most accurate trackers I have tested... I wasn't expecting to like it quite as much as I do... The Microsoft Band is a solid fitness tracker now with so much potential for more."
The Telegraph: "The band is comfortable and the option to wear the screen facing up like a watch or on the inside of your wrist is a nice touch... The 1.4-inch display itself is crisp and easy to navigate... But it's the fitness features that make the Microsoft Band an unlikely hit... The Band is quite limited in terms of new apps... Ultimately, the Microsoft Band was comfortable to wear, easy to use and made me work out more efficiently."
Tech Radar: "The Microsoft Band has the potential to be the best fitness tracker, but the lack of apps and its overhyped Health platform aren't quite there yet... The 1.4-inch TFT full color display screen is crisp and bright with no pixelation in sight... The Microsoft Band isn't going win any prizes for being the most attractive fitness tracker... Two of the best features of Microsoft's wearable are the GPS and the band's ability to download workouts... More apps would be a boon for the Microsoft Band, because there aren't very many right now... I was actually able to get two full days with almost everything on after fully charging the band... There is so much potential here it's killing me. I love the Microsoft Band, but it's breaking my heart knowing it can do so much more."
PC Pro: "The Microsoft Band falls short of fitness tracker perfection, but there's still much to like... For all its many talents, the design of the Microsoft Band is a curious mixture of the functional and the downright ugly... Thanks to an ARM Cortex-M4 processor beavering away behind the scenes, the Band's interface feels pretty smooth and slick. It's easy to use too... Unlike some of its peers, it's tough to forget you're wearing the Band... The reality, however, is a device that has huge potential, much of which - at least for our particular needs - falls frustratingly short of the mark."
Reviews are stating that underneath simple and surprisingly comfortable physical aspect of the device, the Band has so much potential. However, Microsoft seems to have fallen short in tapping that potential, resulting in a device that could work great for certain users but could have been so much more.
