A fitness band that we could live with
One of the best reasons to buy a smartwatch – and let’s be honest, there aren’t many – is to help you keep fit. Some wrist devices concentrate almost entirely on this, including Fitbit, Jawbone and Microsoft’s Band. This new Band offers more comfort and practicality, with just enough smartwatch features to suit people who want both.
Like its rivals, the Band 2 is essentially a rubber bracelet, but thanks to its big touchscreen it looks more like a futuristic watch. It isn’t waterproof enough for swimming, but the occasional splash won’t be a problem, and toughened Gorilla Glass protects the front. The display is now curved to fit your wrist – a big improvement – and presents text and figures clearly.
Opposite this is a chunky clasp incorporating a secondary battery and some of the 10 medical sensors. The way this sits inside the bracelet feels odd at first, but it has a benefit: even with the band securely tight, only the top and bottom sections are in contact with your skin. The gaps at the sides help you avoid a build-up of sweat, while the battery lasts between one and two days and charges in an hour and a half.
The Band 2’s main purpose is to track your exercise. It can count your steps, display the distance you travelled using its built-in GPS, chart your heart rate and calculate how many calories you burned. There are sleep-analysis features, too, and you can use ‘guided workouts’, where the Band 2 tells you what to do via the screen and vibrations.
A lot can be done on the device itself, but it’s designed to work with a smartphone (Apple, Android, Windows Phone and Windows 10 Mobile are supported). A couple of features, including voice control, only work with Windows phones, though. Connected wirelessly to your phone, the Band 2 can also notify you of incoming emails, calls, Facebook alerts and so on, but the apps available are fewer and simpler than for something like the Apple Watch.
It’s not cheap for a fitness band, but not bad value given the technology packed into it. If you want something to encourage you to exercise, the Band 2 could be worth it.
VERDICT
A good choice if you want comprehensive health and fitness tracking with the basic features of a smartwatch.
SPECIFICATIONS
32x13mm display • Accelerometer • Gyrometer • Light sensor • Skin-temperature sensor • UV sensor • Capacitive sensor • Galvanic skin-response sensor • Barometer • One-year warranty