Microsoft Band (a fitness tracker) has been around for close to four months now and is about to get its first major update since it release. The update will add a web dashboard, new ways to scan and respond to notifications, biking functionality and integration with MapMyFitness and HealthVault.
Microsoft also announced the availability of Microsoft Band SDK Developer preview meaning that third party apps will soon be available on the fitness tracker.
This update will be rolling out to all Windows Phone, Android and iOS users over the next few weeks.
Commenting on this announcement, Microsoft’s General Manager for New Devices said, “For the last three months, we’ve monitored feedback carefully from customers, partners and media. While the response has been overwhelmingly positive, we are continuing to listen to our customers and make improvements based on their feedback.”
The new dashboard allows users to see “new observations, extended data views and more detailed charts”. The insights provided complement the mobile app. With this, the more you use the Microsoft Band, the more detailed the insights will be.
Microsoft also announced that it has introduced a virtual Keyboard, Quick Read and voice reply features. Quick Read makes the fonts larger allowing users to read notifications without physically touching their bands.
Note: Voice replies and virtual keyboards are only available with Windows Phone 8.1.
This is the first major update for Microsoft Band but you should expect more as the year goes by.
