Microsoft is updating its Microsoft Band wearable device software as well as its Health app in anticipation of users’ heightened summer activity.
The Microsoft Band is going to get new GPS tracking features that let users track their hikes and walks. It’s also going to be able to offer alerts pertaining to UV exposure, hydration, and environmental conditions.
Meanwhile, the Microsoft Health app is coming to Windows 10 PCs and tablets, allowing Microsoft Band users to sync their wristbands to those devices via USB, with a ‘live tile’ graphic displaying the user’s current caloric burn and step count data. The upgraded app will also present average biometric data pertaining to the user’s demographic group, plus that of the fittest 25th percentile, to help encourage users in their fitness goals.
Those latter features in particular echo similar recent offerings from Amazon as that company seeks to connect users’ wearables – including biometric fitness data – to their home electronics. And with another Apple Watch presumably in the pipeline, it seems fair to expect Apple to follow suit as these kinds of interconnections proliferate with the rise of the Internet of Things.
Follow Us