 When you think Microsoft, you're probably not thinking wearables. And yet Microsoft has gone ahead and made yet another activity tracking wristband, simply called the Microsoft Band. This is actually a follow-up to last year's Microsoft Band, which was a pretty capable fitness tracker, but it was a little bit more expensive than other activity trackers, and it definitely was not going to win any design awards. So what's new with the new $249 Microsoft Band? And will it win people over who are considering something like the Fitbit or even the Apple Watch? Microsoft says it's making a fitness band because it cares about your health. That's a nice yarn to spin, but for a lot of these companies, activity tracking devices are an easy way to get a better understanding of consumers' habits, interests, and lifestyles. But there's no doubt that the Microsoft Band is very fitness-focused. Its new band has a slightly curved design, which is a welcome change from the angularity of last year's band. It also has a new OLED display coated in Corning Gorilla Glass. It certainly looks a lot nicer than last year's band, but it's still not the most comfortable band to wear, especially to sleep. There are two physical buttons in the band, one that triggers the display backlight and another one called the action button that stops and starts your activities. Otherwise, it's all touch screen all the time. That's how you see your activity, check the time, and mainly interact with the band. Like last year's Microsoft Band, this one has optical heart rate sensors to get your heart rate readings from the wrist, although the placement of these has changed. And like last year's band, it has built-in GPS, something that Apple Watch most definitely does not have if you're comparing that as a fitness device. The new band now includes a barometer for measuring your elevation. And like last year's band, it works with Cortana, Microsoft's virtual personal assistant that you access through voice control. So what can you actually do with the band? Well, it tracks runs, bike rides, and golf swings. There's a generic exercise tile for when you're doing something else, like lifting weights or practicing yoga, and there's a tile for adding preset or customized workouts. You can, for example, go into the Microsoft Health app and download a workout from Gold's Gym or Shaped Magazine, or even make your own workout you overachievers you. It even measures your VO2 max, something that serious athletes like to take note of. It's not meant to track swimming, though, so serious overachievers like triathletes may not apply. And battery life isn't great. My band lasted just under a couple days, especially if I tracked workouts for two days in a row. Also, syncing the band's data to the Microsoft Health app on iOS is painfully slow, something that Microsoft acknowledges is a problem. Some days it just didn't work. It's like, if it doesn't track it, did it even happen? On the upside, Microsoft Band works with Windows Phone, Android, and iOS, making it one of the few totally platform-agnostic activity trackers out there. And you can see a lot of data in the app. How many steps you've taken for the day, what percentage of your daily goals you've reached, your most recent workouts, your sleep data, assuming of course that you've sucked it up and worn the thing to bed, and that your data syncs to the app. Microsoft Health gets even more granular when you log into the website. Another good thing about this band? It shares information freely with other popular health and fitness apps. So if you're into Strava, or Runkeeper, or MyFitnessPal, or Loseit, your data will show up there. In a lot of ways, the Microsoft Band is a very capable tracker. The inclusion of GPS is great, and I like the automatic sharing of data to other apps. But I just can't get past the way it looks and feels on my wrist, even with the improved design. And two-day battery life? That's getting into smartwatch territory, whereas if you're looking at more fitness-focused devices, a Garmin or a Fitbit Surge will get you double the life. So even with the improvements made to the band, Microsoft Band is still a bit of an identity crisis on your wrist. One that I can't say is my number one pick.
 When you think Microsoft, you're probably not thinking wearables.
 And yet Microsoft has gone ahead and made yet another activity tracking wristband, simply
 called the Microsoft Band.
 This is actually a follow-up to last year's Microsoft Band, which was a pretty capable
 fitness tracker, but it was a little bit more expensive than other activity trackers, and
 it definitely was not going to win any design awards.
 So what's new with the new $249 Microsoft Band?
 And will it win people over who are considering something like the Fitbit or even the Apple
 Watch?
 Microsoft says it's making a fitness band because it cares about your health.
 That's a nice yarn to spin, but for a lot of these companies, activity tracking devices
 are an easy way to get a better understanding of consumers' habits, interests, and lifestyles.
 But there's no doubt that the Microsoft Band is very fitness-focused.
 Its new band has a slightly curved design, which is a welcome change from the angularity
 of last year's band.
 It also has a new OLED display coated in Corning Gorilla Glass.
 It certainly looks a lot nicer than last year's band, but it's still not the most comfortable
 band to wear, especially to sleep.
 There are two physical buttons in the band, one that triggers the display backlight and
 another one called the action button that stops and starts your activities.
 Otherwise, it's all touch screen all the time.
 That's how you see your activity, check the time, and mainly interact with the band.
 Like last year's Microsoft Band, this one has optical heart rate sensors to get your
 heart rate readings from the wrist, although the placement of these has changed.
 And like last year's band, it has built-in GPS, something that Apple Watch most definitely
 does not have if you're comparing that as a fitness device.
 The new band now includes a barometer for measuring your elevation.
 And like last year's band, it works with Cortana, Microsoft's virtual personal assistant
 that you access through voice control.
 So what can you actually do with the band?
 Well, it tracks runs, bike rides, and golf swings.
 There's a generic exercise tile for when you're doing something else, like lifting
 weights or practicing yoga, and there's a tile for adding preset or customized workouts.
 You can, for example, go into the Microsoft Health app and download a workout from Gold's
 Gym or Shaped Magazine, or even make your own workout you overachievers you.
 It even measures your VO2 max, something that serious athletes like to take note of.
 It's not meant to track swimming, though, so serious overachievers like triathletes
 may not apply.
 And battery life isn't great.
 My band lasted just under a couple days, especially if I tracked workouts for two days in a row.
 Also, syncing the band's data to the Microsoft Health app on iOS is painfully slow, something
 that Microsoft acknowledges is a problem.
 Some days it just didn't work.
 It's like, if it doesn't track it, did it even happen?
 On the upside, Microsoft Band works with Windows Phone, Android, and iOS, making it one of
 the few totally platform-agnostic activity trackers out there.
 And you can see a lot of data in the app.
 How many steps you've taken for the day, what percentage of your daily goals you've reached,
 your most recent workouts, your sleep data, assuming of course that you've sucked it up
 and worn the thing to bed, and that your data syncs to the app.
 Microsoft Health gets even more granular when you log into the website.
 Another good thing about this band?
 It shares information freely with other popular health and fitness apps.
 So if you're into Strava, or Runkeeper, or MyFitnessPal, or Loseit, your data will show
 up there.
 In a lot of ways, the Microsoft Band is a very capable tracker.
 The inclusion of GPS is great, and I like the automatic sharing of data to other apps.
 But I just can't get past the way it looks and feels on my wrist, even with the improved
 design.
 And two-day battery life?
 That's getting into smartwatch territory, whereas if you're looking at more fitness-focused
 devices, a Garmin or a Fitbit Surge will get you double the life.
 So even with the improvements made to the band, Microsoft Band is still a bit of an
 identity crisis on your wrist.
 One that I can't say is my number one pick.