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Microsoft Band 2 gets better battery life with new GPS mode
Despite its flaws, the Microsoft Band 2 is an improvement from Redmond's first attempt at wearables. With an update, the version 2.0 is getting a fix for one of our biggest gripes with the device: battery life. Thanks to a new GPS Power Saver mode, you can extend your tracking time by up to four hours, according to Microsoft. The option tells the wearable to nab your GPS location in intervals rather than monitoring your movements continuously. Power Saver mode is ideal for activities like running and bike riding, and the Microsoft Health app will still map your course on both mobile and the web.
The new Microsoft Band has a curved screen, fancy metal accents
Remember that awkward, blocky-looking fitness bracelet/smartwatch Microsoft made last year: the Band? It's back, but this time it actually looks pretty nice. A more comfortable, curved screen? Classy metal accents? New sensors, app functionality and fitness-tracking features? Yes, yes and yes. The new Band looks like a real product, not the uncomfortable, weird thing we reviewed last year.
What to expect from Microsoft's Windows 10 device event
Microsoft may be tight-lipped about what will be revealed at its October 6th device event, but that doesn't mean that everything is a mystery. In some cases, a slew of leaks have telegraphed Redmond's plans in advance. More Lumia phones, anyone? However, there are still a few questions left. What about the fabled Surface Pro 4? When does Windows 10 reach your existing phone? And will there be any wearable tech? We'll answer as many of those questions as we can so that you have a good idea of what to expect when Microsoft's execs take the stage.
Microsoft's next Band looks like something you'd want to wear
Microsoft's original Band is many things to many people, but "fashion item" typically isn't one of them -- it looks less like a fitness device and more like a court-ordered probation tracker. You probably won't say that about the next generation, though. MicrosoftInsider claims to have images of a second-generation Band whose curved design and metal accents (corroborating earlier rumors) give it a sorely needed sense of style. It's an upscale Gear Fit, really. While it's not certain just how much has improved on the inside, this new Band will reportedly track stair climbing and other changes in altitude. There hasn't been much revealed regarding the product's launch. Microsoft conveniently has a hardware event lined up for October 6th, though, so don't be surprised if the folks in Redmond show this off alongside new phones and tablets.
Apple Watch gets more band options for larger wrists
If you've been eying the Apple Watch, but needed a larger band to wear it comfortably, you're in luck. Cupertino added new accessories today to accommodate with a new L/XL Sports Band and Link Bracelet Kit that adds an extra 40mm to the 42mm metal bands. That Sports Band comes in either black or white and will fit nicely around wrists that measure 195-245mm. Before now, the largest option (M/L) measured 160-210mm. Both the larger Sports Band and the extra links will set you back $49 from the Apple Store, and as 9to5Mac points out, the standalone Modern Buckle Bands are also available for purchase for $249.
Custom $3,100 Apple Watch celebrates famed Russian leaders
If Lenin weren't so pickled, he'd be rolling over in his display case at the sight of Caviar's limited-edition luxury Apple Watch Epoca. The company has unveiled three unique designs for the new Epoca line. Each costs about $3,100 and celebrates one of three famed Russian leaders: Vladimir Putin, Vladimir Lenin and Peter the Great. The watches come replete with either leather or Milanese link bracelets, as well as engravings of Lenin's mausoleum or Putin's signature. Heck, you can even get the old Soviet logo on the crown -- because if anything represents the failures of Russian Communism, it's a custom-designed Apple Watch sporting the Hammer and Sickle that costs ten times more than its base model.
Barclaycard steps up its contactless game with three new NFC devices
If you didn't know, Britain now prefers cashless payments to notes and coins. Contactless cards play a big part in the shift away from cash, but as technology evolves, smartphones and wearables are beginning to influence matters too. Barclaycard has long supported contactless technology, via its PayTag NFC sticker or bPay bracelet, but the credit card provider recently pulled the products and warned that something new was coming. Indeed, Barclaycard is back with three "new" wearable bPay payment devices: a wristband, fob and sticker.
Microsoft Band will track your golf game from start to finish
You won't have to worry about buying a dedicated golf watch to track every nuance of your next trip to the links -- a Microsoft Band will soon do the job. The folks in Redmond are partnering with TaylorMade to add golfing support to both the Band and the Health app in the weeks ahead. Health will help you find your tee and compile stats, but the wearable should be the real star of the show. The Band will use GPS to detect your hole and give you distance estimates, and it'll be smart enough to keep track of your score based on your swings. It will even tell when you're making practice shots. Should that not be enough, TaylorMade's myRoundPro app will draw on the Band to give you detailed data about your round, such as how often you stayed on the fairway. Although these impending updates aren't going to improve your swing, they should help you spend more time sinking the ball and less time marking scorecards.
Microsoft's Health app won't need a tracker to get your fitness data
When Microsoft said its Health platform was open to everyone, it wasn't kidding around. The company has revealed that its mobile Health app will soon get step counts and calorie burns from the sensors built into your phone -- you won't need a Band (or any wearable tracker, for that matter) to put fitness data in Microsoft's cloud. The update is due for Android, iOS and Windows Phone in the "coming weeks." Don't worry if you do like the Band, though, as it has a few upgrades in store as well.
Microsoft Band arrives in more US stores and the UK
You no longer have to head to a Microsoft Store in the US to put the Band on your wrist. Microsoft's smart wearable is now available through Amazon, Best Buy and Target in the country at the usual $200 asking price, and it'll go on sale in the UK on April 15th for £170. Fitness-minded Brits can pre-order today, with Amazon, Curry's PC World, Dixons Travel, Harrods and O2 all promising to carry stock. And you won't have to rush quite so quickly to get a Band this time around -- the crew in Redmond is planning both more frequent shipments and larger supplies in each batch, so shortages won't be as common.
Microsoft Band update lets you type replies and track your cycling
Thanks to a big update, Microsoft's Band just got considerably more useful -- whether or not you're a fan of the company's push into health. For a start, there's a swipe-capable predictive keyboard that lets you type out replies at those times when you'd rather not use voice or reach for the phone in your pocket. There's also a new cycling mode that optimizes the fitness tracking for your two-wheeled adventures. Studying your performance after the fact is easier, too. The Microsoft Health web front end provides both more data and better summaries of what you're looking at, and Band will sync to both Microsoft's own HealthVault and MapMyFitness if you prefer either of them.
LotRO players host Winterstock II music festival
Lord of the Rings Online is well-known for its player bands that take advantage of the in-game instruments, and this weekend you can hear a lot of musical acts with the return of the Winterstock player festival. Hosted by the Lonely Mountain Band kinship, Winterstock II will feature 31 bands playing over the course of four days from January 16th through the 19th. All shows will be set near Thorin's Gate on the Landroval server. There's a schedule posted on the forums, and if you really want to get into the swing of things, you can listen to the official Winterstock II theme song.
Now Moto 360 owners can buy new bands at will
Did you rush to get a Moto 360 as soon as possible, only to realize that you were (temporarily) stuck with the band that came attached to your smartwatch? You can now do something about it. Motorola has started selling both leather and metal bands by themselves at respective prices of $30 and $70. They're all normal width -- sorry, no slim gold band for you -- but you're otherwise free to buy whatever suits your mood. Just be ready to take your 360 into a jeweler, since you can't perform the transplant yourself.
Microsoft Band review: A tale of pitfalls and promise
There are generally two schools of thought on how to build a wrist-borne wearable. Either make a fancy pedometer that's supposed to stay out of the way, or go the smartwatch route and cram in as many features as possible. Then there's this weird no-man's-land occupied by devices like the Samsung Gear Fit and Garmin Vivosmart. Microsoft's $200 Band falls squarely in that latter category. It's not quite a smartwatch, but it's not purely a fitness tracker like the Fitbit Flex. The Band can pull in emails, text messages and other notifications from your phone. If you're using a Windows Phone, it can control Cortana and put the power of Microsoft's virtual assistant on your wrist. But it is, to hear Microsoft tell it, a fitness device first. And to that end Microsoft has packed the Band full of sensors, ranging from heart rate, to GPS and the prerequisite accelerometer. And, most importantly, it's the first device to tie into the new Microsoft Health platform, which seeks to outgun offerings like Apple Health and Google Fit. But, as we all know, there are inherent dangers in trying to carve out a third path. The question ultimately is whether Microsoft has built something (both physically and figuratively) that combines all of the most compelling parts of the existing wearable scene. Or, if it's created a sort of Frankenstein's monster that suffers all of their weaknesses.
Swedish students play a gig with 3D-printed instruments
We might be far from 3D printing everything, but Professor Olaf Diegel from Lund University in Sweden wants everyone to know it already has real-world applications. So, he printed out some working guitars, drums and keyboards, formed a band and recently asked them to play what he claims is the first live concert that uses 3D-printed instruments only at his university. The professor has been designing 3D-printed musical instruments for two years, including a saxophone and the Americana guitar we played with back in 2013, which you can see in the video after the break. He's been involved in many 3D printing projects since the 1990s, though, and was even part of one that worked on shoe inserts for diabetics. Diegel says the technology allows him to create very intricate shapes "impossible to do any other way," paving way for some truly custom-made instruments.
Band accuses Apple of ripping off their music video concept
There was a lot to see during yesterday's epic Apple event, and it all started with a very cool video called "Perspective." The 2-minute clip is a pretty standard event-opening video for Apple, stating some principles the company believes in and patting the user on the back for being part of it. It's shot using an age-old visual trick that exploits the viewer's limited two-dimensional perspective to line up words and phrases that exist only when viewed from that particular angle. It's a great video, but popular rock group OK Go didn't enjoy it, and they're now claiming that Apple ripped off the concept from their video for the song "The Writing's On The Wall." This would normally be a pretty absurd accusation, given the fact that perspective tricks have been around almost as long as video itself, but the band's story as to how both videos came to be is worth a listen. Speaking to Businessweek, OK Go manager Andy Gershon claims that the band actually pitched the idea for the perspective-shifting video to Apple in the hopes that the two could collaborate. When Apple declined, the band went ahead and made the video anyway, and it went on to win an award for best visual effects after its debut this year. Gershon says Apple then hired both the same production company and the same director that the band had used for the video, and tasked them with making the Perspective video that was shown off at yesterday's event. The two videos, while somewhat similar, certainly couldn't be confused with one another, and where Apple's is almost entirely black-and-white text, OK Go's music video focuses much more on shapes, colors, and plenty of humor. Still, if Gershon's story holds water, it's a heck of a coincidence, if not a bit suspicious.
Lord of the Rings Online's Weatherstock returns this weekend
Weatherstock, the annual player-run music festival in Lord of the Rings Online, will be returning for its sixth appearance this weekend. This year there will be two elements of the festival. The first is the Weatherstock Concert Series, which features longer sets leading up to the battle of the bands, i.e., Weatherstock itself. Ten player groups will perform for the crowd and compete against each other at the summit of Weathertop. Last year there were over 700 players in attendance. Weatherstock VI will take place on the Landroval server this Saturday afternoon, June 14th. The Weatherstock schedule is up, as is a FAQ and a Twitter feed for important updates.
Samsung's wearable blitz may not be over: here comes the 'S-Circle'
Compared to the glitz surrounding its latest Gear smartwatches, Samsung's more basic fitness bands have so far failed to garner much attention. The electronics giant doesn't seem to be giving up on this cheaper sort of wearable, however, because an unannounced model called the "S-Circle" has just cropped up at the FCC, having already appeared at the Bluetooth SIG a while back. The FCC paperwork confirms the device's model number (EI-AN900A) and description as an "activity tracker," as well as its inclusion of Bluetooth Low-Energy, and all of this points to it being a member of the same family as the S Band (shown above) and Heart Rate Monitor Band that launched with the Galaxy S4 last year. There's at least some chance that the S-Circle will combine these functions into a single low-cost device, transmitting both movement and heart rate data to Samsung's S-Health app, but that's just optimistic speculation on our part. Either way, it looks like Galaxy S5 owners who care more about muscle tone than Moschino may have the option of another accessory pretty soon.
LotRO players put on Winterstock 2014
A new player event is coming to Lord of the Rings Online this month: Winterstock! To fit the season, Winterstock will take place at the frigid (yet welcoming) Thorin's Gate on the Landroval server from January 17th through the 20th. The four-day event will showcase 19 bands playing in one-hour blocks during the afternoons and evenings for entertainment and amusement. Winterstock could be seen as the counterpart to summer's Weatherstock, which has been going on for years now. The event is hosted by the Lonely Mountain Band and is available to all. A full schedule of the band times is up on the LOTRO Players site.
Basis Band Android app finally available, iOS version still absent (video)
If you've been sitting around not clocking up the miles with your Basis Band, we imagine it's because you were waiting for that long-delayed mobile app. Well, it might not be Q1 as promised, but it's finally time to lace up those sneakers. It's team Android that gets out of the blocks first, with the app debuting on the Google-flavored OS. Features include automatic sync, the ability to see your current progress towards your activity (aka habits,) plus, of course, lots of historical data. Think you set your goals too high? Too low? No problem -- you can edit said habits direct from the app, drill down to show more detail, and get notifications or reminders about how well you're (not?) doing. The app is free, and while Android might have the head start, we're told the iOS version isn't far behind, so iPhone owners might want to start limbering up now. In the meantime, those with green stripes can head to the source for the goods.
