Tech
Microsoft Band updates embrace social motivation, enhance golf mode, and connect to Cortana
Microsoft continues to improve the Microsoft Health and Band experience. This week's updates come just as people are starting to hit the golf courses and get outside for more training.
(Image: Microsoft)
The Microsoft Band 2 is one of the most powerful wearables available today and Microsoft keeps providing updates to make it better. Today, Microsoft announced new updates that focus on social networks, golf, guided workouts, and Cortana.
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The updates are starting to roll out this week and include the following:
- Sharing your results: As I mentioned in my article yesterday, the ability to challenge friends or have them hold you accountable for your activity is a powerful motivator for many of us. The new Microsoft Band update now lets you easily share activity summaries via Facebook, Twitter, email, and text messages. Microsoft also updated its Microsoft Health website so you can share a public dashboard with your friends. The dashboard provides more detailed data than the social sharing option.
- Tournament mode for golf: I personally don't golf so cannot share any personal experiences with this functionality. As I understand this new function, there is now an option to play a round with USGA rules for competitive play. The ability of the Microsoft Band to help with course play makes me at least want to test out the functionality.
- Distance in Guided Workouts: The ability to use Guided Workouts on the Microsoft Band is one of its biggest strengths, in comparison to other activity trackers. Microsoft now provides the ability to track your distance while you are engaged in a Guided Workout, whether training indoors or outside.
- Cortana integration: You can now connect your Microsoft Health account to Cortana. Cortana will show your activity progress from your Band, including steps and calories, and provide comparisons to the day prior. This functionality works on Windows 10 Mobile, Android, and iOS.
I'm seeing more and more people with a Microsoft Band mounted to their wrist and continued updates like this make it an easy device to recommend.
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