Microsoft have updated the Band 2

I just got back from a walk to discover that my Microsoft Band 2 wanted to update.  The new update includes a feature that I had previously voted on for development - walking as an activity.  I wish I had know this before I went for a walk.

Microsoft Health App on my awesome Lumia 950. When you are on the Internet nobody knows that you are a dog.

The 'walk' feature boasts the ability to track your distance, elevation change and to record points of interest on your map.  I am looking forward to trying it out soon.

The latest update also includes a universal Windows 10 version of the Microsoft Health app, so you can get the same functionality of the phone app on your desktop, although the web app is much more useful in terms of the information it provides (such as four week history and comparisons) but it is good to have the live tile spinning round with my info.

Not got a Band 2? I am really pleased with mine and I can highly recommend this product.
Microsoft Band 2 - Medium



You will need a Windows 10 phone to get the full functionality out of your band, however it works on Windows 8.1 phones as well, including several latest versions of Android phones.  It even works on those phones from that struggling fruit company - I can't remember the name of right now, but I know that the last good thing they developed was the Apple II.

History fans will be interested to know that the smart watch was not created by Apple.  I saw the following advert on the back of a copy of The Micro User magazine from about 1984 ish.


The Seiko-RC 1000.  It featured 2K of RAM and was the first watch to interface with a computer. I would certainly buy one of these for my BBC Micro if I could be certain that they still worked or had the correct cable.  You occasionally see them on eBay, however I've never seen one that isn't just sold for the packaging.  Functions included: scheduling, memos, world time and a four-function calculator app.  Cool, though.

Fun fact of the day: Queen Elizabeth I received a wrist watch as a gift from the Earl of Leicester in 1571, but she had to wait over four hundred years for a reliable app store.