Tom's Hardware: Microsoft Smartband Coming In October With 11 Sensors

New submitter TuxHiggs (2691251) writes "Last month, Forbes wrote that Microsoft was preparing a cross-platform smartwatch with the ability to continuously track your heart rate and sync the data to your devices. A trusted source with knowledge of the development has verified some of that information and provided Tom's Hardware with additional details about the device. The source confirmed previous rumors that the device is cross-platform compatible, and added there would be open APIs as well. The source also confirmed that the display is on the inside of the wrist as opposed to the outside. Design-wise, Microsoft has gone with a slim band design that is said to resemble a thinner, flatter version of the Nike Fuelband. While details about the hardware are scant, the source did reveal that there are 11 sensors under the hood and a mix of chips, including some from TI and Atmel. Finally, the release for this device is apparently set for October."

Re:Microsoft?

[binarylarry]

No but they'll be doing the next best thing: failing hard yet again after being beaten to the punch by Apple, Google and Samsung.

I know I'll never get sick of seeing them in pain.

It'd be good if they skipped the fads.

[Anonymous Coward]

Time and time again these Apple-inspired technologies have proven to just be temporary fads.

When it comes to Apple, their success is never about the devices themselves. Their success derives from the fact that they're basically a modern-day religion for a lot of people. Apple's customers buy Apple products as a status symbol, rather than something that's actually useful to them.

The personal audio player fad went bust. The large form factor tablet fad went bust. The small form factor tablet fad went bust. The netbook fad went bust. The media center fad went bust.

This "fitness monitoring device" fad will go bust, too.

Google, Samsung and Microsoft would all be better off avoiding these fads. They don't have the quasi-religious status that Apple has, and it'll save them the time and money wasted on producing one-generation-only products that end up failing in the marketplace because they're damn near useless for anyone who isn't buying them just for a fruit-shaped logo on the back.

Re:It'd be good if they skipped the fads.

[K. S. Kyosuke]

Bullshit. We've known that iPads would come one day all the way since 1968, and since most everyone needs a phone, it only makes sense to make a smaller version of the same for phone-y applications. These are not fads, that's logical development.

Re: It'd be good if they skipped the fads.

[Anonymous Coward]

Don't even try. You can't argue with religious zealots, just ostracise them.