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As an early adopter, I ordered the new Microsoft Band shortly after it went for sale this week. I had a feeling that it would sell out fast, which it did. I received the Band Friday morning and have spent one day and one night with it. Here are my initial thoughts and a few images I shot with my Lumia phone. The Buyer: Like a lot of people, my level of fitness has a fairly regular ebb and flow to it. Sometimes I am fit for longer periods of time than others. I bought the Band to help get me back into hiking shape and lose weight. Right now, I am starting at ground 0 in terms of my current fitness level. Being in shape is advantageous to the landscape photographer to allow hiking into the back country as well as to ensure longevity. The Problem It Solves As other companies have revealed their smartwatches, I have asked, "What does it do for me that my phone does not already do or what does it do better? In other words, what problem does it solve? I could never find an answer to that question. I own a Fitbit Rolex and found that it did solve a problem - it kept track of my steps, which I liked and it had a silent alarm, which is great because I have awoken nearby coyotes while camping with my alarm clock (which was not very loud) when I arose to shoot the sunrise. I always wanted the ability for the Flex to monitor my heart rate and to have a GPS for tracking, however. When the 2 new Fitbit wearable devices were announced, I was seriously considering the Fitbit Surge, which will retail for $250. Fitbit is also going to offer a great Cortana implementation it its Surge device so users can use voice commands to enter food consumed into a diary. The Band, however, is completely unique with its 11 sensors, solving multiple problems, including HR monitoring, GPS tracking, UV light detecting, stress monitoring, and sleep tracking as well as providing some key essential productivity notification options, and of course, Cortana. The Band is a total fitness wearable with productivity features. It doesn't try to tackle things that have no business on a teeny-tiny screen that my aging eyes can't read, anyway. It was unique and a very compelling offering. In addition to the hardware, the Band's mobile first strategy coupled with its cloud first Microsoft Health platform and Microsoft's ability to take that data and make it meaningful positions the Band to deliver the strongest case for a fitness wearable to date. Not only I was pleased with the problems it solves todays, but I am looking forward to the problems it will solve in the future by leveraging Microsoft Health Vault and adding new partners. I do believe, however, that the value proposition that Microsoft is making with this device seems a little muddy. They need to clarify it for consumers, developers, and potential partners for it to have long-term success. Microsoft has a pretty good track record with security in its cloud and has always taken end user privacy more seriously than its competitors, they also need to leverage that in marketing the device and platform. The other problem it solves is the issues of buyers having to go all in with one mobile platform. The cross platform functionality allows users to be portable and not stuck with one operating system. You can use it with your Android, iPhone, or Windows Phone. There are desktop sync apps for Windows and Mac. You can select the color and pattern of your background on the Band screen. You can select the color and pattern of your background on the Band screen. Value I have, already, seen complaints about the price. That seems a bit ridiculous to me. It sits in between the Fitbit Surge ($250) and the Fitbit Charge ($150) and well below the Apple whatever-you-want-call-it wearable ($350) and does so much more than any of those devices. Considering that the Fitbit Flex cost between $125-$150 when it was new, $200 for the Band seems priced just right, if not underpriced. Comfort and Style Regarding the ah-so-subjective area of comfort and style: I have been wearing a Polar watch for a few years and have wore a watch on my wrist for most of my adult life. When I slipped off my Polar watch to put the Band on, I don't feel like I sacrificed anything in terms of comfort. It didn't bother me at all to sleep with it on, either. I wear it on the underside of my wrist where it feels the most natural to me. It is very easy to loosen it or tighten it with the design of the clasp and the clasp also holds the band securely, eliminating the fear of it falling off. Ask Scott Hanselman how many Fitbits he has lost. The band was designed to be worn in different positions based on a activity and personal preference, which was revealed in an interesting back story revealed by Microsoft. If you are only looking at pictures of the Band, don't. Go see it. Pictures can distort the apparent size and there are so many that show a wrist and the Band without the whole person, so you don't get an actual perspective of true size. It is bigger than my Fitbit Flex, but it does not feel/seem huge to me. I do hope they add the ability to change the screen orientation at some point, but it is not a huge deal to me. Update: (11/2) I wore it today with a cuffed shirt and had no difficulty. Battery Life The battery is charged via a USB cable that utilizes a magnetic charger, similar to the Surface devices. The battery is reported to last 48 hours with moderate usage and that is consistent with what I have seen. I read a Tweet where a Band beta tester said that he charged it for 30 minutes while getting ready every morning and it never dropped below 50%, even with GPS use. GPS will drain it the fastest, so if going on a hiking for several hours, you might want to utilize some battery saving options. Update: (11/02) I find that it charges from 50% to 80%in about 30 minutes, but it takes another hour or so to reach 100%. Waterproof or Water Resistant? Microsoft does not recommend immersing the Band in water but you should be fine with hand washing, light rain, and sweating from exercise. The band has a microphone for Cortana and other sensors that could be damaged from swimming with it on or other activities where your hand is submerged for long periods. The Screen Microsoft ships the Band with a screen protector and you better put it on, immediately. The screen will scratch easily. Actually, you might even want to ask the Microsoft Store employees to put it on, because it can be a devil of a thing to attach. My first protector fell, sticky side down onto the floor while I was working with it and I totally botched the installation The local Microsoft Store gave me a second one and it went on with no problems. The screen protector is pretty much unnoticeable. The display is bright and easily readable in sunlight. The touch responsiveness of the screen is excellent. The App Microsoft Health is available on Android, iOS, and Windows Phone. It is like a dashboard for your Band. It provides you with details and graphs of your data as well as allows you to customize your Band and select workout routines to sync with your band. What I like: •It works! No problems with set-up and pairing. I don't lose connectivity and HR monitoring seems to work fine for me. •The interface is very clean and easy to use. •Cross platform- now my Android and iOS friends can join in too. This was a brilliant move by Microsoft and its pre-holiday release should do well, as the initial limited batch has sold out. •The clasp - unlike the Fitbit Flex, it is secure. •Haptic feedback and notifications. I love being able to adjust the strength of the vibration, although the default was perfect for me. •Customization - being able to pick your tiles is fantastic. I also like that they limit it. Any more and the endless scrolling would get annoying. I do not want sub-menus, either. MS made a big deal on the we site about "moments" and allowing maximum interaction for maximum benefit and I think they nicely hit the sweet spot. I have noticed a trend where people are starting to tire of endless notifications yet seem to have difficulty turning them off. I think somehow Microsoft recognized that and has capitalized on that. Check out the Hands Free Wedding Pledge to see more about what I mean. •Cortana! Isn't she grand? Ideal implementation, works great with My Fitness Pal (MFP) diary. •Partners - obviously a ton of potential here, but even just the Runkeeper and MFP integration is sweet. I love how MFP adjusts your target calorie intake as it gathers data from the Band. This is smart computing. •The sensors - Wow, they do a great job. I love that there is a UV sensor as I have a condition that can be exacerbated by UV light. Looking forward to how use of these sensors grows. •Simplicity of sleep tracking. I used to forget how many taps it took to start and stop sleep tracking and how many taps it took to turn off the alarm on my Fitbit Flex. All of those are problems are avoided by utilizing the touch screen and action button on the Band. •Paying for your latte at Starbucks (seriously) with the Band. What could be better: •Optional screen orientation •Color choices. Yes, we ladies want a pink one or even cyan Band. •User guide! There really is a lack of information on how to use it. Windows Central videos are great, but they will string them out over time (understandably) to keep attracting clicks. Lack of proper user education, I believe greatly hampered the Windows 8 rollout and has the potential to do the same here. Wish List: •More partners, obviously. I would like to see some geared toward those who do not currently engage in a healthy lifestyle but desire to begin. Weight Watcher, Biggest Loser, Atkins, would be some for starters. •Some motivational elements. It needs something for goals and notification reminders for things like moving, in taking more water, going to bed in order to get enough sleep. It would be nice if there was a mood indicator to indicate how you are doing with your goals, too. Maybe Microsoft is looking to partners to provide some of what I am describing, but there really could be some elements of it natively built into he Band, too. •Windows Phone games - I think there is the potential, as we have seen with Run Rabbit Run. •Here integration for turn by turn directions. Buzz my wrist before a turn instead of audio notifications. I hate having my music interrupted, yet I often need to be prompted. •More social - I am not sure anyone has really got it right when it comes to fitness and social. Not sure what the key is, maybe it is through some gaming. •Xbox integration - There is an untapped market for adult fitness related gaming. I would love to see virtual walks (through National Parks) utilizing the data from the Band and Kinect together. There are some fitness games, but not a very wide variety. I have zero desire for Zumba and others start of at a level too intense for me. •Some type of app for recording food that is dedicated to restaurant information. For example, I want to be able to tell Cortana to add an Olive Garden meal or a particular Subway sandwich. Sometime it works with MFP and sometimes it doesn't. •More functionality for the UV sensor. When. I am outside for 15 minutes or more make a recommendation based on the UV sensor. I forget to be aware of the sun (we see so little of it in Pittsburgh) and it is easy for me to forget to put on sunscreen. •The health app needs hardware partners for medical devices (Halter monitors, blood pressure cuffs, diabetic equipment, home sleep apnea monitoring, etc..) I hope these are on the way because they could present a great benefit to healthcare and probably help to bring down the cost of healthcare. •Band color choices. I am sure this will follow once they feel they have sold enough. Am I happy with the Band? Absolutely. I get very excited when I see the potential that Band and the Microsoft Health platform can bring to users and medical care providers. The next year could be an exciting year for Microsoft. Microsoft found the right business problems to solve instead of bowing to the current trend of smartwatches and I believe they will come out as winners because of it.