The difference between the v1 band and the v2 band isn't as much as you might think.

The v2 band has better ergonomics, slightly bigger screen, with better resolution, and gorilla glass. In terms of features and functions, though, one extra sensor (barometric) - so functionally there's hardly any advantage - well apart from the likelihood they'll enable more in software for the v2 band and not apply that to the v1 band.

There's no improvement to battery life, nor water resistance (least not in any meaningful sense).

There has been some known issues with the band materials on the inside surface on the original band - you'd like to think those things have been addressed in the v2 band, but it really is too early to tell.

On functions alone, the v1 band at £49.99 is a bargain - without doubt - pretty comprehensive array of sensors for a fitness wearable, on-board gps. It's not the most comfortable, ergonomic fit on the wrist, though - which to me, as somebody who's had the original band since the UK launch, seems the most persuasive aspect to the v2 band. If that's not a major aspect for you, and / or you've already tried on a v1 band and are happy with how it wears, well it's a lot for not a lot of money.

The extra sensor in the v2 band? You'd like to think it's significant - but really it's not. I thought it'd be something factored into outside exercise - but then realistically it can already work out elevation from gps. It uses it to work out how many flights of stairs you've walked up / down. Thing is, fitbit have been pulling that same stunt simply using the 3-axis accelerometer (which both original and v2 band already have) - and as somebody who has a fitbit with that functionality (it's pretty reliable and accurate) I do wonder why they've reinvented the wheel, there, because I've read some people reporting that the number of flights of stairs thing, for them, wasn't an accurate account.

good find op, heat

says there is a problem after entering delivery details... anyone else experience this?

Thanks! Saw this the other day for £69.99 and was tempted, for this price it looks like a steal. Ordered without a problem. (nb tried topcashback too for 5.25% by choosing accessories, not sure if it will work...)

Sorry, not sure to be honest...i'd suggest maybe getting in touch with them a bit later and seeing if they can help :smiley:

Ordered, had that same problem. Had to call up, apparently it was a problem with the Microsoft account. Had to create a new one, then worked fine

Saw this on here the other day at a higher price, also saw it on Amazon Deals on Friday at £69.99. So glad I waited!

Just ordered direct from MS, no problems with check out.

Am chuffed to bits :smiley:

Heat added

Hmm should I get pebble watch instead?

+5% cashback from Quidco

Only medium left

Just returned the large one from an Amazon lightening deal (£54.99) so good for me....nice spot!

Nearly ordered, then realised this is the original Band, still a great price so I've added heat, but it's not the Band 2 I'd hoped it was.

The price on the Microsoft site says "was £170" which is what led me to believe that it was a current model item, not old stock being cleared out. I haven't closely followed the price of the band but £170 didn't sound dramatically different to what I thought the pricing was and I thought Microsoft might have been attempting to promote their product with a limited stock promotion - hence why there is now only one size available. For other people who might have placed an order quickly, thinking that this was their chance at a great bargain (as opposed to the still good bargain it is) I thought I'd mention my experience.

This is taking the p*ss now. I thought I had a bargain at £99, but this is a steal. As long as you don't care about the looks, it is a fantastic buy for what it does.

It depends what you want. If you want a watch, don't get this. If you want something with GPS, heart rate monitor, sleep monitor, and great integration with Microsoft health, get this.

Only medium available now

sooo tempted by this price, already on the fitbit flex and love it, but was hoping that the band 2 dropped in price and I would have gone for that. really hard to say no at £50

Shame it's only medium.

In terms of functions and sensors - pretty much unbeatable at this price (if you can live with the size).

Can I use it for swimming?

I've got both, and have to say the haptic feedback on the Band 1 is better than Band 2, Band 1 wakes me up with its alerts, the 2 doesn't.

And no, you can't use it for swimming, you can get it wet, but not submerge it.

Thanks for sharing the impressions. I received mine yesterday from a previous deal (Amazon), paid ~£55. Some first impressions during the first day:
* It is uncomfortable if you want to wear a jacket sleeve over it - unless jacked sleeve is loose, you will have difficulty getting the band to the outside as it is quite rigid.
* It scratches soo easily! I was astonished when I wiped it with a microfibre cloth and it got scratches - although barely visible - left all over it! Super-soft plastic...
* The two buttons it has are under-used - no double-click or hold functionality of any sorts, so not easy to get back to home screen etc.
* Home screen space is also under-used - it does not show if there are any new notifications in any of the tiles - you have to scroll to find out yourself - so if you missed the notification vibration when it happened, you will not know.
* Scrolling between screens is sluggish, so takes some effort, i.e. repeated swipes sometimes required to make it happen.
* The stairs steps and constant UV monitoring are disabled and not used in v1, the MS Health apps says it is only supported in v2 (thought I see no real technical reason to not have it in v1).
* Heart rate sensor does not work with Runtastic Mountain Bike Pro app - maybe needs some sort of integration with MS Health.
* No way to adjust the screen rotation, i.e. if I want to wear the band with buttons pointing outwards instead of inwards.
* Sensors can't be used in other apps. Would love to have Fitbit app compatible with the MS Band...

What's with the "free charging cable", doesn't it always come with a charging cable?

The screen being vulnerable to scratches is very true. I got mine back in April when it was launched in the UK. And I'd already read accounts from those in the US about how easily the scrern got scratched. So when I bought, I decided to preorder from the Microsoft store, as they were bundling the Zagg protector for free.

A week or two back my original band had to be returned to Microsoft for replacement under warranty, the replacement wasn't bundled with another protector, though - good thing I'd already found that out as I managed to order one from Amazon for 3.99, which was described as "used, like new" well it was new and all sealed, the only reason I can think it had to be described as used, because the box looked a bit bashed. Perhaps an unused customer return. All I know is that they seem very hard to get hold of, but from all reports are the best protectors, by far, for the band.

And I've heard of people managing to scratch the gorilla glass on the v2 band, so I'd be inclined to get a protector for the new band, too.

It's definitely a feature rich product, although still in need of software development, which I suspect will only get applied to the v2 band. The UV monitoring thing? How it's claimed to work on the v2 band is the sort of autonomous behaviour that was written about how it would work on the v1 band, yet Microsoft Health app comments that UV monitoring will only be a feature of the v2 band.

That said, the original band works well. Sure, battery life is a bit limited, and things like the UV sensor is rather more of a manual thing than was touted, but all the same, it packs a lot of features in. And the smartwatch features? For me they work out well - decent, strong haptic feedback, means I'm much less likely to miss a text or a call, as I often do with my phone in a pocket, and I can take a quick glance at my band to see if it's something I need to deal with.

Comfort and fit could be better, it does feel a bit unwieldy and odd, but you do get used to it. To me that's the main advantage of the v2 band, well that and the likelihood that all the improvements in software will go to the v2 band. But not so much of an advantage I'm about to dump a device I only bought in April, just because they're trying to make it obsolete.

I doubt it's anything extra, and they do always come with one charging cable (even warranty replacements) - I susoect it's just talking it up a bit.

Although they do sell the charging cable separately, and it always seemed an inflated price to me - about £17, I think.

Comes with a charging cable anyway, so not sure why is advertised with extra 'free' one - do you get two??
Most reviewers comment that a screen protector (that they were previously offering) is required as screen will get scratched in use.

10% quidco

Looks a bit chunky. great price though

Hmm, i was tempted by recent Amazon deal, can get Quidco on Microsoft Store too (5%) http://quidco.com/microsoft-store/

I've stopped myself buying one about five times now. Already saved £50, from the old discount price of £99 I'm not giving in. Stay away rubber band! I don’t need you in my life

OMG the Microsoft Store is terrible. Can't complete check out on Chrome had to move to IE and then it was sold out.
:disappointed:

The offer is for 2 charging cables - they're a unique cable to band, so pretty handy actually (one at work one at home..)

All out of stock now :disappointed:

how does this compare with tomtom runner?

From a pure specs perspective, there isn't that much of a change, with most of the same sensors in both but, having just upgraded from Band 1 to Band 2, I can confirm that the user experience has improved 100%. The Band 2 has a delightful amoled screen protected by gorilla glass, which is a huge improvement from Band 1, which as a plastic surround to the screen that scratches almost constantly from the second you start wearing it.

The physical dimensions are significantly improved, to the point where I actually forget I am wearing the new band - something that wasn't at all possible with the first band. For all its tech, it was probably the least ergonomic wearable ever made. Additionally the plastic coating on the insides of the band started to peel within weeks and isn't covered by warranty as it is cosmetic.

The interface is largely the same, but the Band 2 has the benefit of smart alarms that isn't present on the first one - like all other wearables it now uses your sleep pattern to wake you at the optimum moment within 30 minutes of your alarm.

Having said all that, the Band 1 for £50 is still a damn good buy! Microsoft have the most accurate tracking from the ones I've tried, including fitbit and jawbone, and providing you're happy with its significant weight/awkwardness on your wrist, it is a great buy for this price.

Just to correct you on the issue with the rubber peeling on the inside of the v1 band - Microsoft do replace for this sort of deterioration - mine was replaced a week or two back for this very reason - and it was only a tiny bit (a corner of one of the battery covers).

What you mention in terms of things like the smart alarms - that's functionality that could be easily enabled on the v1 band, yet I very much doubt they're about to do so - which is what annoys me about the bandwagon of the v2 band. Yes, it's got better ergonomics, and that's about the only convincing reason to upgrade.

Thing is, the v1 band was hardly a finished product in terms of software development, it irks a bit that the only means of getting any improvements is to buy the new version - and the v1 band has only been available for about 7 months in the UK.

Make me think that the v1 early adopters weren't just inconvenienced (financially) beta testers, and show some support for them, and maybe I'll think of spending more on a v2 band.

gutted just went on and it's out of stock

There was a trade in offer though - 70 quid for the v1 if you buy number 2, not too bad..

Better than nothing - I'll grant you. Thing is, if you bought at launch - either preordered or any time before the recent discounts, the original cost £170. So say you do get £70 and buy a v2 band for £200. The v1 still cost you £100 for what? Merely around 7 months of unfulfilled potential?

I mean I'm a fan - it's a very good wearable, but it is nowhere near reaching the potential, or even the claims of the original when it was new.

Yes, it's immature technology, and yes, other brands bring out new models, too - but then they tend to be more complete - established functionality, decent ecosystem, integration with other apps. Yes there is some integration with Microsoft Health and other apps - but it's more after-the-fact, really - and sometimes a bit flakey.

I think of it like this - for the people that bought when I did, the options now, are, pay £200 for a v2 Band, and at some point get £70 back. Total outlay £300 - you don't get to keep the v1 band for the £70, you have to return it. It's too early to say whether the v2 band addresses the quality issues (band material degradation) that blighted the v1 band. And maybe it will live up to some of the hype. 'cos that's effectively what they're saying - the v1 band? Well we claimed a lot for it that didn't materialise. But, hey, spend another £200, and return your v1 band and we'll give you £70 back, and trust us, this time this new band will live up to our claims (because we're not about to release and software improvements for the v1 band, because we want punters to buy the shiny-shiny)...

But take a step back for a second, I'm thinking back to when I decided to pre-order. My options were effectively, the MS Band, or the Fitbit Surge. Say if I'd bought the Fitbit Surge - it was slightly more expensive at the time - but would I still be feeling the pinch? Would I be expected to fork out some more money, for a new improved one, that maybe would live up to what they hyped about the original?

I've had my Fitbit One for 2 years - and it was available for a while before I bought it - and you can still buy it as a new, official, supported device - and I still use it now, and a 2 year old device can do what the v2 band apparently "needed" a new sensor for - count the number of flights of stairs you've climbed. Plus, in my experience, it's more accurate at counting steps (although personally, I'm a bit ambivalent), and is more accurate at monitoring sleep.

This isn't about buyers remorse and wishing I'd bought a Fitbit Surge - on balance I'm still glad I splurged on the MS Band - it's only after the v2 band has been announced and launched, and that all indications (new software features in the v2 band, and comments in the Microsoft Health app interface...) are that all the things that the v1 band should have been developed to be, might just make it for the v2 band.

To get back to point, and this thread - at £50, the v1 MS Band is a steal - regardless of anything else. But with the past 7 month history of what's gone on with it, and the potential of having to spend a load more to get a device (the v2 band) that really is what the v1 band should have been (given their claims and the hype) - colour me unconvinced - I'm not sure it's money well spent, I'm inclined to think of that old idiom "throwing good money after bad".

Thanks for getting straight to the point.

I had the original band but it irritated my skin, it might have been ok if was wearing occasionally. The band 2 is much more comfortable and I wear it all the time. The screen is better too.

I still wonder if it will be improved much when paired with a Microsoft phone.

Quick q to anyone who has this - With regards to the belt clasp (the side with the feint MS logo), is the metal part meant to be rigid to rest of the plastic belt (I can see mini screws on the opposite side that I would expect to hold this in place)? On my one it appears as though the belt is torn so when the band is worn it never fits straight. Can I presume this is faulty:

[img][/img]

I called MS Store regading return/replacement. As of now, and this seems to be the case once you have had item for a while, they replace faulty items with refurbished ones (never new) and they charge for repairs to clasp etc as they see it as wear and tear. I will most likely ask for a return (none in stock and they do not know when/if they will ever get them in stock again). Think I am going to lose out on this as have already puchased and applied screen protector plus loss of bargain of course :disappointed:

Not sure I'm going to keep my medium. It's unopened/sealed still.

Bit confused about return dates. It says "30 days from shipment" but when I click on return it says I can retirn till 1/2/16. Anyone know?

I agree!

Seems very likely Microsoft aren't bothering to improve v1 functionality to encourage v2 adoption - Not a smart way to build consumer support!