The Microsoft Band’s new Explore tile is a hiking helper - caponesquiter

The Microsoft Band wearable has offered trailing for running, cycling, golf, and other cardiovascular pursuits, but it's lacked a basic tramp component, until nowadays. The new Explore roofing tile even offers something a trifle special—an actual "map" on your Band itself, along with comprehensive information such as altitude and tied hydration reminders.

Naturally, you can track your get on in greater detail with the Microsoft Health app for Windows phones. Or, in the absence of a Windows speech sound, Microsoft aforementioned Monday it leave begin pushing a version of the Microsoft Wellness app to Windows 10 PCs and tablets this week. (It's merely existed as a Web app until now.)

microsoft health app hiking — Microsoft's Health app shows you a more detailed watch of your route.

In totally, the new Explore roofing tile seems to offer a well-idea-out approaching to hiking, using its various sensors equally a united whole. Because hikes often take individual hours—if not all day—the untried roofing tile takes advantage of the GPS Saver feature Microsoft turned on in February. The Striation 2 (forthwith apparently just referred to as the Band, without the "2") is peerless of the hardly a fitness wearables that tracks your distance settled on GPS location, but the constant polling can drain the battery. GPS Saver tracks your progress intermittently, prolonging battery life.

Microsoft also turns on its UV sensor, and will alert you if it thinks you motive to apply sunscreen or drink water. IT will also send a notification if it senses inclement weather, supported its barometric pressure level sensor. Finally, IT can use that same sensor to track how far you've climbed, as well as the absolute altitude you've achieved.

Microsoft even displays a small "correspondenc" of your path on the Band itself, thusly you can see how far you've hiked—handy when you're climbing a mountain, read, and reverting connected the same route. You can even flag points of interest, such as that shady stream you passed, where you can schedule a breather.

band 2 explore map — The "map" that the Band 2 shows you is pretty rudimentary, only note that the wearable can also supplying your line of latitude and longitude.

When you're done with your hike, you can sync your Band with your phone surgery PC—via the regular USB cable, unfortunately—and dig through all the details. Microsoft said IT has turned on some of its social elements atomic number 3 well, so that the Health app displays anonymized good shape info of others who share the same age and Body Whole sle Index, as a agency of motivation.

Why this matters: It makes sense that Microsoft targeted runners first, past walkers; there were over 45 1000000 runners in 2008, compared to 29 one thousand thousand hikers and backpackers, reported to Statista. I'd guess that the turn of "casual" walkers is far high, however, and that a considerable number of them want to know to a higher degree just their footprint count. Tired entirely, this appears to make up a well-thought-out addition to the Band's repertoire.

Source: https://www.pcworld.com/article/414875/the-microsoft-bands-new-explore-tile-is-a-hiking-helper.html

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