The Microsoft Band could live on according to two new patents, which show off a Band-looking wearable and point to it packing a couple of serious health tracking features.
The first patent (image below), which was filed by Microsoft in November 2017, describes the use of a two ring-shaped, electrically conductive skin sensors that would be able to tap into features such as stress monitoring. The use of two of the sensors would help to ensure that there is continuous skin contact and will be made "large and knobbly" to help them stay put.
Essential reading: Looking at the Apple Watch future through patents
The second patent was filed in February 2017 and relates to the ability to estimate blood pressure, giving the user a general idea of their blood pressure as opposed to an accurate reading. It uses the pulse oximeter built into the band to measure radial pulse pressure or aortic pulse wave velocity, which is said to correlate with actual blood pressure. That is then combined with data about your age, medical history, contextual data and harness AI to improve the accuracy of the reading.
After launching the first Band in 2014, Microsoft decided to discontinue the Band 2 back in 2016. Reports suggested it had no plans to launch a Band 3, despite photos and rumoured features surfacing about the cancelled tracker.
But perhaps this evidence suggests it's not giving up on wearables entirely and may follow in the footsteps of Apple and Fitbit by targeting serious health tracking. Or at the very least Microsoft is still thinking about health tracking.
Source: Digital Trends
How we test
By Michael Sawh
Michael Sawh has been covering the wearable tech industry since the very first Fitbit landed back in 2011. Previously the resident wearable tech expert at Trusted Reviews, he also marshaled the features section of T3.com.
He also regularly contributed to T3 magazine when they needed someone to talk about fitness trackers, running watches, headphones, tablets, and phones.
Michael writes for GQ, Wired, Coach Mag, Metro, MSN, BBC Focus, Stuff, TechRadar and has made several appearances on the BBC Travel Show to talk all things tech.
Michael is a lover of all things sports and fitness-tech related, clocking up over 15 marathons and has put in serious hours in the pool all in the name of testing every fitness wearable going. Expect to see him with a minimum of two wearables at any given time.