Rumors and speculation about a Microsoft wearable have been floating around recently but no solid information ever surfaced.

No name, no images, no sly little tweets from early testers – nothing.

Then last night, when many Americans were watching Game 7 of the World Series and the rest of the world were either sleeping or just waking up, tweets began to appear that a new Microsoft Health app was released in the iOS store. Not longer after that an image from the Google Play store hit Twitter for this new app and then finally the same app was found in the Windows Phone Store.

Those early app releases actually show one of the massive elements of this product that will help make it successful – cross platform – right from the start. Of course, it also shows off the power of Microsoft’s Cloud where all the data will be consolidated and analyzed.

Then the onslaught began and supporting pages and information started to go live as the Microsoft Band team was pushing buttons to launch the new device that is available starting today.

Here are the specs/capabilities of the Microsoft Band from the Microsoft Store product page:

  • Band: Band size: width: 0.75″, thickness: 0.34″ (19mm x 8.7mm)
  • Band materials: Thermal plastic elastomer
  • Weight: 2.12 ounces (60 g)
  • Display: Display AA size: 0.43″ x 1.30″ (11mm x 33mm)
  • Display type: Touch-enabled TFT full-color display
  • Memory: 64MB internal storage
  • Processor: ARM Cortex M4 MCU
  • Sensors: Optical heart rate sensor; 3-axis accelerometer; Gyrometer; GPS; Ambient light sensor; Skin temperature sensor; UV sensor; Capacitive sensor; Galvanic skin response

Additional technology:

  • Microphone
  • Haptic vibration motor
  • Connectivity: Bluetooth 4.0 (Low Energy)
  • Buttons: 2 physical buttons
  • Compatibility: Windows Phone 8.1 update3 with Bluetooth; iOS 7.1 and 8; Android 4.3-4.4 devices with Bluetooth
  • Battery: Type: 2 x 100mAh rechargeable Lithium ion
    Life: 48 hours of normal use (Functionality like GPS will impact battery performance)
    Average charge time: Full charge in less than 1.5 hours
    Connector: Magnetically coupled connector to USB

Environmental Requirements:

  • Water resistance: Sweat- and splash-resistant
  • Operating temperature ranges: 14° to 104°F (-10° to 40°C)
  • Non-operating temperature ranges: -40° to 140°F (-40° to 60°C)
  • Maximum operating altitude: 7.45 miles (+12000 meters)

So in my long standing tradition relating to product launches I have gathered together some of the official links as well as those from tech news sites about the new Microsoft Band.

Enjoy.

Official Microsoft Links

Tech News Site Links