Microsoft Band update adds WordFlow swipe-to-type keyboard

No sooner did Microsoft release the Microsoft Band last November, than the device was quickly sold out at Microsoft Stores. The popular fitness band tracks your heart beat, exercises and offers integration with Cortana. The latter is coming off a remarkable 83% accuracy rate in forecasting Academy Award winners! At $199.99, the wearable is priced to move.

An update to the Microsoft Band now gives it a dedicated cycling tile. The sensors keep track of distance and calories burned. And since the band knows that you are riding a bike, it will also track elevation and heart rate for cycling. You can also download a number of cycling based exercises. The cycling tile will work for outdoor bikes, or for the stationary variety.

One interesting addition to Microsoft Band is the WordFlow swipe-to-type keyboard. This might be hard to employ on a 1.4-inch screen, but it is there nonetheless and it does allow you to reply to messages by swiping your responses. While Microsoft has updated its web based Health dashboard to show you stats and graphs, the info is not available on the Microsoft Health smartphone app. Well, at least not yet.

Perhaps the biggest news is the release of an SDK for Microsoft Band that covers Windows Phone, iOS and Android. This should pave the way for many new features for the device in the near to intermediate future.

source: @paulstorms via CNET