Microsoft Band and Health get Web Tiles and Cloud API Previews with developer focus
When I bought my Microsoft Band, I had very lofty goals of losing weight and getting in shape. The reality, however, is that such a device is not magic -- you still have to put in the work. While I am still a fat guy, Band has certainly been a motivator and useful companion -- I am still determined to have my body Speedo-ready eventually.
Unfortunately, besides fitness, its usefulness is a bit limited; I use it for alerts and Starbucks payments, but not much else. Luckily, Microsoft seems to be committed to the platform and making it better over time. Today, Microsoft announces new Web Tiles and Cloud APIs. How will this improve Band? By wisely focusing on -- allow me to quote the beloved Steve Ballmer -- "developers, developers, developers, developers". Yes, developers are the key.
"Today, we take the next step that enables programmatic access to even more facets of Microsoft Band and Health platform -- by introducing Microsoft Band Web Tiles Preview and Microsoft Health Cloud API Preview. With this new preview, we are making it even easier for developers to create tiles for Microsoft Band, and are providing the first opportunity for developers to gain access to the rich fitness data that is stored in the Microsoft Health platform", says Ali Alvi, Senior Software Design Engineer at Microsoft Corporation.
Alvi explains, "additionally, we are excited to bring you a preview of our Microsoft Health Cloud APIs Preview. These APIs are built on open standards and are a first step towards achieving our goal of making Microsoft Health extensible. They allow developers to enhance the experiences of their apps and services with fitness data coming from Microsoft Health. These apps and services will be able to drive even more insightful and rich health and fitness features, like observations and insights, personalized recommendations and fitness coaching, by building upon a baseline of information provided by a consenting user".
Ali Alvi -- the guy with an epic name -- shares the following focuses for the Band SDK.
- Refreshing of 3rd-party tile contents in-place
- Better support for building icons as buttons
- Ability to control the tile screen timeout
Many people chastise the Microsoft Band as not being a true competitor with Android Wear and Apple Watch, and I must disagree. Its cross-platform nature and focused interface make it an ideal companion. It also features class-leading battery life that destroys both Google and Apple's offerings.
Can the Apple Watch and Android Wear Watches do more? Yes, too much more, arguably. Apple Watch in particular is a surprisingly unfocused product from the storied Apple, with a confusing interface. Microsoft is on the right track with its companion design.
This renewed focus on developers is very much a wonderful move. I look forward to seeing what new tricks my Band will learn and to see future versions of the hardware too.
Do you own a Microsoft Band? Tell me about it in the comments.