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Switch from Microsoft Band 2

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‎03-16-2018 08:33

‎03-16-2018 08:33

As someone who has recently switched from a Microsft Band 2, I wanted to share my thoughts on the change. 

 

So far I like my Ionic. It covers most of the things I loved about my Band 2. There are a few things I miss though. 

 

First off, I liked the sleep tracking of the Band 2 better. Personally I liked being as to manual start the sleep tracking. I do not have problems with the auto detection of the Inoic so I will likely change my preference over time. The one thing I really miss is the smart alarm that lets you set a wake up window and the alarm goes off if you are in a light sleep state within that window. It definitely helped with waking up for the morning workout. 

 

Second, I feel like the Ionic us missing features. The one I notice in my daily use is text replies. Sure Fitbit OS 2.0 will improve this but the Band 2's implementation for the onscreen keyboard to type out replies was phenomenal. I'm glad to see Fitbit OS make progress but wish it was moving faster. Other things like the Golf tracking on the Band 2 seem like a big feature difference with the Ionic. 

 

I have only used the GPS with a walk and not a run yet so I cannot comment on the accuracy between the two. One thing I loved about the GPS run taking of my Band 2 was showing my pace and elevation changes on the map. I have not checked into if the Ionic would have that on the map as well but I am looking forward to checking that out. 

 

I also liked some of the UX of the Band 2 better. In particularly how the data was laid out during the workout. I liked setting the 3 main data to show on the screen and the other data was on a separate screen. I realize you can customize the Ionic display but I don't like how the middle data auto cycles. I would also prefer if the largest data could be fixed and one of the top or bottom items be the data that cycles. This is another thing I will probably get use to but sands out to me after making the switch.

 

In conclusion, I am very pleased with my Ionic. While I think the Band 2 was the better value and does some things better, I am looking forward to the improvements coming to the Ionic and Fitbit OS. I also love now having the swim tracking ability. When switching ecosystems there will always be some differences that make you prefer your old ecosystem, but I feel the Ionic will continue to grow on me. 

 

What are other people's thoughts after switching from a Band 2 to an Ionic?

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8 REPLIES 8

‎03-16-2018 10:36

‎03-16-2018 10:36

Truth be told, it’s too long ago since I had my Band 2 🙂 But I will say I much prefer the form factor of the Ionic; the Band 2 kept getting caught on my cuffs. Oh and the battery life is better with the Ionic. But I did like the Band 2 integration with my 950 (when I had one).

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‎03-16-2018 10:52

In response to SunsetRunner

‎03-16-2018 10:52

The battery life is a huge plus on the Ionic! I also agree that the form factor is much nicer. Although, wearing the screen on the  inside of the wrist on runs made for a nice fluid motion to check stats. But overall I disliked the form factor but stuck around for the capabilities it provided. 

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0 Votes

‎03-16-2018 22:56

‎03-16-2018 22:56

I loved my Band 2! The keyboard implementation was awesome and I wish we had it on the Ionic. Hopefully the quick reply functionality will be good. Ionic battery life is better, but the Band 2 wasn't bad. I also miss the microphone for text replies and using Cortana from my wrist. 

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‎03-17-2018 01:58

In response to TwiceInert

‎03-17-2018 01:58

Yes @TwiceInert the Cortana integration was good (and as a player of the original Halo, having LAN parties with 12 friends, 4 XBoxes, 4 TVs all piled into one room, Cortana was the “AI” to have on your wrist Smiley Happy ) Sadly the Ionic doesn’t have mic, nor speaker, so such features are missed, though not having a Windows phone anymore means Cortana is long gone for me. Dreaming the Surface phone may one day appear....

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‎03-17-2018 05:16

In response to TwiceInert

‎03-17-2018 05:16

@TwiceInert I did use Cortona quite frequently for setting up reminders but not that often for text replies. It was nice to have but I don't think I will miss it too much. 

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‎03-17-2018 05:25

In response to SunsetRunner

‎03-17-2018 05:25

@SunsetRunner I would love to have a surface phone pop up. At the same time I would be hesitant to go back to a new Microsoft ecosystem after how they keep dropping my favorite services left and right. The slow death of Zune to Groove to just use Spotify already. The abaondoment of of the Band line and Windows phone. Sure I have found acceptable alternatives but having both an iPhone for work and an Android phone for personal use, I still miss my Windows phone. 

 

With Microsoft abandoning the Band line, it makes me wonder what happened to all the talent making the product and any IP generated from it.  I assume MSFT is just hoarding that IP but it would be nice to see them partner with someone like Fitbit to get some deeper system integration if they try their hand at a mobile offering again. 

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‎03-18-2018 10:29 - last edited on ‎12-19-2024 11:45 by Fitbit Moderator

In response to birdman5589

‎03-18-2018 10:29 - last edited on ‎12-19-2024 11:45 by Fitbit Moderator

@birdman5589 Welcome to the Fitbit Community! Thanks for sharing your experience and comparison between the Microsoft Band 2 and Fitbit Ionic. I'm glad to hear that you are pleased with Ionic so far. 

More features/apps will be released on Ionic, so it will be even better. There are some interesting features that have been asked on the Feature Suggestions Board; I'd recommend voting to support them:

This are just a few. I'd recommend checking the Feature Suggestions Board so you can vote for the ideas you like the most. If you have any interesting original idea feel free to post it too! 

@TwiceInert @SunsetRunner Thanks for sharing your experience with the Community. This kind of threads are very useful for other Ionic users or future users. 

Keep me posted! Smiley Happy

Santi | Community Moderator, Fitbit

Like my response? Vote for it! Also, accept as solution!
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‎03-25-2018 10:10

In response to birdman5589

‎03-25-2018 10:10

@birdman5589wrote:

I would love to have a surface phone pop up.

Looks like the rumour mill is cranking up. I see that there is now an official project name for the Surface Phone - Project AND. AND may be an abbreviationof its full name, Andromeda, but whatever, it looks like we may get an “announcement” sooner rather than later. Further, expectation is for full W10, so no separate eco-system to worry about. Excitement building...

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