Microsoft Band is a discontinued smart band with smartwatch and activity tracker / fitness tracker features, created and developed by Microsoft . It was announced on October 29, 2014. The Microsoft Band incorporates fitness tracking and health-oriented capabilities and integrated with Windows Phone , iOS , and Android smartphones through a Bluetooth connection. On October 3, 2016, Microsoft stopped sales and development of the line of devices. On May 31, 2019, the Band's companion app was decommissioned, and Microsoft offered a refund for customers who were lifelong active platform users.
14-622: The Microsoft Band was announced by Microsoft on October 29, 2014 and released in limited quantities in the US the following day. The Band was initially sold exclusively on the Microsoft Store 's website and retail locations; due to its unexpected popularity, it sold out on the first day it was released and was in short supply over the 2014 holiday shopping season . Production was ramped up in March 2015 to increase availability, several months after
28-641: A device running Windows Phone 8.1 Update 1 , Cortana might also be available, although some features still require direct use of the paired phone . This Update 1 was included with the Lumia Denim firmware for Microsoft Lumia phones. Users can view their latest notifications on their phone by using the Notifications Center Tile. The device functioned as a way to promote Microsoft software and license it to developers and OEMs . Microsoft Store (retail) Microsoft Store
42-443: A greater level of customer satisfaction both by only having sales staff as well as by employing "Technical Advisers" (similar to Apple's " Geniuses ") to assist customers with technical questions and issues. In addition, "Specialists" (or trainers) were employed to show customers how to get the most out of their software. Xbox One consoles were also available to entertain patrons. There were Microsoft Store retail locations throughout
56-406: A limited time). It also offered Windows (most retail versions), Microsoft Office , and Xbox One game consoles, games, and services including on-site Xbox diagnostics. The Answers Desk helped to answer questions related to Office, Windows, and other Microsoft products; the stores also offered class sessions as well as individual appointments. The first two Microsoft Stores opened within a week of
70-755: The Windows 7 launch, in Scottsdale, Arizona , and Mission Viejo, California . Additional stores opened in California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, Texas, Virginia, and Washington. At the 2011 Professional Developers Conference , Microsoft announced that they intended to open 75 new stores in the next three years. The first store outside the U.S. (and the first of eight stores in Canada) opened in Toronto on November 16, 2012, while
84-706: The U.S., seven in Canada, one in Sydney, Australia, and one in London, England, which were converted to Experience Centers. Recently Microsoft has opened Microsoft Company Stores in Redmond and at its Silicon Valley Campus that are open to the public. In May 2013, Microsoft began to launch mall kiosk locations known as Microsoft Specialty Stores , expanding upon the Surface-focused pop-up stores established during
98-784: The United States and Canada, by September 2013. The store-within-a-store showcases Windows devices, Microsoft hardware and software products (including the Office, Surface, and Xbox lines). Departments for other manufacturers (such as Apple , Google , and Samsung ) remain separate from the Windows Store sections. Best Buy also pledged to add 1,200 Microsoft-trained sales associates to its stores and to stock more accessories for Microsoft-related products, such as Windows Phone devices. Professional Developers Conference Microsoft 's Professional Developers Conference ( PDC )
112-541: The end of June. The majority of Microsoft Stores were closed in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic . On June 26, 2020, Microsoft announced that it would permanently close all of its physical retail stores in favor of a digital marketplace. Four stores would be renovated into "experience centers": New York City, Sydney, London, and Redmond. The Microsoft Store was similar to the popular Apple Store concept, which has been largely successful. The concept aims to give
126-689: The first store outside North America (and first store in Asia-Pacific and second flagship store ) opened in Sydney, Australia, on November 12, 2015. In September 2017, the company announced a store on Regent Street in London, England. On June 26, 2020, Microsoft announced that it would close all of its physical stores once COVID-19 pandemic restrictions are lifted, and transition to a digital-only model. Four stores in New York City, Sydney, London, and Redmond would be renovated into Microsoft Experience Centers . Microsoft's first retail store
140-613: The launch of Windows 8 . They featured a smaller product offering, with a particular focus on the Surface and Windows Phone product lines. In June 2019, Microsoft closed all Specialty Store locations. On June 13, 2013, Microsoft announced a partnership with the Best Buy chain to replace their Best Buy's PC departments with The Windows Store (unrelated to the Windows Store software distribution platform) at 600 locations in
154-685: The release of Android Wear but ahead of the Apple Watch . Availability was expanded in the US to include retailers Amazon , Best Buy , and Target . On April 15, 2015, the Microsoft Band was released in the UK priced at £169.99 and available for purchase through the Microsoft Store, or from select partners. The Microsoft band incorporates ten sensors , though only eight were documented on Microsoft's product page: The Band's battery
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#1732787045081168-513: Was a chain of retail stores and is an online shopping site , owned and operated by Microsoft and dealing in computers, computer software, and consumer electronics. The Microsoft Store offered Signature PCs and tablets like the Microsoft Surface , and offerings from third parties such as Acer , Dell , HP , Lenovo , and VAIO without demos nor trialware (pre-installed free trials of certain third-party software that expire after
182-633: Was designed to run for two days on a full charge, and the device partially relies on its companion app Microsoft Health , which was available for operating systems beginning with Windows Phone 8.1 , Android 4.3+ , and iOS 7.1+ , if Bluetooth was available. Despite being designed as a fitness tracker, the Band has numerous smartwatch -like features, such as built in apps (called tiles ) like Exercise , UV , Alarm & Timer , Calls , Messages , Calendar , Facebook , Weather and more. The Band worked with any Windows Phone 8.1 device. If paired with
196-1016: Was located in the Metreon in San Francisco . It was owned and operated by Sony Retail Entertainment and ran from 1999 to 2001. In 2009, Microsoft built a "Retail Experience Center" in their Redmond, Washington , headquarters and announced plans to build its own retail stores. On October 22, 2009, the same day as the Windows 7 launch, Microsoft opened a retail store in Scottsdale, Arizona . A week later, another opened in Mission Viejo, California . Five additional stores were opened in 2010. A ninth store opened in Atlanta in May 2011, with two more openings planned in Houston and Los Angeles by
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