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Microsoft has announced the first significant update for its Microsoft Band fitness tracker.
The firm's first wearable was launched in the US late last year, but today’s update brings a host of new features into play and makes it a much more attractive proposition.
Among the improvements are a new Bike Tile which ensures better performance when users are cycling whether mobile or stationary. The optimisation will track elevation, heart-rate, calories, location and will estimate recovery time.
There’s now also a web-facing version of the Microsoft Health dashboard which incorporates stats from the Map My Fitness suite. The web version is more detailed than the mobile app and allows users to see data over a greater period of time,
On the smartwatch side of things, the Band now features a new Quick Read feature borrowed from Windows Phone, which enables users to get a rapid glimpse of incoming notifications.
There’s also a new virtual keyboard, which will allow users to reply to texts from their Windows Phone 8.1 devices by tapping away on their wristband. Those folks will also benefit from the ability to compose their replies via voice recognition.
Read more: Best fitness trackers 2015
Those already rocking the Microsoft Band can expect more added functionality in the coming months with the software giant announcing the launch of an SDK.
Interested devs can sign up with Microsoft from today.