Microsoft will launch its own wearable device over the coming weeks, according to a new report.
So far we’ve seen an Apple Watch and several watches running on Google’s Android Wear platform, but no equivalent offering from Microsoft – though there have been numerous rumours throughout 2014.
According to Forbes, such a Microsoft device is right around the corner. As has been reported so far, the new wearable will apparently be a smartwatch with an emphasis on fitness, featuring the ability to passively track the wearer’s heart rate.
The report also confirms perhaps the most interesting thing of all about the Microsoft wearable – that it will not be a Windows or Windows Phone-based device as such. Rather, it will operate across all three of the top smartphone OS platforms – Android, iOS and Windows Phone.
It’s also claimed that the new Microsoft wearable will boast a battery life of more than two days of regular use.
This would pitch the Microsoft watch ahead of any Android Wear device, and quite possibly ahead of the Apple Watch if early suggestions of a nightly charge are anything to go by.
Apparently, Microsoft will announce its new wearable over the coming weeks, and will launch it soon after to capitalise on the holiday market – again, something that Apple has failed to do with the Apple Watch.
Elsewhere, The Verge has confirmed that this Microsoft launch is imminent. The website’s sources have emphasised that the focus will be on fitness tracking rather than advanced smartwatch features, with an array of sensors tracking heart rate, steps, calories burned, and other health-related metrics.
Read more: Best fitness tracker 2014
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
