Leaks from MicrosoftInsider reveals the renders for the rumoured fitness bands and it sure looks sleek.

Gone are the flat display screens and in its place, a curved screen adorns the surface of the fitness band. While the original Microsoft Band was meant to be worn with the screen on the inside of the wrist, the new Microsoft Band 2 seem more suited to be worn on the outside of the wrist; just like a normal watch.

The original Microsoft Band was great on features but not so much on looks.  It’s certainly a relief to see that Microsoft has moved from a strange fitting band to something more main stream and palatable to the masses. Again the pictures are merely renders, courtesy of MicrosoftInsider. Yet a part of me is wondering about the level of comfort at the wrist with the prominent lump resembling the battery housing.

Read the original Microsoft Band review here

Just a quick recap of some of the features of the original Microsoft Band:

• Tracks steps, exercise reps, calories, sleep
• Optical heart rate sensor
• In-built GPS, UV meter, Skin temperature sensor
• Smart notifications with vibration motor
• Takes voice commands via Cortana on Windows 8.1 phones.

It would be interesting to see if voice control on the Microsoft Band 2 will be be extended to iOS and Android devices since Microsoft announced in May that it will be bringing Cortana to the two largest mobile OS in the world. I’m also hoping for improved heart rate monitoring functions, increased battery life and better water resistance.

Honestly there was very little to dislike about the original Microsoft Band but it fared poorly in terms of aesthetics plus the fact that full functionality of the fitness band only applied to mobile phones running Windows OS. If Microsoft could plug these holes, the yet to be announced Band 2 would be a serious contender for everyone’s Christmas gift list.

I’ll update more on the 6th of October when Microsoft is set to announce Windows 10 devices. Check back again then.

Source: MicrosoftInsider