Microsoft joins wearables race, unveils smart band

Technology giant Microsoft has now joined the wearables bandwagon with the launch of its smart band Microsoft Band, designed for people looking to live healthier and be more productive.

The smart band, will be available in the US in limited quantities at MicrosoftStore.com, for $199.

The Microsoft Band comes with 10 smart sensors for 24-hour heart rate monitoring, calorie burn measurement, advanced sleep quality tracking as well as guided workouts curated by Gold's Gym, Shape, Men's Fitness and Muscle & Fitness.

It will also keep users connected with smart notifications, including incoming calls, emails, texts and social updates as well as access to Cortana.

Microsoft has also launched a new platform called Microsoft Health that includes a cloud service for consumers and the industry to store and combine health and fitness data to create powerful insights. The new Microsoft Health app will be available on Android, iOS and Windows Phones.

It will unite data from different health and fitness devices and services in a single, secure location. Once stored in Microsoft Health, users can combine the data generated from different devices and services like steps, calories and heart rate to receive insights from Microsoft's Intelligence Engine on workout, diet and sleep.

"We see an opportunity to bring these devices and services together to allow you to combine the information they collect and use the power of the cloud to turn that data in to something more valuable," Microsoft Corporate Vice President Todd Holmdahl said in a statement.

Microsoft has already partnered with UP by Jawbone, MapMyFitness, MyFitnessPal and RunKeeper for the health app.

Smart wearables, as a category, is growing globally with the likes of Samsung, Motorola and Apple coming out with their smartwatches, while non-handset brands like Adidas and Nike have introduced smart bands across various price points.

While smart watches from these firms are not dedicated to healthcare or athletics, most of these support apps like pedometer and heart rate monitor to help users monitor various bodily functions.