MSFT Gives Up..... Again.

Just days after launching the Microsoft Band smartwatch, Microsoft has ditched it for a partnership with Fitbit to launch its new Lumia 830 phone in the United States.

Beginning Nov. 7, customers can buy the Lumia 830 from AT&T for $99 with a two-year contract, Microsoft said Monday. And if they do, they’ll receive the Fitbit Flex, normally another $99, for free.

That sounds fantastic, and if the announcement had come a week or so ago, it might be seen as a nice complement to the Lumia 830, which contains the motion sensor package that Microsoft has included inside its recent Lumia phones. While the Lumia 830 and the associated Bing Health & Fitness app can track your steps, it can’t monitor your sleep or the calories you expend as well as a fitness tracker.  

Unfortunately, however, Microsoft has since launched the Microsoft Band, a bigger, more expensive, and bulkier fitness tracker that doubles both as a smartwatch as well as a fitness band. The problem is that first impressions of its technical capabilities haven’t been totally favorable. And that of course leads one to wonder whether Microsoft is giving up on the Band before it even takes off.