14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft has decided to leave the smartwatch/activity tracking market after the second-generation Microsoft Band, but several leaks have shown that the company was at some point very committed to this particular business, with plans for an advanced smartwatch including several prototypes.
Microsoft’s smartwatch was supposed to launch under the Nokia brand and be called Moonraker, with previous reports claiming the company wanted to unveil it as a companion device for the Nokia 930, itself a flagship phone.
An in-depth look at the already-canceled Nokia Moonraker was published by ProtoBetaTest, providing us with the majority of details of what could’ve been Microsoft’s very own Apple Watch rival.
And by the looks of things, the Moonraker was indeed very similar in terms of usability and design with the Apple Watch, only that Microsoft wanted to use its signature live tile-based interface.
No heart rate sensor
When it comes to the design, the device featured a single physical button allowing users to toggle between the running apps and the home screen, while the touch support with gestures allowed to quickly peek at notifications, view apps, and browse menus.
A companion app running on Windows phones enabled users to customize the watch with different color themes, standby backgrounds, and other visuals. The watch was equipped with a square LCD display with a resolution of 240x190 pixels, removable wristbands, and several sensors like NFC and gyroscope. Oddly enough, a heart rate tracking sensor wasn’t offered, but the cited source says Microsoft was more focused on the smartwatch capabilities, and not on fitness monitoring.
It’s not known exactly why Microsoft decided to abandon the project, but in the meantime, the company left the smartwatch market entirely, leaving rival Apple to be the leader with the Apple Watch. At this point, the Apple Watch is the top smartwatch worldwide, with the latest generation bringing features like LTE support to work independently from an iPhone.
