The Microsoft Band 2 has been on the market for just about a month now and for many, this is their first Microsoft Band. We all know the Microsoft Health App is a must have for Band users, but there are several Windows Phone apps available that can help you customize your Band themes or increase the Band's abilities.
We are seeing this category of apps continue to grow and many of the original Band apps have been updated to support the Band 2. For this week's Windows Central Roundup, we will highlight a few of these Windows Phone titles that you may find useful. If we have overlooked your favorite Band app, feel free to toss out your recommendation in the comments below.
Fanband
Fanband is a marvelous Windows Phone app for customizing your Microsoft Band's theme. The app has over a thousand themes to choose from the world of sports, video gaming, movies, technology and more.
The interface is simple and the developer is constantly adding more themes to the mix. You can view the most popular or newest themes by the tap of a button or you can surf the dozen or so categories to find a theme that best matches your personality. If you cannot settle on just one theme, you can set Fanband to automatically update your Microsoft Band theme periodically based on your favorite themes.
Fanband is also available from the Windows 10 Store as a universal app and we feel it is a must have app for anyone owning a Microsoft Band. It supports both the original Band and the Band 2 screen resolutions.
Download Fanband for Windows and Windows Phone ($1.99)
Anti-Theft Band Alarm
If you are plagued by curious people wanting to tinker with your Windows Phone, the Anti-Theft Band Alarm app might be something of interest. The app creates a tile on your Band and when activated, when your Windows Phone is move an alarm sounds on not only your phone, but your Band begins to vibrate as well.
You can set the alarm on your Windows Phone to require a PIN number to silence and you can pause/resume the vibrating alert on your Band from the Anti-Theft Band Alarm tile. The app has five alarm sounds that include Alien, Annoying, Stay-away, Bark and Raven. All of which can be rather alarming and can easily alert you if someone is messing with your phone.
The obvious shortfall of this app is going to be its effective range. If your Band is beyond the Bluetooth range of your Windows Phone, you will not get the alert. On the plus side, the alarm sound will still activate from the Windows Phone and closing the app or locking the phone will not turn it off.
It is not a perfect security system for your Windows Phone but it has potential. Anti-Theft Band Alarm is rated at 4.5 Stars in the Windows Phone Store and if you give it a try, let us know what you think of things in the comments below.
Download Anti-Theft Band Alarm from the Windows Phone Store ($.99)
Clear My Band
This is a ridiculously simple Windows Phone app that can save you a lot of tapping to clear your Band notifications. Clear My Band eliminates the need to go from Band tile to tile to clear any notifications that have popped-up.
The interface is uncomplicated in that all you need to do is tap the center button and the app connects to your Band and clears the notifications. If you don't want all your notifications cleared, you can pick and choose which tiles to clear in the app's settings (found under the three-dot menu).
I keep Clear My Band pinned to my Windows Phone Start Screen for easy access and it definitely makes clearing all my tile notifications a lot easier. Clear My Band supports both the original Band and the Band 2.
Download Clear My Band from the Windows Phone Store ($.99)
Wallpaper Studio 10
Wallpaper Studio 10 is an interesting wallpaper app that is designed with the Windows 10 one-screen concept in mind. The app has more than 20,000 high quality HD wallpapers that can be used for your Windows 10 device and Microsoft Band.
The Band interface has an assortment of themes to choose from that will not only change your Band's wallpaper but also the color patterns, but also the option to just change the color pattern or wallpaper.
The selection of imagery ranges from abstract images to anime to landscapes with content ranging from family friendly to adult oriented. The only issue I had with Wallpaper Studio 10 as it relates to the Microsoft Band is that the color selection did not load with consistency. Otherwise, it comes across as a solid collection of wallpapers and lockscreen images that can be used on all your Windows 10 devices and your Band.
Download Wallpaper Studio 10 for Windows and Windows Phone (Free)
Honorable Mentions
There are so many quality and useful Band Apps in the Windows Phone Store, we just did not feel right only mentioning four of them. Here are a few more Windows Phone Band Apps that you may find of interest.
Pimp My Band: Customize your Band wallpaper with any image or photo you can get your hands on. Pimp My Band lets you crop the image to fit your Band's resolution and customize the color palette for your tiles.
Download Pimp My Band from the Windows Phone Store (Free)
Band Sensor Monitor : This third party app lets you monitor the Band and Band 2 embedded sensors in real time. This includes the heart rate monitor, skin temperature, Galvanic Skin Response, ambient light sensor, step sensor and more. You can even chart your real time readings or historical data. Please note the trial version for Band Sensor Monitor is limited to one week unrestricted use.
Download Band Sensor Monitor from the Windows Phone Store (Trial / $1.99)
Band Camera Control : This nifty app allows you to use your Microsoft Band as remote shutter for your Windows Phone camera through voice commands or simply tapping the Band Camera Control tile on the Band. Please note the trial version is limited to one day.
Download Band Camera Control from the Windows Phone Store (Trial / $.99)
Sound Band: This is more of a novelty app for your Band that has a lot of potential. Using the sensors in your Band, Sound Band lets you activate sounds through motion. The app is currently limited to a whip cracking sound but additional sounds are reported to be in development.
Download Sound Band from the Windows Phone Store (Trial / $.99)
Band Store: The Band Store app delivers a comprehensive list of Windows Phone apps for the Band. It offers a convenient way to view any featured apps, the top free or paid apps available for the Microsoft Band.
