Microsoft confirms its wearable device ambitions and announces Health, a health and fitness platform complete with cloud service, mobile device app and, of course, a fitness wearable dubbed "Band."

News on Microsoft's wearable device emerged last week via Forbes and The Verge, although rumours on the company working on such a device date as far back as May 2013.

The Microsoft Band, like its name, is a simple enough device. Described as a "smart band," it is designed for 24/7 use and features 10 sensors, including an optical heart rate monitor, 3-axis accelerometer, gyroscope, GPS, ambient light, UV light and more.

Battery life-- arguably the most important feature of any wearable device-- clocks at 48 hours of "normal use" via twin 100mAh batteries, although the GPS probably shortens it. Charging takes 1.5 hours via magnetically attached USB charger.

Nanyang Technology University (NTU) researchers develop batteries with not only ultra-fast charging times but also a lifespan of over 20 years, over 10 times that of existing lithium-ion batteries.

According to the researchers the batteries recharge up to 70% in only 2 minutes, making them particularly useful for electric vehicles as well as any other piece of battery-powered CE.

Current rechargeable lithium-ion batteries last around 500 recharge cycles, the equivalent of 2-3 years of typical use, with each cycle taking around 2 hours to fully charge the battery.

The secret sauce behind the NTU-developed battery is titanium dioxide gel replacing the graphite anode (negative pole) of lithium-ion batteries. Titanium dioxide is naturally found in soil in spherical shape, and the NTU team managed to turn it into tiny nanotubes in order to speed up the chemical reactions in the new battery.

Logitech announces the Type+-- a protective case for the iPad Air offering two-sided protection and an integrated Bluetooth keyboard for laptop-style tablet use.

According to the company the redesigned keyboard better replicates the laptop experience, as it features "optimised" distance between keys. It also includes a dedicated row of iOS shortcuts allowing users to navigate the iPad without need to touch the screen.

Another Type+ feature is automatic on/off-- it automatically switches on when the user positions the iPad upright, and turns off when it is closed. In addition an auto-wake and auto-sleep feature turns the iPad off when the case is closed, and wakes it up when opened.

NewerTech starts shipping the Wireless Aluminium Keypad-- a numeric keypad companion to Apple-style keyboards featuring precision machined aluminium housing, white keys and a bracket for tool-free attachment to keyboards.

Designed for use with number-intensive programs, as well as any software with extensive shortcut use, the keypad is a full-size 28-key number with delete, tab and navigation keys, as well all the other buttons a numeric keypad demands.

It connects wirelessly to PCs via Bluetooth, and and promises "just right" feel, design, size and connectivity for what the company describes as "maximum number crunching workflow excellence."