For tap points such as Tapstyles, or as your room key, it uses NFC. NFC relies on being powered EXTERNALLY. That is, the touch point itself generates a low-range magnetic field that, when the MB is within range, powers the NFC chip, which in turn uses that power to transmit the ID of the MagicBand. Because this relies on external power, they last essentially forever.
However, there is also Bluetooth Low Energy in the MB. This relies on an internal battery. And while Bluetooth LE does use very little power, it is constantly transmitting the MB ID information, even if it is just sitting in your drawer in your house. Eventually, the battery dies. Anecdotal reports say this lasts about 2 years, but could be more or less, since it depends, too, on how long the MB was sitting in the package ahead of time.
(If Disney was smart, they wouldnât actually even bother to âturn outâ the Bluetooth portion of it until the first time the NFC chip was activated in order to preserve batteryâŚand perhaps even stop transmitting after so much time has passed since the last tap-in using the NFC chipâŚbut I donât know if Disney thought of that or not. The battery would last so much longer if they did, though.)
ETA: The MB+ features advertised will require more use of Bluetooth LE, and not just act as a transmitter of data, as a typical MB, but also a receiver of data. This will take even more powerâŚhence my suggestion that they need to provide a means to change the battery on these now more than ever. Not to mention, the features that use additional power, such as the lights and vibration.
And then the extra $$ on IA$ is my personal protest. Like how every guidebook will have dollar signs by every restaurant. $$$ means expensive. So, I think $ is insufficient.
Thinking about the magic bands and the fireworks - during Taylor Swiftâs last stadium tour, you got a bracelet when you entered the stadium, and it changed colors and went on and off during show. I couldnât find a great video of it, but hereâs a decent one:
It was pretty neat. They did some pretty crazy things too like parts of the stadium turned pink and had the shape of a heart while the rest of the stadium had white lights. The bands werenât assigned to your seat, so I was very impressed.
It wasnât my point that it canât be âneatâ just that our attention is being pulled in a million directions and itâs a little much. Iâm least of all going to be looking at my wrist during a nighttime spectacular
It suddenly occurred to me that you could have all these people holding up their cell phones to record the show, with these bands on their wrists flashing away.
Kinda like the Mickey Ears that I got in DL that flash to the musicâŚcool idea, but only if other people are wearing them because you canât see it! And it ends up just being distracting.
On this past weekâs Disney Dish, Len Testa and Jim Hill believe the MB+'s release is very near. It would explain why finding a basic Magicband (like the type that used to be given to resort guests for no extra charge) has been impossible through official Disney channels.
Len and Jim were answering a question about when they thought the interactive games like the old Agent P game that used phones were coming back, and they believe those games are waiting for MB+ to be released as they will now have MB+ connectivity. They didnât give any other reason than that.
