Bluetooth headset manufacturer Jawbone has released the UP wristband to track users activity, sleep, and food intake to "encourage healthier living". The water-resistant wristband, which is designed to be worn constantly, has a built-in motion sensor that tracks movement (steps, distance, calories burned, pace, intensity level and active vs inactive time) and sleep (hours slept, time to fall asleep, light vs. deep sleep and sleep quality).
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The UP connects to an iOS device (iPhone 3GS or higher, iPad, or iPod Touch 4th generation or newer) via the headphone jack to transfer data. There is no Bluetooth connectivity, curious from Jawbone which specializes in Bluetooth devices, but the UP skimps on wireless to save on battery life. Jawbone claims the UP's battery should last up to 10 days.
The wristband is "made of a spring steel frame encased in durable, sweat-proof, water-resistant, hypoallergenic rubber" and is water-resistant up to 1 meter -- basically, it can be worn 24/7, even during workouts or taking a shower, but don't go swimming with it.
The wristband's companion app, UP by Jawbone, tracks activity, sleep and meals with elaborate and polished charts -- the UP's internal vibrating-motor can even wake users up with a gentle vibration at the ideal time:
Within 30 minutes of your desired wake up time, the band will intelligently interpret your sleep graph identify the best moment in your natural sleep cycle so that you feel as refreshed as possible. For example, if you were to set your wake up alarm for 7:30am, the band would vibrate at the best time between 7:00am and 7:30am based on your sleep cycle.
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The wristband tracks jogging runs as well and, when paired with an iPhone, displays users running routes on a map. There are also "challenges", health goals and competitions that UP users can join on their own or with friends. Challenges include walking 100,000 steps in 10 days, climbing 1,665 steps (the same number as in the Eiffel Tower), or sleeping for 10 straight hours to get a good night's sleep.
Finally, the app allows users to create a "photo journal" of what they eat and it sends a push notification a few hours after a meal to ask how they feel. The goal is to help users discover which foods make them feel best.
The UP by Jawbone is $99.99 and goes on sale in the US on November 6, the UK on November 17th for £79.99, and worldwide by the end of 2011. It's available from Jawbone's online store, the Apple Store, Best Buy, AT&T and others.
The UP by Jawbone app is a free download, available for the iPhone or iPad. However, it doesn't do anything without the wristband itself.
Top Rated Comments
This thing looks great. Wearing it and forgetting about it is the big selling point. I wish they would have came in at an initial price of $65-70 though. $100 bucks is kind of steep.
Time will tell if it is a game changer.
True true, but many will just say "Up Yours" - see what I did der? hehe
Makes no sense when a company like Jawbone who specialise in bluetooth don't incorporate it into it.
I'll no doubt end up getting one though :D
Ive been excited for this release for a while. I was comparing it to Basis and FitBit and it looks like the least intrusive option to me. Just put my order in.
UPDATE
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One week of using the UP, I'll be returning mine. Its just too young in development for me to justify the $99 spent.
#1. Realistically, I was only getting about 36 hours out of a charge, not 10 days as advertised. I did a reset as recommended by support, but it did not resolve the problem.
#2. I really cant believe this thing doesn't sync over bluetooth. When you think jawbone, you think bluetooth, right? Nope, not on this one. You have to pull the cap, and plug it into your headphone port to sync manually. On dozens of occasions it would not sync. One reason for not syncing is your headphone volume and over & over again it would reset my headset volume to 100% or 0% automatically when plugging it in.
#3. The photo meal tracking feature is a joke and doesn't really even deserve discussion.
#4. It fits awkwardly. When I'm at the computer (4-6 hours a day) it keeps slipping down and sits uncomfortably between my wrist and the desk. When im working out, it slips up & down my wrist due to the weight. Its also considerably wider than it is tall so I have a gap on each side of my wrist and it fits just right top & bottom.
Its not all bad though. I really do like the sleep tracking features and the vibrate to awake. I woke up most days fairly well rested and not jolted. I also like the UI of the app. I only wish they had a nice fluid website to match when browsing from my Mac or PC.
Jawbone: Slim it down a bit, with a more rounded fit. Give it bluetooth or wifi syncing and give me a real nutrition tracker like dailyburn or sparkpeople then Ill be happy to buy again in the future.