Jawbone Up

High tech activity trackers seem to be the popular item these days in the fitness world and Jawbone is after a piece of that pie. Jawbone’s first attempt with the UP back in 2011 was unsuccessful due to severe quality issues. This prompted the company to pull all of their UP devices off the shelves to conduct a heavy re-design of the product. Jawbone’s re-release of the UP in late 2012 promised more durability and reliability for their users. Now that the Jawbone UP has transitioned over to the Android platform, I felt this was the perfect time for me to test this product out.

Some may consider these activity trackers, like the UP, Fit Bit, and Nike Fuel Band, as just an expensive pedometer. In a way they are right, however these new high tech trackers offer so much more than just counting your steps.

The Jawbone UP is a stylish wristband that you can wear at ALL TIMES, even in the shower. Although if you plan on doing some deep sea diving, you should probably remove the wristband beforehand. You sync the UP by connecting the unit to your headphone jack on any IOS or ANDROID device. This allows you to view your activity levels as well as track your sleep patterns. There is also calorie tracker which gives you the option to input the foods you eat throughout the day.

If improving your health and fitness is important to you, then being aware of your activity levels and caloric intake is key to your success. The Jawbone UP helps you reach your goal by giving 3 different modes to track your activity.

Move

The Move mode helps you measure your daily activity details which include total steps taken, distance traveled, speed of movements, intensity of activity, and the total calories burned throughout the day. You are able to view the data on your phone or tablet which gives you an insight to how active you are every day.

Within the Move mode, there is a Stopwatch option. The Stopwatch option allows you to track specific activities that you do. Running, lifting weights, swimming, and hiking are just some of the activities that you can use the Stopwatch option for. You can later add additional notes to help you remember what you have done.

Sleep

The Sleep mode gives you details that includes when you went to bed, how long it took you to fall asleep, and the total hours slept. The Jawbone UP also has the ability to track when you are in Deep Sleep and when you are in Light Sleep. This gives you an overall look at how well your sleep patterns are because sleeping is a very important aspect to your health.

One great feature to the UP is the Silent Alarm option. You can set the time for an alarm and the UP will vibrate during a period where you are in Light Sleep. The purpose for this is that you are not waking up during Deep Sleep, causing you to be groggy and tired. When being woken up in Light Sleep, you wake up more relax and refreshed instead of the “I hate my life” feeling.

Eat

The Eat mode helps you track your caloric intake through the day. You are able to log food with photos and nutritional information like calories, fats, sugar, fiber, carbohydrates, protein and sodium. The logs are inputted with the app and allows you to search through UP’s inventory of foods or you can input the information manually. There is also a scan barcode option for packaged foods that you purchase.

There are many food tracker apps available like My Fitness Pal , but having that option included all within the Jawbone app makes it incredibility convenient.

Final Thoughts

I am very excited for this product! The fact that Jawbone transitioned their app to the Android platform is what prompted me to finally buy this tracker. I had also looked into the Nike Fuel Band but the company has mentioned that they have no interest in bringing the Fuel Band to Android. After doing more research, it was clear that the Jawbone UP had great features that no other activity tracker could compete with.

The Fit Bit was another good option, however, their device is more like a pedometer in which you have to carry the unit in your pocket or wear it with a belt clip. Many users have reported losing the Fit Bit or just flat out forgetting to bring it with them. Whereas the Jawbone is a wristband that you wear all the time.

It really came down to convenience and features. I wanted a tracker that was convenient to use, as mentioned, the Jawbone up is a wristband so I know I will not forget to wear it like the Fit Bit. The Nike Fuel Band just didn’t have the features that I am interested in. Specifically, I was looking for something that can track my sleep pattern and caloric intake. The Jawbone UP is the only tracker out on the market that fits both my convenience and features needs. I highly recommend it!