AppleInsider Staff
Coming in just before the holiday shopping season, Jawbone on Wednesday announced two new fitness trackers with the basic $50 UP Move and advanced $180 UP3 band.
Dubbed by Jawbone as "the world's most advanced fitness tracker," the UP3 takes on the familiar wristband form factor of previous UP designs, but packs in a host of new sensors to monitor heart rate, temperature and more.
In addition to the usual accelerometer-based pedometer duties users have come to expect from a fitness device, the UP3 features a bio-impedance sensor package capable of measuring resting heart rates. Unlike other smart devices that employ optical heart rate sensors — like Apple's upcoming Apple Watch — the UP3 uses conductive pads that are in constant contact with a user's skin.
Aside from resting heart rate, the bio-impedance sensors can measure respiration, hydration levels and galvanic skin response. A change from last year is the ability to track skin and ambient temperatures, offering a new level of detail to biometric readings.
Algorithms are applied to raw sensor data to automatically detect the type of activity being performed for easy tracking and more accurate calorie expenditure calculations. Jawbone's app-based Smart Coach returns and is supposedly able to offer better personalized fitness tips with the additional sensor data.
The UP3 also includes sleep tracking, idle vibration alert, a silent vibration alarm and LED indicators.
With Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity and NFC, Jawbone claims the UP3 can get up to one week of use before needing to be recharged.
The UP3 is priced at $180 and is scheduled to start shipping in December.
Jawbone's UP Move is an entry-level offering similar in design to Misfit's Shine activity monitor. A circular pendant-style device, UP Move can be worn as a clip-on or fastened to a user's wrist via a band accessory.
Like other UP products, the Move does not feature a display, but instead conveys information through 12 white LEDs disposed on its face. Arranged on the periphery of the device face, the lights allow for at-a-glance viewing of fitness goals and the current time. In addition, orange and blue LEDs denote current mode and device status.
With the UP app, users can track steps, calories burned and sleep statistics. Using Bluetooth 4.0 for syncing, the button cell battery is rated for a six month life span.
The UP Move is priced at $50 and ships in mid-November.
-m.jpg)
Wesley Hilliard
Malcolm Owen
Andrew Orr
William Gallagher
Sponsored Content
Christine McKee
Thomas Sibilly
28 Comments
The wearables market is pretty much dead until the Watch launches, everyone is in a 'wait and see' pattern.
[quote name="TheWhiteFalcon" url="/t/183257/jawbone-launches-new-up3-fitness-band-and-entry-level-up-move-activity-tracker#post_2634827"]The wearables market is pretty much dead until the Watch launches, everyone is in a 'wait and see' pattern.[/quote] I do agree with your [I]wait and see[/I] comment. I'm leaning heavily toward the Fitbit Charge HR but will wait and see for more details on ?Watch features and usability, and potentially even test one out, first. Of course, if the Charge HR was available today I wouldn't be waiting for it; it's only because it also has an Early 2015 release that I might as well hold off. [LIST] [*] https://www.fitbit.com/chargehr [/LIST]
I actually would rather get this and skip the Apple Watch. The Apple Watch will be a first gen device. Apple has historically shown that their first gen devices are very conservative compared to their next versions. So, I want the up band now and then in a year or two get the apple watch.
I've still yet to see what I want%u2014one I can put on my ankle that'll vibrate when I call comes in or an alarm goes off. It'd be great for places that hate cell phone ringing and for couples where one must get up early. It wouldn't have to cost much and the battery would last for weeks%u2014unlike these smartwatches.
The wearables market is pretty much dead until the Watch launches, everyone is in a 'wait and see' pattern.
Seriously?