NOW WITH BLUETOOTH CONNECTIVITY
Jawbone Up24
Designed by industrial designer Yves Béhar, the original Jawbone Up activity tracker was attractive to wear and it worked well at keep tracking of your daily activities. However, it was not the most userfriendly device around as it required users to physically sync the band to their phones to get updates on their daily activities.
Fortunately, Jawbone has finally rectified that by introducing its latest Up24 activity band. This new band now features Bluetooth connectivity, which means users no longer need to physically connect their bands to their smartphones to sync and get updates on their daily activities, making it much more convenient to use.
That said, some things remain the same. The design is largely unchanged, although the patterns on the Up24 are slightly different from its predecessor. The Up24 also comes in three sizes (small, medium and large) and is also encased in hypoallergenic TPU rubber that we found to be prone to discoloration after just some weeks of wear. Also, the new Up24 band still does not have a display and relies on two LED lights that flash in different colors to communicate it status.
The Up24 also retains the same functionality as its predecessors. Its predominant functions are that of a pedometer and sleep tracker, and we found it to work well for those two roles. Tracking your sleep, in particular, is quite helpful as it shows how long you took to fall asleep and how much of your sleep is “sound sleep”, which refers to periods of sleep when your body is particularly still. And according to Jawbone, more of such sleep increases patience, optimism, focus and more.
And thanks to Bluetooth, your smartphone can now send you push notifications to keep you updated on your progress. This makes it easier to keep track of your daily activities and lets you know how far you are from hitting your daily goals.
That aside, the companion Up app has undergone a significant update and is now available for both iOS and Android devices. Dubbed Version 3.0, the app boasts a couple of new features such as “Today I Will Insights”, which analyzes your data and suggests goals to improve your lifestyle. There is also “Milestones & Streaks”, which celebrates long-term goals and achievements such as taking your 100,000th step or achieving your sleep target seven days in a row.
Overall, the new Up24 is a much welcomed refresh, but it finds itself in an increasingly crowded marketplace where there are arguably better value activity trackers around. Even so, the Up24 still stands out thanks to its good looks and supreme ease of use.