When you hear the name Jawbone you likely think of their Bluetooth headsets and maybe even the Jambox speaker, but they also just made their debut into the health and fitness market. The Jawbone UP band works with iOS devices to help you monitor your physical life while also helping to motivate you to move. I bought one the day they were released and have been wearing it for over a week. Check out my image gallery and experiences below to see if I think it is worth the $99 price.
|
|
||||||
| Image Gallery: Check out several photos and screenshots of the Jawbone UP and iOS software. |  |
 |
||||
|
|
||||||
In the box and first impressions
The Jawbone UP comes in a sleek retail package where the top is all clear plastic so you can see the color of the band. There is a handy plastic flap that serves as a wrist sizing mechanism. I placed my wrist inside and the large size just fit, but since the XL sizes are not yet available I went ahead and purchased a large. Jawbone launched with the UP in black, blue, red, and silver with white, dark red, and dark brown coming soon. I chose a black one because I plan on wearing it all the time and didn’t want one with a bright color on my wrist while working at my day job as a professional engineer.
Inside the box you will find a small Getting Started Guide and the USB to 3.5 mm female dongle for charging.
The UP band feels great on your wrist with the soft touch covering. I saw the announcement pictures and though it formed around your wrist a bit, but it isn’t that kind of material. You can easily spread open the ends and place it on your wrist, but it has a set size so make sure you purchase the one that fits your wrist.
One major detail to keep in mind with the UP is that you NEED a supported iOS device to use it. An iOS device is needed to use the application and the UP band won’t work without the application. Jawbone stated they will be releasing an Android application and I hope that someday we will see more apps for more platforms too.
Specifications
There are a few key specifications that may be of interest to you, including:
- Integrated rechargeable battery for up to 10 days of usage
- Vibration motor that powers the alarm
- Precision motion sensor that tracks movement and sleep activity
- 3.5mm plug used to connect to your iOS device and charge up the UP band
I found the battery life to be pretty accurate and saw about a 10% drop in battery charge each day. I was wondering how the unit charged up and as you can see in my image gallery Jawbone includes a small USB to 3.5mm female cable/dongle. You simply remove the cap and insert the UP band’s 3.5mm male headset plug into the charging dongle.
Walk around the hardware
In addition to the length of the UP band changing with the size, the diameter of the unit also changes to better fit the wrist size of the user. The band is sweat proof and water resistant up to 1 meter. They state you can wear it 24/7, including in the shower, but I don’t march in place in my shower and found no need to even risk using it in the shower. It is quite easy to get on and off.
On one end of the band you will find a removable cap that covers the 3.5mm plug. As I suspected when removing the cap for a week it is something that is easy to misplace. I ended up losing my cap on Saturday as I was playing soccer with my team at the end of season party and didn’t realize it had popped off until I was in my car heading home. They sell replacement caps, three for $9.99, and I already placed my order. I would like to have seen at least one spare cap in the retail package. I’m really not sure anything else could be done to cover the 3.5mm plug and maintain the design.
On the other end you will find a small silver button with indicator lights integrated into the rubber strap on the bottom. The button is used to change modes between active, workout, and sleep. You press and hold to switch to sleep mode and press once then press and hold to put it into workout mode. There is no off switch so your band is always on even if you are not wearing it.
The indicator light flashes when charging and turns solid when fully charged. The five point star indicator light appears in green when you switch to active or workout mode. A blue moon light will also appear when you put the UP band into sleep mode. A single press of the button will show you what mode you are in without switching modes.
I wear my UP band on my left wrist above my watch after trying it out on my right wrist for a couple days. I am right handed and found I do too much with my right hand to have the band on it. It does well above my watch and doesn’t bother me at all.
