Dubai: Jawbone’s UP24 fitness tracker is a thin bracelet and simple to wear device and works with major smartphones in the market.
UP24 is the second-generation device from Jawbone and I had the opportunity to use the first-generation device — Jawbone UP. I loved the device but the main drawback was that it had to be inserted into the headphone jack of the smartphone to sync the data from the device to the phone. It was a big headache. So Jawbone had learnt the mistake and rectified it in the UP24 by sync through low-energy Bluetooth 4.0.
UP24 is the most stylish activity tracker available in the market when compared to Nike FuelBand or FitBit Force.
The device has to be worn day and night to keep track of steps taken, calories burnt and sleep patterns whether it is rain or snow. Inside the rubber skin hides the motion-tracking sensor which does the job.
The wristband has one button and two LEDs to tell users when it’s in sleep mode or activity mode.
There are three sizes available — small, medium and large — and you’ll need to select this option depending on your wrist size.
UP24 is lighter than Fitbit Force and the hard-rubbered Nike FuelBand and weighs 20 grams. UP24’s lack of display is a big let-down as you have to monitor your smartphone to watch the results.
Activation
To activate the device, users need to down the Jawbone app and after that enter your height, weight and goals like steps to be taken and hours of sleep. Setting up the device is easy and simple.
It supports Android devices running on or later than Android 4.3 version or iOS devices newer than iPhone 4S, fifth-generation iPod touch and third-generation iPad.
One end of the device is the 2.5mm connector and is covered by a cap. The connector is to charge the device’s battery using a bundled USB cord. It gives seven days of use. The first-generation device gives 10 days of use.
Additionally, users can log meals and snacks eaten through the app to keep tab of how many calories are consumed. It has a big library of snacks and meals inbuilt into the app. Users also have the option of scanning bar codes of packaged foods to keep track of the calorie and nutrition levels.
The band shows how many times a user has woken up from sleep and how many hours of deep slumber.
To monitor a user’s sleep patterns, he needs to turn the switch to sleep mode. There is also an alarm to set the time to wake up and will alert a user when he is inactive over a period of time by vibrating the device.
Other interesting features are that it will let you connect with other UP users and also see their progress and can express feelings to pin friends’ achievements; allow users to sync features with other apps like MyFitnessPal, RunKeeper, Strava, MapMyFitness, Withings and many more.
The Recent Activities and Lifeline views organise your data into handy visual lists and graphs.
UP24’s cap is more secure and less likely to fling off unlike its predecessor. Jawbone also sends out an email every week giving users a summary of the previous week’s data. It is priced at Dh650.
