Jawbone UP24 proves that wearable fitness tracking devices can be lightweight, fashionable and comfortable. Synching up information is simple since the UP24 is also Bluetooth compatible. Combined with the cheery, user-friendly UP app, you have one of the best fitness devices on the market.
Comfortable and clever design
The Jawbone UP24 has been created to be worn 24 hours a day so it’s built for optimum comfort with an ergonomic design. It’s a thin bracelet weighing 20 grams (less than one ounce) and at 6.6 cm thick and 50mm wide, it’s quite thin and narrow. Its slim design means it won’t catch on clothes or fatigue your arm. With no buckles, it slips on easily. The two ends of the bracelet lie parallel to each other when it’s on your wrist. To start tracking, press the flat, square button on the end.
All the UP24 hardware for tracking and crunching data is hidden inside its textured rubbery skin that is medical-grade and hypoallergenic – no rashes or skin irritations when wearing this device. The small ridges all around the band are there to protect it from moisture. You can do dishes, have a sweaty workout, take a shower and walk through the rain without damaging the UP24. You won’t be able to swim with it though since it shouldn’t be fully immersed in water.
Its downside is the limited colours. Jawbone UP24 comes either Persimmon (reddish orange) or Onyx (black). Not much variety but there are three sizes to fit a variety of wrists (small, medium and large).
Automatic syncing
This is a wearable that is not going to distract you with numbers or calculations. Since Jawbone UP24 has no display screen, you won’t have instant access to your metrics. UP24 only shows a sun or moon lit up red, yellow or green to indicate it’s busy working. The sun symbol is for – you guessed it – daylight activities while the moon is for – well – nighttime tracking.
Using Bluetooth, Jawbone UP24 automatically syncs your stats to its user-friendly, bright and colourful UP app. Currently the app is only compatible with an iOS system: All iPhone 4s, iPod touch 5th, iPad 3rd, iPad mini and newer models. However, The company is promising a compatible verson for Android devices running 4.3 and newer.
What to track
This is a fitness tracker with some great motivational features. Track how many calories you have burned and how active you have been throughout the day. Log all your meals and snacks using the UP appand see if your exercise cancel out the calories you are consuming. Set goals and challenges such as the Idle Alert if you are sitting around too much. (Read a review on the UP app that goes into more detail.)
REM tracking
Probably the most powerful feature is sleep tracking. Jawbone UP24 encourages you to get more sleep and track the quality of your shut-eye. A graph shows your REM cycles as well as the amount of time you spent tossing and turning or lying awake counting sheep. At bedtime, press the single button to kick the UP24 into its sleep mode – you’ll see the half moon symbol lit up to indicate it’s evening tracking.
Another great feature is the silent alarm. It replaces that annoying beeping alarm that wakes everyone else up along with you. Jawbone UP24 uses gentle vibrations to wake you up gradually in intervals from 10 to 30 minutes. Your spouse and anyone with an adjacent bedroom will thank you.
Long battery life
You will need to take off the UP24 bracelet to recharge it. Bluetooth synching has extended battery life to an impressive seven days but then the Jawbone UP24 needs to be plugged in. You can even track the days left on the battery using the UP app.
The Achilles heel of this device is the short connector cord – a measly 10 cm (4 inches) with a 2.5m-inline jack that doesn’t fit into any USB port. Jawbone has included an adaptor but the short cord is still too short and too easy to lose.
The Jawbone UP24 is one of the most fashionable and lightweight fitness wearables offering you accurate activity and sleep tracking metrics. Syncing the data with the cheery Jawbone UP app will help you see your fitness progress and make headway on the road to a healthier lifestyle.
What do you think of the new wearable devices?
