Summary: Jawbone announced their third version of their UP band, the UP24, along with the new iOS 3.0 software. Wireless syncing and real-time notifications are designed to help improve life.
I am a fan of wearable technology and as I wrote back in April the Jawbone UP is my preferred life activity tracker. Today, Jawbone announced the 3.0 software update and UP24 band.
Jawbone UP24 band
The new UP24 band brings wireless Bluetooth Smart syncing capability while maintaining nearly the same form factor and battery life as the existing UP band. I have one under evaluation and will post my full review next week after more of the new notifications and software enhancements can be experienced. The new UP 3.0 software takes about 4-7 days to collect data and then use their Insights Engine to provide real-time information and prompts to help you reach your goals.
The UP24 has a slightly different texture on the skin, but the same wrap around design with two ends. The button end is improved with a softer and more rounded piece of metal. The indicator lights (moon and star) appear the same as on the UP.
The UP24 connects to your phone only via Bluetooth and the previous 3.5mm connector has been replaced by a 2.5mm connector. This is only used for charging the UP24 and a new short USB to 2.5mm cable is provided to charge your band.
Battery life continues to be about seven days with 24/7 usage. I have only had it four days so far and will continue to test out the battery.
The UP24 comes in two colors, Onyx (black) and Persimmon (burnt orange) for $149. It will be sold at Jawbone.com starting today and Best Buy and Apple next week. The current UP remains priced at $129 and works with the 3.0 software on iOS devices.
Jawbone UP 3.0 software
The Jawbone 3.0 software launches for iOS with work being done to bring it to Android soon. One of the reasons I purchased my new iPhone 5S is to use the new 3.0 software and UP24 band.
Inconsistencies with Bluetooth in Android makes it difficult for accessory companies to launch across a wide range of phones. For example, the Fitbit only works via Bluetooth on the latest Samsung Galaxy devices.
The 3.0 software works with the UP and UP24. It is intended to provide more real-time data and information to help motivate you to achieve your goals. You will see 'Today I Will' prompts related to sleep, movement, and drinking water.
Live notifications are provided on the UP24 so you will get push notifications when you get close to your goal. A new activity log gives you a snapshot of your day and when you last synced.
One new feature I love is the ability to recover sleep data when you forget to put your UP band into sleep mode. I have done this a number of times and so far the recovery utility seems to work great and is exactly the kind of function that smart devices like this should provide.
Initial thoughts: 4 days on my wrist
It is great to have Bluetooth Smart on the UP24 and in addition to the syncing, I enjoy the ability to set and manage sleep mode, stopwatch, sleep alarms, and power nap wirelessly from the software on my iPhone.
The split menus with focused content are great. The right menu lets you customize and manage the band while the left menu is used to customize the application. Application options include viewing goals, your lifeline, trends, team members, 3rd party connected apps, and settings.
I am pleased to see Bluetooth wireless functionality in the UP24. I was hoping to see a display on the band, similar to the new Fitbit Force. However, I also understand Jawbone's position that you have a fantastic display experience on your smartphone already so it makes sense to optimize for that experience.
I will continue to use the UP24 band over the next week and post my review next week. If there is anything in particular you have a question about, feel free to leave a comment and I will address it in my review.
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