jawboneup24
Latest
Jawbone updates its Android app with wireless syncing and push notifications (updated)
If you own a Jawbone fitness tracker, you may have read last week that the company made some changes to its app. Unfortunately for some of us, the updates were all for iOS only -- in fact, the company didn't even bother to mention Android that day. Turns out, Jawbone had a good reason: it was planning an update for the Android app that brings it more in line with its iOS counterpart. In particular, it now fully supports the wireless Up24 band, which is to say it syncs wirelessly and sends out push notifications (e.g., you're about to hit your daily step goal). In addition, the app includes most of the new features that were introduced on iOS last week -- things like sunrise/sunset times in the sleep graph and "Insight Reports," which establish a connection between things like how much sleep you got and what foods you're likely to crave the next day. So, even if you own an older Up band you'll want to head over to Google Play straight away. Update: An earlier version of this story reported that the Android app would be missing the new features that were just introduced on the iOS version last week. A Jawbone rep later said that the Android app would, in fact, include most of these features, with the exception of custom reminders.
Jawbone Up24 review: wireless syncing makes this Jawbone's best fitness tracker yet
Late last year, Jawbone faced a herculean task: regaining consumers' trust after widespread reports of brickage on the original Up fitness tracker. The outfit was able to right many of the wrongs that plagued the first edition, but there was still room for improvement. You still had to plug the Up into a smartphone to sync your collected data; sleep tracking left a lot to be desired; and the iOS app needed more usable functionality beyond tallying steps and monitoring dietary habits. However, the 2012 model did offer more than seven days of battery life and, you know, kept working even after a week of use. This time around, the company has finally opted to go wireless. Thanks to a Bluetooth Low Energy radio, the new Up24 can sync wirelessly and only needs to be plugged in when it's time to recharge. The convenience of wireless comes at a cost, however. The 2013 version got a $20 price increase to $150. So is the ability to sync wirelessly worth the extra coin? Are the software improvements impressive enough to make folks trust Jawbone above rival companies? I spent a few weeks tracking my every move to determine just that.
Jawbone intros the Up24, its first wireless fitness tracker: on sale now for $150
It took Jawbone two tries to release a fitness tracker that didn't break after several days of use. And it took the company three generations to release one that could sync users' sleep and activity data without having to be plugged in. Today, about two years after the first Up band went on sale, the company is introducing the Up24, its first fitness tracker that syncs wirelessly. Aside from the fact that this makes for a potentially more convenient experience, this is interesting because Jawbone used to be stubbornly against wireless syncing. Specifically, the company once said that it didn't want to use Bluetooth in the Up band because it would necessitate chunkier hardware, put a dent in battery life and generally complicate the user experience. Well, here we have the Up24, which promises seven days of use, thanks to the Bluetooth Low Energy radio inside (that's the same power-efficient standard used in other new fitness trackers). The Up24 is also roughly the same size as the current Up band, and just as water-resistant, too. In addition, Jawbone just released version 3.0 of its iOS app, which includes some features that will only work on the new Up24 (think: live notifications letting you know you're about to meet your fitness goals). Also, because the Up24 works over Bluetooth, you can set a vibrating "Smart Alarm" using the app, instead of having to take the band off and plug it into your phone. Fortunately, the app is mostly compatible with the old Up band. Most important of all, perhaps, is a new sleep recovery tool that allows you to estimate how much sleep you got, even if you forgot to put the band into sleep mode.
