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The best fitness tracker
By Amy Roberts This post was done in partnership with The Wirecutter, a buyer's guide to the best technology. Read the full article here. Over the course of 60 hours, we surveyed readers, interviewed industry and exercise-physiology experts, walked, ran (and ran some more), slept, grocery-shopped, jumping-jacked, swung kettlebells, and analyzed user experience to determine that the Garmin vívosmart HR is the best fitness tracker. It effectively collects the same data as top competitors from Fitbit and Jawbone but offers a larger, more legible touchscreen and more useful smartphone-notification options, as well as full waterproofing to 50 meters (other models are merely splash-resistant).
Jawbone's fitness trackers will track more of your fitness
"Basically, we're fixing all of the things that people hate," is how one Jawbone rep here at IFA 2015 describes this mid-lifecycle update to Jawbone's range of wrist-worn fitness trackers. When we reviewed the Up3 earlier this year, we described it as a feature-packed disappointment, since while the wearable had potential to be useful, the execution was bungled. That's why the company has spent the last few months working on a firmware upgrade that, it's hoped, will make the device much more attractive to new customers.
Jawbone's Up3 fitness band hits the UK just weeks after the Up2
At long last, Jawbone's Up3 fitness tracker is available in the UK. It's been almost eight months since the health band was first announced, so we suspect many Brits have forgotten about it entirely or bought something else instead. Still, while we wait for the new Up4 -- which offers an NFC chip for American Express payments -- this is Jawbone's flagship device. The "Black Diamond" version is available now (the "Silver Cross" version will follow later this summer) for £129.99 and comes with one key hardware feature to separate it from the cheaper Up2: heart rate monitoring. As we mentioned in our review, it only tracks your resting heart rate though, which could be a non-starter for workout fanatics. So if you've already bought the Up2, which only came out in the UK a few weeks ago, fear not -- it's probably a better deal anyway, at least until the Up4 comes out.
Jawbone Up3 review: a feature-packed disappointment
Is there room for a $180 health band today that doesn't have a built-in display and is totally reliant on your smartphone? Jawbone's pitch for the Up3, its latest wrist-worn health tracker, is pretty much the same as its last few models. It's artfully crafted from the genius design mind of Yves Béhar, the company's chief creative officer. And it's packed full of sensors to track your every movement (this time it can even detect your heart rate!). But it's the middle of 2015 -- the Apple Watch is out; Android Wear is getting steadily better; and there are a slew of other fitness trackers on the market. Jawbone is also coming off of a lengthy delay that squashed what little momentum it had after the Up3's announcement. So, is the Up3 worth the hefty cost, even when it's facing much stiffer competition than ever before? Probably not -- especially after Jawbone just announced the $99 Up2, which has most of the features and design elements from the Up3 that really matter.
Jawbone unveils the Up3, its most sophisticated health band yet
Nope, Jawbone still doesn't have a smartwatch of its own. But with the $180 (£150) Up3, its latest health-tracking wristband, the company is making a clear case for why it doesn't need a smartwatch (yet). With sensor technology from last year's BodyMedia purchase, Jawbone has crafted an all-day activity tracker that appears more refined than most of its competitors. Slimmer than Microsoft's recently announced Band and the Up24 , its sensors go deeper than Jawbone has ever gone before. Perhaps most significantly, it features heart rate monitoring that may actually work consistently, unlike what we've seen from many competitors. In short, the Up3 is a health tracker built for people obsessed with health tracking. If you're looking for something a bit more entry-level, consider the new Up Move, which the company also announced today.
LG introduces new UP3 DAP for Korea, now with even more 2006 flavor
LG has been hanging onto the UP3 name for some time now, and it looks like it's also not about to venture to far afield in the design department, with its latest model sticking disappointingly close to its 2006 counterpart. That sameness also extends to the same basic support for MP3, WMA, and OGG formats, though you can now get the player in new, exciting 2GB and 4GB versions, both of which apparently boast an improved battery life of 15 hours. No word on a price or release 'round these parts, as you might have guessed, but those in Korea can apparently look to get their hands on 'em shortly, if not already.
LG's UP3: the USB MP3 player for you, Captain Obvious
Meet LG's latest DAP, the UP3. That name gives a hint as to the device's objective to double-up as both a USB drive and MP3 player. Of course, the vast majority of all MP3 players already do this -- something apparently lost on LG's marketing department. The all metal UP3 shares the stylings of their FM37 touch-screen player and comes packing 1GB, 2GB, 4GB of storage; an FM radio; MP3, WMA, and OGG audio and ASF video support; and an itty bitty OLED display of unspecified dimensions supporting 65,000 colors. 4GB will cost you just ???84,000 (about $92) whenever these pop for retail.
