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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's Up2 fitness tracker arrives in the UK for £90
Jawbone's delayed Up3 still isn't available in the UK, but it seems the company is quite content to push ahead with its cheaper Up2 instead. The wrist-worn health tracker is available now for £89.99 in-store from Currys, PC World, John Lewis and Selfridges. You'll also be able to order it online via Jawbone and Apple's online stores, and the company says it should soon be up for pre-order on Amazon. The Up2 retains Jawbone's sleek design aesthetic, but drops some of the more advanced features found in the Up3, such as heart rate and skin temperature monitoring. While useful, those metrics aren't essential to everyone and the Up2 does everything else you would expect from a fitness tracker -- recording steps, sleep and calories burned, as well as food logging, should you want a more complete picture inside the Smart Coach app. Given we weren't too impressed with the Up3, you might be better off with the Up2 or one of its competitors anyway.
Jawbone sues Fitbit for 'plundering' product information
Jawbone is suing its archrival, Fitbit, for "systematically plundering" confidential information. According to the complaint, Fitbit recruiters attempted to poach almost one-third of Jawbone's staff. Some of those employees left the company, but not before downloading "critical trade secrets" including business plans and product details. The accusation comes right on the heels of Fitbit's decision to go public. The company, which sold 10.9 million wearable devices last year, filed for an IPO of up to $100 million earlier this month.
