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Intel should buy Jawbone just for its fitness app
If recent reports are to be believed, Jawbone is in serious trouble after missing a payment to a creditor. Sources close to the company have denied it, but this isn't the first time we've heard such rumors. The Information reported earlier this week that the firm is running out of money and has put itself up for sale. If that's the case, then I can think of the perfect suitor: Intel. After all, the chipmaker has both the money and a smartwatch division in need of a win, while Jawbone has arguably the best fitness app on the market. From the position of an armchair quarterback, it's a match made in heaven -- at least on paper.
Jawbone is reportedly stopping production on all of its fitness trackers (update)
Jawbone has struggled to gain traction in the fitness-tracking market for some time, despite being one of the first to the market. Now, it looks like the company is ready to cash it in entirely. A report from Tech Insider claims the company has stopped making its Up line of fitness trackers and sold all of its remaining inventory to a third-party distributor. While the door remains open for the company to try again, it certainly feels like it's ready to exit the market.
Judge rules for Fitbit in patent dispute with Jawbone
Fitbit just won a legal ruling invalidating the patents Jawbone was using to block it from importing its foreign-made fitness bands to the US. The ruling reduces the chance for Fitbit to face an import ban from the US International Trade Commission, but Jawbone will move forward with a separate suit against Fitbit for stealing trade secrets.
Jawbone countersues Fitbit over activity tracker patent 'abuse'
Jawbone isn't letting up on its plan to sue Fitbit into oblivion any time soon. The wearable maker has responded to a Fitbit patent lawsuit (itself meant as a response to Jawbone) with a countering suit of its own, accusing Fitbit of abusing its patents in a "plainly meritless" case. Of course, as we've seen in previous tech lawsuits, the patents are really incidental here -- this is ultimately about pressuring Fitbit into settling a case it might otherwise try to fight in court.
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.
Wearable craze adds skin sensitivity to the list of considerations for gadget buyers
We were quite impressed with Jawbone Up24 when we reviewed it. But, a few weeks later, things soured a bit when an editor developed a rather unpleasant rash from the device. Turns out it's not all that uncommon a reaction. While the usual list of concerns for gadget buyers focuses on specs, features and in certain cases portability, with the advent of the wearable, consumers need to start worrying about their own skin sensitivity as well. Are you particularly susceptible to bacterial infections? Are you allergic to nickel or latex? Then that's something that you'll have to take into consideration when it comes time to pick out a fitness tracker or smartwatch. In addition to our anecdotal experience, we've heard similar complaints about past versions of the FuelBand and the Engadget forums are alive with reports of sores and rashes associated with the Fitbit Force. While a sensitivity to nickel would be the most immediate suspect in cases like these, according to dermatologist J. Todd Williams, M.D., it appears something else is to blame. The Force does contain trace amounts of the metal in the surgical-grade stainless steel used on its body, but the position of the rashes would seem to rule out it out in many cases. The same would be true of Up users, as only the cap emblazoned with the Jawbone logo contains nickel plating. And since the Up is coated in a hypoallergenic rubber and the Force forgoes latex as well, it seems an allergy to that particular polymer isn't the culprit either.
Jawbone says 'limited' number of MyTALK accounts hacked
If you have a Jawbone headset and MyTALK account, you may have received an email from the outfit warning that you'll need to reset your password due to a security compromise in a "limited" number of accounts. The company said it halted the hack after "several hours," however, and that thieves only stole names, email addresses and encrypted passwords -- but no other user information, so far as it can tell. If affected, you'll need to reset your password by following the instructions (in the PR after the break), and Jawbone also advised you to change it on other sites too, if used elsewhere -- never a good practice, incidentally. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in.]
Jawbone Up review (2012): a reboot and a shot at redemption
Second chances are rare in the tech world. Unless you're one of the big boys -- say a Samsung or an Apple -- one spectacular failure is enough to doom a product line or even an entire company. Just ask Gizmondo, 3D Realms, Helio, Palm, Netscape, DivX, Sega... the list goes on and on. All it takes is one mistake and a hyped device or marquee company can end up as little more than a nostalgic Wikipedia entry. After last year's debacle with the Up, we thought Jawbone might give up on the fitness market entirely. In case you missed the drama last holiday season, here's a quick recap: within weeks of launching, the Yves Behar-designed motion-tracking bracelet simply stopped working for many customers. We even had two units fail during the course of writing our original review. It quickly became apparent that the problems were not just widespread, but near ubiquitous. Up was pulled from the shelves, customers were issued refunds and Jawbone went back to the drawing board. We have to hand it to the company for quickly taking ownership of the problem and cutting checks to the unfortunate souls who ponied up $100 to buy one. But, while seeing a company readily admit failure was a pleasant surprise, we were even more shocked when Jawbone didn't simply cancel Up entirely and cut its losses. Instead it tracked down the root issues -- water permeability, flexibility and a barebones app -- and redesigned the bracelet from the ground up. The basic functionality and aesthetic choices are the same, but the materials, the iOS data logger and actual internal assembly are all completely different. Unfortunately, all these upgrades mean last year's $100 bust is this year's $130 shot at redemption. And the real question is, even if it works, is the Up something you'll want or need?
Jawbone starts over, announces a redesigned version of its Up lifestyle-tracking wristband
In life, we're often told the best-learned lessons are those spurred by mistakes. In Jawbone's case, its plague-ridden Up wristband from last winter turned out be a sweeping education. So much so that the Jambox-maker now refers to the launch as an accidental "beta" program; a public exercise in wearables R&D that ended in an official apology and full refunds. Sounds extreme, but those missteps led to a ground-up reinvention for the product: the company just announced a new version of the band, which goes on sale today for $129 with necessary improvements in tow: a refined mold, reinforced water-resistance and a more robust iOS app. In advance of this v2.0 launch, we sat down with the company's VP of Product, Travis Bogard, to find out just what went wrong with its ambitious first effort, how it got fixed and what new innovations users can look forward to this time around. So, follow along as we look back at the growing pains that spawned Up's rebirth.
Jawbone offers 'no questions asked' refund for troubled Up band, even if you keep it
While Jawbone attempts to fix the handful of substantial issues plaguing its new Up fitness band, it's now announced that it will begin giving free refunds to dissatisfied customers -- and you can even keep hold of the band afterwards. Production of it has been put on pause, but the company is continuing to roll out software tweaks for existing lifestyle metric obsessives. The new guarantee starts on December 9th, and will only cover Up bands purchased this year. You can read up on all the refund specifics -- along with Jawbone CEO Hosain Rahman's apology -- at the source links below.
