Jawbone Up Review

I've been meaning to show this to you for a little while but just haven't. 

A while ago I bought the Jawbone Up. That's right, I bought it.  I love tech stuff.  I guess with a degree in computers, I'm drawn to everything tech geeky but when you add that it's fitness related too?!  Well then I'm really interested. 

When I got pregnant, I knew I wanted to be focused to get back to pre-baby weight fast.  I was interested to see if there were any "devices" that could help me stay focused.  I knew I wanted to wear it like a bracelet and not a pedometer or a blood pressure cuff so my research lead to:

• The Nike Fuel Band ($150)
• The FitBit Flex (which wasn't released till just recently)  ($100)
• Jawbone Up ($130)

To be perfectly honest, my first choice was the FitBit Flex but I really didn't want to wait for it to be released.  I wanted something right away. 

So then I looked at the Nike Fuel Band and did some research only to find people saying that it wasn't reliable and at the top of the price point, I wanted to see it get good reviews before I bought it.

That left the Jawbone Up.  I had seen some reviews and all were relatively positive.  I looked on eBay to see if I could get one a little cheaper but they weren't really cheaper on there.  I would've paid the same as I would for a new one, so that's what I did.  I bought it new.

The Jawbone Up has a few features that really got my attention.  I liked that it could capture your sleep habits, steps, and calories. I thought it was cool that it would let you set an alarm so that you could take a "powernap" and have it wake you up with a vibration.  The app that accompanies the Up looked easy enough to navigate on the iPhone.  All of this led me to purchase the Up.

The band itself, has to be ordered to size (S, M, or L).  I got a medium and determined the size I needed by using the tool on their website to measure my wrist.  So far, I'd say I got the right size. 


I started using it right away.  Once it's charged, you don't have to charge it again for 7 or 8 days. 

Here's a run down of the Pros:

• After reading the directions, it was easy to setup the app and get going.  I was really excited to see it recording night time activities. 
• The app has an intuitive user interface and automatically syncs when you plug the wrist band in.
• The app seems pretty consistent in capturing steps and can be recalibrated if you think it needs it.
• The night time feature is just plain awesome.  It's so interesting to see how I sleep.
• The bracelet itself fits well, and isn't too bulky
• The "team" function let's you connect with others you know using the Up to support and cheer each other on.

Here's the cons:

• The bracelet can't color coordinate like the Flex can and it's not closure.  It wraps and the closures have to stay on the inside of your wrist.
• There is no web interface. It's not a ton of fun recording food and workouts on your keypad but it does integrate with apps like MyFitnessPal but I haven't played with that yet.

Overall it's a pretty awesome little device.  It's fun to see your life by the numbers.  I'm not sure exactly how long I'll wear it.  It's definitely great if you're trying to lose weight but I do wonder how helpful it will really be once I've hit my pre-baby weight.  I'm not sure if I'll have as much interest in seeing it this way. I've not been one to track my food very closely so I guess we'll just see.

Just a reminder, I wasn't given this.  I bought it.  This is my review in case you're looking.  If I missed anything and you have a question, let me know.

Do you like tracking things this way?