Jawbone Releases Updated UP Wristband

[bareynolds]

Having been an early supporter of this product and receiving little to no information on when UP2 would arrive (or even if there would be an UP2), I have unfortunately positioned myself where I can not longer obtain an UP2 without paying full price. Given their poor track record I don't think i will risk another $100+ on being a beta tester and waiting for UP3 to arrive.

Not a bad deal ... get people to pay to be your beta testers!! And them ask them to buy the next generation product at full price ... not impressed, nor the way to build a loyal customer base.

[Chupa Chupa]

Originally Posted by Boilermaker_coday

- And finally, there is the "gimicky" idea that people have to use something like this to get them active. Is there a reason you need a fancy gizmo to start running everyday?

It's not gimmicky if you are motivated by it. If you are by nature athletic driven, sure it's pointless because you already are active. It you really don't care to change your sedentary lifestyle it won't do miracles either. But I can say just from my own experience that the Fuel Band led to positive behavior modification. I was a total desk jockey before the Fuel Band shamed me to get more active. Now I'm doing 5 mile intervals 5x a week and 8 miles on Sundays. Before I was at the high end of the "normal" BMI and low end of resting heart rate for my age, now it's the opposite.

The Fuel Band challenges me every day. There are plenty of days when I'm beat. If I didn't have a streak going I'd probably just procrastinate, but I can't b/c if I miss my goal I'll lose my streak AND a humiliating red mark. It's total mental, but it motives me to go for a run when I don't really want to. Also I adopted a "healthy" life style and gave up junk food and most processed foods.

Originally Posted by fruitpunch.ben

I find it interesting that no one is really talking about Larklife.
They too make a band that does a similar thing to Jawbone

Looks a little bulky. I thought the Fuel Band was big, but this looks even bigger and doesn't even have an LED read out like the Fuel Band so I don't see the point to it's size. The UP doesn't have a read out either but at least it's thin and unassuming.

[chr1s60]

Originally Posted by Carlanga

My guess is you didn't own one; I had one from the start before the issues were official and time was wasted waiting on warranty replacements before the return. I asked for my money back after the replacements, had I known that they were really going to come out w/ a new fixed one for real then I wouldn't have asked for my money back. Now because I asked for my money back I have to pay $30 more than someone that didn't and had a 1.0 band. Also, they could have easily sent some 2.0 bands as replacement before mass selling to retail instead of sending more bad out of the box 1.0 versions. But you are right, I get to keep a nonworking band before my warranty expires on december, my money back and my lost time. All products have store markups, they could easily sell to orig band users at whole price and make us happy and create more trust and positive vibes all around the web & they wouldn't lose any money. It is a similar strategy to what retailers do on BF.

Actually, I did own one and received my rebate for it. I owned it right after it came out as well, but mine didn't have issues until after the refund was made official. If I recall correctly, they did state that they would be working on improving and releasing a new band back then. The reason they did the rebate when they did was because they had no clue when the new band would be released. As a company they wouldn't not refund money and expect people to just wait however many months before being able to replace it with a new band. If that were the case, people would be mad they didn't get their money back. My band no longer works either, but that isn't an issue seeing that I received all of my money back. Had you not went for the refund you would currently be able to send that old band back for a new 2.0, but then again you would also be out $100 plus tax already. Instead you used a product for however long it lasted and got your money back, whether it was a waste of time or not. You currently have spent $0 on the product. If you don't like it, don't but another. If you liked it, you know they are good for their money as far as giving it back if there is an issue, and you put out the $130 for it. You had a bad experience with the first version and received every penny back. You are sitting at even. Be happy with that and if you liked it, buy the new one. If you don't trust them, sit it out.

[smirking]

Originally Posted by Boilermaker_coday

So using MapMyRun + MyFitnessPal is free and really I can't figure out anything else that I would need.

MyFitnessPal is excellent. Some of this stuff may be a little gimmicky, but whatever works in getting people to get their butts moving is a good thing. Also for some people (and I'd count myself as one of them), just the act of interacting with a program is a way of reinforcing a behavior. If you're inherently lazy, it'll only have a short term effect, but if you just need something to help you stay focused and be more aware of what you're doing, a lot of these gimmicks are very good solutions.

[theBB]

Originally Posted by bareynolds

Given their poor track record I don't think i will risk another $100+ on being a beta tester and waiting for UP3 to arrive.

Way to go painting yourself like an exploited victim, even though Jawbone does everything it should for a reputable company screwing up. Dude, they gave your money back and let you keep the product, didn't they? What else do you want, CEO doing your laundry?

They must have lost a ton of money dealing with the problem in 1.0 and lost almost months of market share to Nike and others, it is not like they are happy somebody beta tested the product. I am sure they would have liked it better if everything went fine the first time. On second thought, they might actually be better off losing you as a customer, who knows how you would bad mouth them for every little problem, real or imagined...

[chimpboy74]

Originally Posted by Boilermaker_coday

Is there a reason you need a fancy gizmo to start running everyday? Does it make you run faster, or does it make that running burn more calories? Is it suddenly going to make you eat less or make healthier choices about what you eat. On this last point, I make it knowing that it is not true for all people. While, personally, I realize that common sense and lifestyle changes are the greatest tools in changing your health, I can see how the visual display of how healthy you are being might motivate a few people (but how long will you stay motivated after the shinyness and newness wears off of your new gizmo?)

I use walk meter on my phone. Whilst it didn't make me start to exercise, it does motivate me to improve yesterday's distance/time/calorie burn. The benefit I see of a product like this is it tracks you all the time. Not just when I start it.

I see that working well when, for example, you miss your bus and have to walk home. I probably wouldn't start walkmeter up but if I had the band on it would do this.

[Hello...]

They were very buggy, I also never received a refund however I would like to try the new one, love the orange!

[JaySoul]

Again, this thread shows up the misconceptions about the point of such products.

They will never be perfect - to be perfect, Nike and Jawbone would have to implant 4 frickin' microchips into your arms and legs.

These are motivational/tracking tools. They are best for cardio, and if you buy into their philosophy, they can be brilliant.

I lost 1.5 stone, went from 26% body fat down to 10% and I've maintained it half a year later, thanks to my childish competitive spirit and a Nike FuelBand.

[Compile 'em all]

Originally Posted by Lucent336

The Lark Life seems to do everything the Jawbone Up 2 does, with the added bluetooth syncing, added LED lights, and significantly lower battery life.

Comparing the spec pages, UP lasts up to 10 days, Lark Life is up to 48 hours.

At 20 dollars less and in a variety of colors, I'd give up the LEDs and Bluetooth to gain 8 days of battery.

That thing is MASSIVE. I wouldn't really compare it to other offerings.

[yetieater]

Originally Posted by bareynolds

Having been an early supporter of this product and receiving little to no information on when UP2 would arrive (or even if there would be an UP2), I have unfortunately positioned myself where I can not longer obtain an UP2 without paying full price. Given their poor track record I don't think i will risk another $100+ on being a beta tester and waiting for UP3 to arrive.

Not a bad deal ... get people to pay to be your beta testers!! And them ask them to buy the next generation product at full price ... not impressed, nor the way to build a loyal customer base.

Frankly, what you've written here is a crock of crap. If you're not being offered the UP 2.0, I bet with 95% certainty that you took the 'No Questions Asked' refund of the purchase price from Jawbone. You paid for the Jawbone UP first generation, received it, heard that you could get your money back if you asked for it, and thus volunteered to be a 'beta tester' when in fact little to no feedback was required of you.

[Chupa Chupa]

Originally Posted by bareynolds

Having been an early supporter of this product and receiving little to no information on when UP2 would arrive (or even if there would be an UP2), I have unfortunately positioned myself where I can not longer obtain an UP2 without paying full price. Given their poor track record I don't think i will risk another $100+ on being a beta tester and waiting for UP3 to arrive.

Not a bad deal ... get people to pay to be your beta testers!! And them ask them to buy the next generation product at full price ... not impressed, nor the way to build a loyal customer base.

Odd that you are so P.O.'d at the company even though you fully admit you "positioned" yourself. Positioned to what, I'm not sure. Jawbone offered V1 owners a full refund AND let them keep there V1 Up AND left the warranty in tact, i.e., you could get a replacement.

SO what's with the outrage? If you didn't apply for your refund who's fault is that? Seems to me Jawbone did everything right for their customers. They admitted the product was too flawed to keep on the market and offered refunds and didn't ask customers to take time to jump too many hoops to get it either, like ship back the band.

[dfinecy]

Still don't see them on Apple's online store....maybe they are actually in store...can anyone confirm?

[canyonblue737]

I just don't see how this compares to the Nike Fuelband...

1. The UP still has the cap on the end that can fall off and get lost. Nothing to get lost on the Fuelband it has a clasp.
2. The UP still requires manual connection to your phone for data transfer, Fuelband is wireless.
3. The Nike Fuelband app is more attractive and well presented (syncing wirelessly to your phone). I will admit it doesn't have food and sleep tracking but both both (in particular the food tracking) are very poorly designed anyway on the Up.
4. The UP has no screen on the device. The hidden LEDs on the Fuelband are awesome and a highlight of the product and give instant feedback throughout the day on your progress.
5. The UP has a previous history of just beyond horrible quality control (I assume it is fixed but...) while the Fuelband has been solid for me for 8 months of 24/7 wear.
6. The Nike Fuelband connects to the Nike+ website so if you use their running watches or the Nike+ footpad all the data is in one place.

[OldSchoolMacGuy]

Looking forward to getting my free one some time in the next week or so. Nice to see that they've updated the software too. There is a lot more they could do to increase all the UP can do but they didn't bother doing anything once they recalled it. It didn't even work with the iPhone 5 until the update yesterday.

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Originally Posted by canyonblue737

I just don't see how this compares to the Nike Fuelband...

1. The UP still has the cap on the end that can fall off and get lost. Nothing to get lost on the Fuelband it has a clasp.
2. The UP still requires manual connection to your phone for data transfer, Fuelband is wireless.
3. The Nike Fuelband app is more attractive and well presented (syncing wirelessly to your phone). I will admit it doesn't have food and sleep tracking but both both (in particular the food tracking) are very poorly designed anyway on the Up.
4. The UP has no screen on the device. The hidden LEDs on the Fuelband are awesome and a highlight of the product and give instant feedback throughout the day on your progress.
5. The UP has a previous history of just beyond horrible quality control (I assume it is fixed but...) while the Fuelband has been solid for me for 8 months of 24/7 wear.
6. The Nike Fuelband connects to the Nike+ website so if you use their running watches or the Nike+ footpad all the data is in one place.

1) The cap doesn't fall off. It locks on tightly. I've been using the UP for over 11 months and have yet to ever have the cap fall off.
2) So what? It takes an extra 2 seconds to plug it in and because it's not wireless, it's battery lasts for 10 days rather than the 4 days of the Fuelband.
3) The UP is seeing new updates and will continue to evolve. App design is personal preference.
4) The UP has 2 icons that display the modes. Personally, I don't need the screen the Fuelband provides as it provides little more information. If I want the information, I sync my band and get all of it.
5) Yes the UP had an issue. They've resolved it. They provided awesome customer support for those of us still using the bands. I can't say that it takes less than 20 seconds to get through to Nike support like it does Jawbone.
6) Great if you use those things. For those of us that don't want to invest several hundred dollars in Nike+ stuff, it does nothing for us.

[Ashyukun]

I really wanted one of the original ones but the issues with it came out right before I planned to buy one. I'd jump at the new version, but I'm going to wait and see how well the Pebble does at the same job before spending another $100+ on a wrist accessory...

[tomegun]

Originally Posted by canyonblue737

I just don't see how this compares to the Nike Fuelband...

1. The UP still has the cap on the end that can fall off and get lost. Nothing to get lost on the Fuelband it has a clasp.
2. The UP still requires manual connection to your phone for data transfer, Fuelband is wireless.
3. The Nike Fuelband app is more attractive and well presented (syncing wirelessly to your phone). I will admit it doesn't have food and sleep tracking but both both (in particular the food tracking) are very poorly designed anyway on the Up.
4. The UP has no screen on the device. The hidden LEDs on the Fuelband are awesome and a highlight of the product and give instant feedback throughout the day on your progress.
5. The UP has a previous history of just beyond horrible quality control (I assume it is fixed but...) while the Fuelband has been solid for me for 8 months of 24/7 wear.
6. The Nike Fuelband connects to the Nike+ website so if you use their running watches or the Nike+ footpad all the data is in one place.

1. I agree. My wife has one too and we both lost caps. I think they come off due to the design...you can brush up against things or snag it on something.
2. I actually have a current issue with this. I have an iPhone 5 in an Otterbox Commuter case. The case doesn't allow me to plug the UP in.
3. I don't use the food function and they just came out with an updated UP app. The app looks to be better.
4. Having used both I can agree that the Fuelband's display is nice. However, the UP lets you go into an activity mode and the Fuelband doesn't.
5. The Fuelband has had problems too. Google it and several people will tell their stories.
6. N/A for me.
7. The UP tracks sleep

[Geckotek]

Originally Posted by Lucent336

I'd give up the LEDs and Bluetooth to gain 8 days of battery.

I'll never understand this thought process. Is this becuase you will be away from a power source for up to 8 days at a time? As with all things, if you can perform something on a daily regular schedule, it is much easier to do and remember them. So for me, I'd rather plug in my rechargable devices at night before I go to bed, bucause I've built a habit doing so, than to find myself with a 10% charge about to die becuase the last charge was 7 days ago and I haven't been thinking about charging it since.

I guess the same could apply if you do it once a week, kind of like how I fill my gas tank once a week on Sundays.....either way, it's much easier to remember a daily repetetive task than it is to have a device that lasts several days and you only charge every few days.

[ngenerator]

Originally Posted by dfinecy

Still don't see them on Apple's online store....maybe they are actually in store...can anyone confirm?

yes, they're in the stores

[mrjosh]

Does anyone know if there is an app that counts, not just calories, but other nutritional values?

[OldSchoolMacGuy]

Originally Posted by Geckotek

I'll never understand this thought process. Is this becuase you will be away from a power source for up to 8 days at a time? As with all things, if you can perform something on a daily regular schedule, it is much easier to do and remember them. So for me, I'd rather plug in my rechargable devices at night before I go to bed, bucause I've built a habit doing so, than to find myself with a 10% charge about to die becuase the last charge was 7 days ago and I haven't been thinking about charging it since.

I guess the same could apply if you do it once a week, kind of like how I fill my gas tank once a week on Sundays.....either way, it's much easier to remember a daily repetetive task than it is to have a device that lasts several days and you only charge every few days.

Charging overnight is fine for most products but for a product that tracks your sleeping habits, charging overnight isn't what you want.

For a product that tracks your steps and activity, you want it on you as much as possible. That 90 minutes or so that it takes to charge is time that it can't track your activity so you have a gap in there while it charges. Minimizing how often you have to charge the device really helps lessen the gaps in collected data.

The band lets you know when it's getting down low and even then you generally have another day or two of battery life left. Just like you're in a habit of filling your gas tank on Sundays, you just need to remember to charge it once a week.

I'd much rather have the longer battery life than Bluetooth and a LED status display screen. It's nice to be able to go on a business trip or a week long vacation and not have to worry about charging the band at all in that time. One less charger to bring along and one less thing to think about.

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Originally Posted by mrjosh

Does anyone know if there is an app that counts, not just calories, but other nutritional values?

Checkout LoseIt. It's a great app for tracking that kind of stuff and has plenty of great stuff on their website.

Also checkout FitDay.com They're another great one for tracking that kind of stuff.

[dfinecy]

I decided to take a chance and bought one today at the apple store...so far so good! Time will tell

[thespazz]

Originally Posted by dfinecy

I decided to take a chance and bought one today at the apple store...so far so good! Time will tell

Does the cap fall off easily?

[tuncer]

I bought a Nike Fuelband last week at the Apple Store and it's fantastic. It definitely makes you more active as I'm wanting to reach my goal of 2000 fuel a day. The iOS app is fantastic as is the USB charging and syncing via bluetooth.

Overall I'm very impressed with it. My only complaint is that it's a tad on the think end but you get used to it after a while.

Tuncer

[dfinecy]

Originally Posted by thespazz

Does the cap fall off easily?

I don't think so...it snaps on pretty securely and it takes two hands to remove it so its something I'm not worried about

[Chupa Chupa]

Bought one today at the Apple Store. They didn't have them out yet but asked for it. I've been a Fuel Band user since April. I have a love/hate relationship with it because it's so damn inaccurate. I run 5 miles it tells me I only went 3. So that's my motivation for checking the Up out.

Can't comment of functionality yet, but not liking the design so far.

Aesthetically it's slimmer than the Fuel Band but a tad wider going outward. I'm not a fan of how the two end curl up at the end to grip your wrist. Nike's solution is a lot cleaner. The way the ends overhang means shirts and sweaters will get hung up on it and who knows what else.

Also for $129 -- just $30 less than the Fuel Band, you get no instant data readout or feedback. Everything has to be read from the App. That would not be a monster issue if it had wireless sync, but it doesn't (even though Jawbone is a BT speaker and headset co). So to find out where you are in the day you have to take the bracelet off, take the cap off, stick it in the headphone port, activate the app and sync. That's a lot of work just to find out where you are in the day. Even the Fitbit offers visual cues in the form of a growing flower.


So, so far not impressed. I'm going to reserve judgment until I've used it for a week but I don't think Jawbone learned as much about design of the Gen 1 as they think they did.