Multi-function fitness sensor band
Before the Apple Watch and its fancy health apps came along, lots of people were already wearing futuristic gadgets around their wrists. The Jawbone Up dates back to 2011, and this latest model doesn’t run apps or tell you the time, but does measure your skin temperature, respiration, heart rate, movements and heat flux – or how fast you’re losing energy (perhaps a polite way of saying how much you’re sweating).
Strangely, we could find no reference to respiration, temperature or heat flux in the Jawbone Up3’s companion app, which is available for Android and iOS devices. We assume that this app, along with others made by third-party developers that support Jawbone, will eventually be able to use the data. The data itself is gathered by metal sensors that press, though not uncomfortably, into your skin. There’s no screen on the bracelet – only LED indicators.
For now, the Up3’s best feature is analysing your sleep. You’ll soon find out how many hours you’re really getting, and how much of it is the deep sleep that really matters. The Apple Watch can’t do this. It can take your heart rate while you’re awake, though, while the Up3 oddly insists on waiting until you drop off to get a ‘resting’ level.
Both are splashproof, but the fully waterproof design that Jawbone had intended for this version has failed to materialise – not the first time the company has promised more than it delivered. The choice of two stylish designs makes the Up3 attractive, but it should have been a better product.
SPECIFICATIONS
Hypoallergenic TPU rubber bracelet with aluminium casing and stainless-steel electrodes • Splashproof (no IP rating quoted) • 7-day battery • Wrist size 140-
190mm
VERDICT
A fashionable band with some promising features, but expensive for what it is.