Jawbone UP3 review: still cool

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

The audience expected a lot from the new Jawbone. The announcements promised a multi-sensor sleep monitoring system, heart rate tracking using bioimpedance sensors and the ability to submerge underwater to a depth of 10 meters. In short, UP3 does not fly into space itself. I honestly wore it for 10 days and am ready to talk about the pros and cons of this gadget.

What's new

A revolutionary integrated system consisting of advanced devices, advanced algorithms, analysis and data processing technologies, our own fascinating applications and software from our partners, as well as the most modern materials and design solutions.

This is how the manufacturer describes the new version of Jawbone. Well, let's say, although it would seem that revolutionary can be done now, when there are many similar devices on the market for every taste and budget.

The main feature of the UP3 is bioimpedance sensors instead of traditional optical ones. This is a fundamentally new heart rate monitoring system based on measuring the resistance of our body tissues to weak electrical signals. The heart rate is recorded at the moment when you wake up, but have not yet got out of bed. The readings will be as accurate as possible, because they did not have time to distort the load and the morning dose of caffeine. Over time, a graph is obtained, abrupt changes in which signal a malfunction in the body.

Actually, that's all. Heart rate measurement in the afternoon or evening? No. During training? Also no. Frankly speaking, now this function is the English queen: yes, it is, yes, it seems cool, but there is little sense from it. The manufacturer assures that soon it will be possible to measure the heart rate as needed. OK, waiting.

With protection from moisture, it did not work out either. There is not a word about the promised 10 meters under water in the instructions. Splashes, rain, if it's careful - shower. The tracker will not survive a swim in the pool or a trip to the sauna. However, not everything is so sad. UP3 perfectly records the number of steps taken, counts calories and monitors sleep quality.

Appearance and equipment

The bracelet is in a transparent package, there will be no problems with choosing a color. As with the determination of the required size: the strap coverage is adjustable, so that owners of any body size can customize it.

The body of the device is made of hypoallergenic TPU, and the electronic filling is protected by a durable aluminum case. Strictly speaking, there is nothing to break here, so the owners of early deceased versions of Jawbone can breathe a sigh of relief - this option will be more reliable. There is a detailed instruction with a description of all the possibilities.

The tracker is directly controlled using the front touch panel. Tap several times - the indicators light up: an orange man for activity mode, a blue crescent for sleep mode and a white icon for notifications from the application. There is little use without an application from UP3: by itself, it only collects data on body movements, and to receive intelligible information, you need a smartphone or tablet.

The set includes a USB charging cable that connects to the connector on the inside of the bracelet using magnets. We charge within an hour, after which the device will work for up to seven days. And here an unpleasant surprise awaited me. The cable is short, so when recharging from a laptop, Jawbone stands upright, balancing itself in attempts to maintain a connection. You can slide the laptop to the edge of the table so that the bracelet hangs on the cable, but … But are you serious? The ergonomics of such a solution raises very big questions.

Now attention! Everything turned out to be ridiculously simple: you just need to bend the cable. The resulting design is quite stable and, admittedly, looks pretty impressive.

Although the Jawbone can be worn both on the left hand and on the right, the manufacturer advises to choose the non-dominant side first. For accurate control, the sensors must fit snugly against the skin, so fastening the bracelet must be quite tight. It is difficult to do this on your own, but over time you learn to cope without outside help. In everyday life, the tracker does not cause any inconvenience, its presence is absolutely not felt on the hand. Even during sleep, it does not interfere and does not cling to the hair with a clasp.

Application

In order to "revive" the gadget, you need to install the official application. There are versions for iOS and Android, they are identical in functionality.

Synchronization is carried out via Bluetooth, you can update the data in real time or do it a couple of times a day. If you are using MyFitnessPal or RunKeeper, you can link their accounts to the Jawbone app.

First, select the appropriate version of the device and register. Indicate gender, height, weight, age and define goals - what you want to achieve. The application offers to monitor the duration of sleep and walking, bringing the daily indicators up to 8 hours and 10,000 steps, respectively. If you're looking to lose or gain weight, you can add that as well. Smart Coach, a kind of personal trainer and healthy lifestyle consultant, will help you achieve these goals. He gives advice on how to move more, stop eating all sorts of rubbish and learn to go to bed on time.

As mentioned above, Jawbone UP3 has a multisensory quality control system for rest. The tracker detects the alternation of the phases of deep and REM sleep, records their duration and in the morning gives a report on whether you slept well or not. Well, it can also wake you up.

By the way, he copes with this perfectly. The usual alarm can be turned off, the phone can be set 10 minutes later, but this number will not work with Jawbone. Firstly, it wakes you up during REM sleep (it is believed that at this time we wake up easier), secondly, it vibrates for about a minute, and thirdly, you can set up to four alarms. Most importantly, do not forget to turn on the sleep mode on the touch panel of the bracelet, otherwise the rest time may not be considered quite correct. You can enter it manually in the application, only you need to do it carefully, because nothing can be deleted or changed.

In the fight for good physical shape, a calorie counter will help. Data can be entered manually or using a barcode scanner. We tell you what was for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and the application evaluates how useful this food was. The calculation includes not only the number of calories, but also the nutrient content. Based on these indicators, Smart Coach advises on how to adjust your diet.

And yet, first of all, Jawbone is an activity tracker. It captures all movements, and at the end of the day gives out a report that makes you think about your life.

I do not pretend to be an originality of thought, but how little we walk! The commute to work and home, including shopping, compensates at most a third of the daily allowance. It seems rather ridiculous that in such conditions a rubber bracelet will be more useful than the advice of doctors or a personal example of cheerful healthy men, but this is really so. When you see from day to day that you have not even managed to reach 5,000 steps, sooner or later you get up and walk.

In the app, you can set up periodic reminders that it's time to go for a walk or do a couple of exercises, so even sedentary work will be diluted with a dose of physical activity.

Outcomes

The UP3 has more advantages than disadvantages. The latter are mainly associated with unjustified user expectations, but let's be honest: the tracker is fulfilling its tasks. Well, yes, it is not as well protected from water as promised, and it controls the heart rate only once a day, but otherwise it is quite good. Jawbone UP3 is suitable as the first such device for those who have long wanted to change their usual way of life, but for one reason or another could not do it on their own. Today it is truly one of the most modern and technologically advanced gadgets in its class. And yes, he will make you watch yourself.