Jawbone UP

[Moo Cow]

Today, I got my Jawbone UP wristband delivered to me after ordering it last weekend at a Verizon Wireless store. I saw it was for Android so I wanted to try it out. Come to find out that it literally just became an Android-friendly device (read: an Android app released) days before I decided to buy it -- I even somehow missed the story on the AC website! Anyway, I have little to say about the device right now since I am in the first few hours of using it, but I am looking forward to seeing how this product works for me. Anyone else own one and use it with their Android or Apple product, or considering owning one?

(And on a side note, I have a corporate discount for the monthly bill and accessories with Verizon Wireless, thanks to working for a participating employer. That discount applies to the purchase of the Jawbone UP wristband. I could have gotten it instantly at Best Buy or the Apple Store, but I saved a good bit of coin by getting it through Verizon, even though none were in stock in the store and had to be delivered to me free via FedEx two-day. AT&T and Sprint are official authorized retailers for the app as well, and you may get similar corporate discounts for the Jawbone UP through them. Something to consider.)

 

[anon(27512)]

Today, I got my Jawbone UP wristband delivered to me after ordering it last weekend at a Verizon Wireless store. I saw it was for Android so I wanted to try it out. Come to find out that it literally just became an Android-friendly device (read: an Android app released) days before I decided to buy it -- I even somehow missed the story on the AC website! Anyway, I have little to say about the device right now since I am in the first few hours of using it, but I am looking forward to seeing how this product works for me. Anyone else own one and use it with their Android or Apple product, or considering owning one?

(And on a side note, I have a corporate discount for the monthly bill and accessories with Verizon Wireless, thanks to working for a participating employer. That discount applies to the purchase of the Jawbone UP wristband. I could have gotten it instantly at Best Buy or the Apple Store, but I saved a good bit of coin by getting it through Verizon, even though none were in stock in the store and had to be delivered to me free via FedEx two-day. AT&T and Sprint are official authorized retailers for the app as well, and you may get similar corporate discounts for the Jawbone UP through them. Something to consider.)

I have one that I use with my iPhone. I like it but I think the fitbit one is better.

 

[epicness4G]

I have one that best buy is sending to me for free, but I have not received it yet. It seems a lot like the fit bit and the design is pretty odd. Too thick for a wristband, anyways I'll try it out and see what it does

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using Tapatalk 2

 

[Moo Cow]

Been using the band for a few days now so I figured I'd check in and give some feedback.

Charged it up last Thursday night to full when I first got it. It is now Wednesday night, and the band estimates 3 days left. So 6+3=9, which means I won't reach the 10-day lifespan that the band says it can reach. Granted, it is up to 10 days, not a guaranteed 10 days, but I do expect to get a solid week out of it. To charge something at least once a week is not bad. We'll see if it reaches the full 9 days it is now projecting.

I've noticed if you do stationary activities, it gives you credit for steps you don't take. I was roughhousing with my pups on the floor, and I didn't walk, but yet I supposedly walked quite a few steps. I'm glad it records that I was involved in some sort of physical activity, but at the same time, I wasn't taking steps.

The food tracking part of the app leaves a LOT to be desired. When I bought the band at Verizon, the salesman there told me he still uses a side app (ironically, the same one I use, "Lose It!") to track his daily caloric intake and weight. I now see why. The food tracking part is just terrible and needs a major revamp, and there is no way to record weight in the app.

I also wish the band could somehow measure your pulse rate. It measures lots of other things, so pulse would be something cool. Maybe a future iteration of the band can do this. I also find myself looking at it like a watch, so perhaps a way to add in a clock? That could make it Nike Fuelband-like though, and maybe Jawbone wants to get away from that?

With the negatives out of the way... one thing about the band is it does conform to your wrist easily enough and doesn't impact anything all that much. However, when I use my laptop it can sometimes get in the way given the layout of the keyboard and touch pad, and how my wrists tend to rest as I type. That is minor, otherwise I have no issues. Not when showering, sleeping, or anything.

The timing functions work well. I use the stopwatch part when I work out, and the silent alarms work great for ensuring I wake up on time. For the times I do not wake up naturally, the band will accomplish that, and I still beat my alarm clock every time. Have not tried the power nap function yet.

I love how the app gives breakdowns of your steps walked and light/deep sleep. It allows you to truly see patterns about your own life you may have never noticed otherwise. Over time, I may be able to see things using the trends comparison, but that requires more time of using the band and syncing it on a regular basis. Lifeline is pretty cool to look at, too. Finally, the ability to sync and charge is also simple as pie. Nothing complicated to it, just like it should be.

I'll see how it goes over a longer haul before giving a final verdict, but overall, it is promising.

 

[rpfarrah]

I've had mine for about 3 weeks now and really like it. Regarding charging, I stick mine on the charger every morning just before I hit the shower. I don't need to measure that activity! Anyway, it keeps me fully charged so that if I go camping or someplace away from home and my laptop, I'm good for roughly 10 days.

Good info about VZW - I have a corporate account too, and my wife is looking at the Up band.

Gotta go. Need 8,000 more steps today!

 

[MarkDallton]

Had mine now about two to three weeks now, love the sleep and activity tracking but have given up on the food tracking at the moment. It feels counter intuitive and leaves much to be desired.

 

[Moo Cow]

I've come to find that the band can last 10 days, but you really push it to reach those 10 days so I charge it when it gets inside 10 percent just so I am done with it. Also, there is now Up band support for the Lose It application, but only if you pay the upgrade fee. I use Lose It for my food tracking, and to be honest, as I posted earlier, food tracking is what keeps Up back from being incredibly awesome.

But the band is still doing very well for me, and I like it a lot.

 

[Moo Cow]

Basically four months after buying the band, mine has died. It no longer lights up, it does not respond to any button presses, the soft/hard resets per the Jawbone UP FAQ do not work either. My problem is definitely not a rogue issue; many others have experienced it as well, as I have observed in the Jawbone forums. Needless to say, I am disappointed with the situation.

I have submitted a ticket to Jawbone to request assistance on the matter and seek a replacement band. They say that due to high volume responses can take about two days. I will report back here once I get a status update.

 

[Moo Cow]

I didn't expect a response last night when I filed my ticket, as it was after business hours, but today, they contacted me and we're setting up replacement of the UP band. The battery is dead, so I have no choice but to get a replacement.

 

[Moo Cow]

Took some minor back and forth e-mailing on the support site, but the band arrived in the mail on August 13. I have packaged up the other one to return it with the pre-paid USPS postage. Now, let's hope this one lasts much longer.

 

[Dubg]

I had a similar problem with my Up band. The battery would only stay charged for about 15 minutes max. When I called support they offered to send me a black or mint green since those were the only colors they had in stock. I told them I'd wait for a gray one. It took about 2 weeks until they finally sent me a shipping notice. Hopefully this one will last longer then the 3 months my first band lasted.

Sent from my Samsung S4 Active

 

[rpfarrah]

My replacement band is due to arrive on Tuesday. In the meantime I started using a simple pedometer to keep my steps honest (and me motivated). Also, expecting to have to wait a little longer, I found another band on Amazon for about $68 shipped. It arrived yesterday and seems to be working okay so far (this is me knocking on wood).

On another note, I connected my Up band with the Map My Fitness app so I was able to input my steps from the pedometer manually and then sync it all back up together (sort of) with my Up band stats. It's not apples to apples, but better than nothing, I guess.

 

[Moo Cow]

As I read around, it seems like some of the issues that plagued the first incarnation of the UP band are still there in the second incarnation. The build of the band itself is much better, but battery issues still seem to be there. Now, I don't mean the horror stories of people exchanging for four or five bands, and I know it's always easy to hear negative over the positive, but there are enough people from the official Jawbone UP site alone discussing exchanges that there is a significant problem.

Time will tell, I guess, but we'll just have to see if my band will stand the test of time or not. As I basically said earlier, hopefully I get more than four months out of this one.

 

[Moo Cow]

My wife's band, bought days after my original band back in March, has suffered the same battery death fate. We are awaiting the warranty replacement to arrive in the mail.

 

[Moo Cow]

My wife's band arrived, and we thought everything was fine, except they forgot to send the return label with it. So she went back to the UP support area and reported it. They e-mailed her packing label info, and all we had to do was go to the FedEx store to finish the job. From there, they printed it out, slapped it on the package, and away it went.

Everything is working and back to normal for her and hopefully it doesn't happen again. This is the third instance we are both personally aware of for the bands; her allergist has one and had the exact same issue himself.

 

[rpfarrah]

I had another one go bad as well. Fortunately I had found an extra one on Ebay or something so I didn't miss a day. Got it swapped out and now back to having one and a backup.

Saw that Jawbone is releasing a newer model that has Bluetooth sync ability. Pretty much the same look, except for that. But it will cost you $150 - an extra $20 or so. I was hoping the next version would have some kind of led readout to help provide progress reports, or maybe even the time of day. Fail.

Looking into the Polar Loop to see if I like it better: Polar Loop. A new and fun way to track your moves 24/7. But it's not getting great reviews and may not yet be android compatible.

 

[Moo Cow]

I had another one go bad as well. Fortunately I had found an extra one on Ebay or something so I didn't miss a day. Got it swapped out and now back to having one and a backup.

Saw that Jawbone is releasing a newer model that has Bluetooth sync ability. Pretty much the same look, except for that. But it will cost you $150 - an extra $20 or so. I was hoping the next version would have some kind of led readout to help provide progress reports, or maybe even the time of day. Fail.

Looking into the Polar Loop to see if I like it better: Polar Loop. A new and fun way to track your moves 24/7. But it's not getting great reviews and may not yet be android compatible.

So is it pretty much the same UP band with Bluetooth? As in, they didn't address the battery issues that seem to be plaguing UP v2.0? Because while the customer service has been great from UP, the thing is, why would I want to buy a new band if it risks crashing within a short few month? That is my concern with an upgrade to the next level, and to be honest, I don't even know if it's worth upgrading at this point. I'm content with what my current band does.

And here's the press release I found on the new UP band:
http://content.jawbone.com/static/www/pdf/press-releases/pr-11132013.pdf

 

[Moo Cow]

So... my first band died after four months of use. My replacement has now also died after four months of use. Add in my wife, and this is the third dead UP band in the household since we bought our bands in late March 2013.

I wrote a pretty firm and pointed letter to Jawbone support. Yes, the customer service has been great from them, and I know they do their best. Their customer service is 10 times better than any place else I've ever dealt with. When they say they'll do something, they do it. Yet at some point, they have to address the flaws in their product. I shouldn't have to be playing a warranty swap game every couple of months for my band or my wife's band. If they can't guarantee me a band that will work long-term, then I am pushing for financial relief on the product. (Given that others have this issue -- found by a simple Google search, and that it's not just a few in the minority complaining, either -- I think I have a valid argument.)

We'll see what happens, but I bet they'll sidestep the refund question and try to offer me a new band. I am not sure what I will do if they answer that way.

As for UP24, it's not Android compatible yet; only for iOS devices. Even if it were Android compatible, would I want to risk it? The first gen UP band was plagued with issues. The second gen UP band (what this thread discusses) has issues. How do I know UP24 (the third gen band) won't have issues as well? I think I may be looking in a new direction for a pedometer/sleep monitor once this situation ends up getting resolved.