Jawbone Off to Healthy Start With Up Fitness Wristband
Bluetooth wireless accessory manufacturer Jawbone is moving beyond hands-free headsets and speakers into health and fitness gadgets with UP, a wristband that connects with mobile smartphone apps to monitor diet, exercise and sleeping habits.
Announced at the TEDGlobal conference in Edinburgh, Scotland and debuting later this year, the gizmo is designed to promote health and wellness by better integrating with modern-day users’ more hectic and sedentary lifestyles. Capable of tracking eating habits, nutrition, sleep patterns and overall well-being, the gizmo will make recommendations on how to improve dietary and fitness routines when connected to a mobile device.
While competing gadgets like the Fitbit already offer similar functions, UP is reportedly designed for passive use, so that employing it requires little time investment or added effort on the user’s part. Although an unexpected shift in focus for the company, primarily a designer of portable wireless audio solutions such as the Jambox, Jawbone clearly aims to get users up and moving beyond the dance floor.