UP by Jawbone: the latest health must-have
Jawbone is a company most recognised for its innovative gadgets that aid an upwardly mobile lifestyle, most notably Bluetooth headsets and wireless speakers. That is why it has come as a bit of a surprise to its fans and followers that with their latest product Jawbone has travelled down the healthy living route.
The company has just announced the launch of ‘UP by Jawbone’, a bracelet designed to inspire people to transform their lifestyles. Jawbone describes UP as a “revolutionary new system that tracks your movement, sleep patterns and nutrition and puts that information in the palm of your hand so you can live a healthier life.”
Accompanying the UP bracelet is a smartphone application. The bracelet features built-in motion sensors that monitor the wearer’s activity, observing their eating, sleeping and movement patterns. The app then presents this information to the user and as Jawbone puts it, offers “recommendations” and “tangible suggestions to keep you motivated to do the things that will help you live a healthier life.”
UP by Jawbone has been designed for any user who wants to live a healthier lifestyle, “from the average sedentary office worker to the obsessive athlete,” according to the company. The inspiration behind the UP bracelet and app was the fact that “for the first time, lifestyle diseases will exceed communicable disease as the number one cause of death,” the Jawbone team explains. The team adds: “UP is the culmination of Jawbone’s desire to help reverse this health trend,” as a huge proportion of lifestyle illnesses such as diabetes and heart disease are avoidable if people follow a healthy diet and consistent exercise regime.
To create a product that will be effective in the long-term and not another health fad, Jawbone has worked with health professionals and experts in the field of motivational science, technology, social behaviour,wearable design, social gaming and user experience. The company is also adhering to research figures which suggest people who track their daily movements increase their activity rate by approximately 26 percent. This in turn contributes to weight loss, reduced blood pressure and a decreased risk of developing heart disease and diabetes.
Although the hype and suspension around UP by Jawbone is increasing, no firm details on its release date, global availability or pricing have been given yet, apart from that the product can be expected later this year.
This revolutionary creation from Jawbone certainly has the potential to be a successful and popular product. Meanwhile, two major investments into the company, one of $70 million from J.P. Morgan Asset Management and another of $49 million from Andreessen Horowitz will no doubt aid the company in its quest for expansion into the health market.