Jawbone unveils two new fitness devices: $49 Move and $179 UP3

SAN FRANCISCO - It's been a busy fall for new fitness trackers. Now Jawbone is entering the fray with two new devices in its UP line: the $49 UP Move and $179 UP3.

The Move is Jawbone's first stab at attracting first-timers looking to get into a wearable fitness device on a budget. It's an anodized aluminum 'pod' that comes with a rubber clip you can attach to your pocket, bra or pajamas. (Think Misfit's Shine and Flash trackers.) Slim rubberized accessory bracelets will be available for $14.99. A replaceable battery lasts as long as 6 months.

Like current UP bands, you fly somewhat blind on Move's face, but based on a brief demo at Jawbone offices here it looks pretty simple. You press it to see an LED light up to show your progress toward daily step or sleep goals. Press once for steps, twice to display time of day and three times for your sleep. Like current UP bands, it syncs with a companion app for Android and Apple devices. (Jawbone says compatibility with Windows Phone is coming soon.)

Move gives Jawbone table stakes at the low end. Just a few weeks ago, Misfit launched the $50 Flash, and startup Pivotal is looking to shake things up with its $12 Life Tracker 1 device. Move is available now for pre-order at the Jawbone web site and will be at Amazon, Apple, Best Buy and Target later this month.

The Move in a clip.(Photo: Jawbone)

The pricier new flagship UP3 aims at Jawbone's sweet spot. It's a sleek multi-sensor tracker that the company says ups its game in sleep and activity monitoring with a new three-axis accelerometer and more sophisticated biometric measurements.

Among other features, it can let you know your resting heart rate. In sleep mode, UP3 can tell you how much REM sleep you get in addition to light and deep sleep. The company says it will capture more health data via future firmware updates.

The band will also automatically identify workouts and classify your activities, including running, cross-training, tennis and dance. Like the current UP24 band (which stays in the lineup), it promises 7-day battery life. UP3 is water-resistant to 10 meters.

An upcoming version of Jawbone's UP3.(Photo: Jawbone)

Jawbone didn't announce a specific launch date for UP3. The first model, available 'later this year,' is a nice-looking black band. Models coming after the first of the year are frankly better looking, in bronze and silver tones among other options. You can easily see wearing one alongside a watch or other jewelry.

I wore one briefly in a demo. It is featherlight. The band is one size fits all with a clever strap that helps you get the proper fit.

'We see a very clear dividing line, which is daytime wear and 24/7 wear, and size ultimately matters around that, ' says Jawbone exec Travis Bogard.

UP3 is very much a ' 24-hour wearable,' Bogard says. 'We know people don't wear watches to sleep. They're just too big and bulky.'

Indeed, Jawbone's strategy with its UP bands is for them to be the go-to devices for round-the-clock wearing. But it also aims to extend the UP ecosystem into a robust platform for tracking fitness, sleep and diet goals. In September it announced plans to expand the UP app to more devices, including Android Wear watches, the Pebble watch and even the upcoming Apple Watch.

The past few weeks have brought a dizzying array of announcements from Microsoft, Fitbit and others competing with fitness-oriented devices that cover a broad spectrum of functions - from basic step or sleep tracking to heart rate monitoring and smartwatch-like notifications for email, texts and more.

Full-on smartwatches are hitting the market too, from the likes of Samsung, LG, Motorola and Sony. In some ways, it's all seen as a race against the upcoming Apple Watch, which promises to blend sophisticated health and fitness features with cutting edge smartwatch functions.

So far though, the rapidly growing market is still very small.

In a recent report, research firm Canalys said shipments of wearable bands will grow to 43.2 million units in 2015, up 129% from this year. It divides the category into two segments - smart bands, which can run third-party applications, and basic bands, which don't. It said shipments of basic 'wearable' bands will grow to 15 million in 2015, up from 7 million in 2014.

Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/1qoAsHR