I guess you can say I'm a little slow catching on to the fitness tracker bandwagon – especially since the Jawbone UP24 was released late 2013, and the latest Jawbone UP3 is about to be released (although there is a little delay with pre-orders).

However, I still think the UP24 looks so much more appealing compared to the UP3 – I especially love the swirl designs and how it curves to fit around your wrist like a bracelet. Designed by the infamous Yves Behar, you can expect streamlined and clean, seamless lines to be incorporated. Compared to other fitness trackers that look like watches or clasp on like a watch, this looks like a fashion accessory and one where you can easily slip on or off with ease.

I know that there are numerous reviews of this amazing piece of technology all over the web – and you can read one of the better reviews here, so I would only be covering a post on what I like & dislike about this nifty little gadget.

The UP app recording my workouts on Stopwatch Mode, and praising me for getting at least 8 hours of recommended sleep for 3-days straight.

WHAT I LIKE ABOUT THE JAWBONE UP24
You literally wear it 24-7. It is designed in such a way to accompany you everywhere – at work, in the shower and in bed. It doesn't feel uncomfortable and is light enough that it doesn't even feel like there's something there. Most importantly, it will not give you rashes like this other fitness tracker.

It doesn't look like a fitness tracker. I like how it doesn't have a display, because it would be so silly to look like you're wearing two watches at once. And honestly, after getting home after work, all I want to do is take my watch off – not so great if it's a fitness tracker, which must be worn at all times. Instead of a fancy screen or numerous buttons, the UP24 has clean lines (in a swirl design) and a sleek silver button that looks good enough to be worn to events, meetings and is not obtrusive, especially if you picked the onyx-colored one like mine. Black and silver is so classic, so this band fits in with my lifestyle perfectly and fashionably.

It is simple to use. There are only four modes to do all you need with a fitness tracker – Wake, Sleep, Stopwatch and Power Nap. They are all controlled by just one button and you can easily switch from mode to mode. I like its simplicity – as compared to most trackers that have screens and are quite complicated to use (unless you keep using it until you get used to it). UP24 is easy to learn and adapt to.

Wireless Bluetooth syncing. At any time of the day, you can check your progress by just opening the app, and your collected data would sync into the app within seconds. Your stats and progress would be updated and ready to view. If you lose your phone, no worries as the data are all stored in the Cloud and can simply be synced back into the app again upon login. I absolutely love the ease of using this tracker and its app.

The app is pretty amazing. You need the app to go hand-in-hand with the UP24, otherwise it's sort of pointless. The app helps you view your progress for the day, track your sleep and sleeping patterns, and calories burned with quite detailed data. You can even track your mood, food, goals and workouts. It's very colorful, interactive with useful SmartCoach tips that come in daily based on your habit and needs. (3 days in using this, SmartCoach has a 'Today I Will' challenge to do more of what I've been lacking in the past few days – like eat more fibre, drink more water, walk at least 5,000 steps, etc.)

I love how their sleep-tracking is quite superior and detailed. They even praise you if you get the right amount of sleep for a few days straight. Somehow it makes you want to sleep on time every night.

Connect with friends who are using UP bands, and challenge one another. The only downside to this is that your friends need to like this gadget and be willing to fork out quite a bit for it. Otherwise, you can always team up with anyone from the UP community to challenge and motivate one another.

Reminders, alarms and alerts – no screen needed. The UP24 does all these by vibrating. It will vibrate to remind you to get ready for bed, to move around if you're sedentary for too long (Idle Alert) and even for certain alerts that will appear on the screen of your phone. The Smart Alarm can be set to wake you up gently before your actual wake up time, based on your light sleep patterns – so when it feels like your sleep is getting lighter, it will start to buzz you. Smart indeed!

Weekly emails with your week's workout summary. I just got mine after starting my Jawbone UP24 life last Wednesday, so here you can see my progress and stats. These are emailed out to you every Monday, so keep a lookout for them. I think it's a good way to keep track of your week, don't you think?






WHAT I DISLIKE ABOUT THE JAWBONE UP24
It is not waterproof. The band is only resistant to rain, sweat and showers, it should not be submerged. But even so, I've read stories where people who use it in the shower found that it stopped working weeks later. :/ I'm quite bummed cause this means that I can't bring it along for beach holidays or go swimming with it. This is where the new UP3 is better, as it is waterproof up till 10m.

The UP app and Bluetooth usage kills your battery. Like I can go from 100% to just 77% in less than an hour. I find it useful to always quit the app and turn Bluetooth off to save juice. But the app would remind you to sync your data if it hasn't synced anything for quite some time.

Charging means taking it off for 80 minutes. Yeah, that's the duration for it to get a full charge, as I frustratedly found out upon receiving it, and leaving it to charge while itching to try it out. 80 minutes of movements would undoubtedly be left unrecorded, which is quite a pain. The charging method also requires you to remove the cap (and hope to not lose it, it's so small), plug it into the charger which then plugs into a computer's USB input – quite a lot of plugging and unplugging, don't you think?


Well, as you can see, there is very little I dislike about this product, and there is a lot I really love about it. Granted, it is one of the best-looking device worn ever so inconspicuously on the wrist and I love looking at photos of how people accessorize with it. Here are some photos of various Jawbone UP24 users from around the world on Instagram. (Sorry I didn't manage to record your names when I saved them, please let me know if you happen to come across this post!)




I initially wanted the orange colored band, but was worried that it might not match so well with some occasions/clothing pieces. So black it is, and no regrets!

It took me about 2 weeks of research and lusting over the UP24 before I decided to take the plunge and buy one. They don't come cheap, and they are priced differently in Malaysian stores. In tech stores, they are between RM500-RM580. On Lazada, I found some to be quite exorbitantly priced at RM699! Thankfully, the one I found on Zalora was only selling for RM499, and with my available store credits and discounts, I only paid RM284 for mine, which is quite a steal, in my opinion.

If you decide to buy yours on Zalora, use discount code ZBAPQDA0 to get 15% off total bill. (This code can be used for anything, all year long) ;)

VERDICT? It is one of the best fitness trackers, based on my research, and my experience with it so far. I'd recommend it for anyone (bloggers and fashionistas) who want something simple to track basic stuff (but gives very detailed data) and help you keep to your fitness goals.