Jawbone Up life monitor wristband due Nov. 6 for $100

By Andrew Couts November 3, 2011

JAWBONE BANDS — Image used with permission by copyright holder

As a species, we humans are surprisingly bad about taking care of ourselves. Luckily, some 21st Century technology has come to rescue us from our self-detrimental ineptitude.

Jawbone, a company known for its head-turning Bluetooth headsets, has created something new to help keep your life on track: the Up life monitoring bracelet.

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Durable, water-resistant and designed to be worn 24-7, this colorful wristband keeps track of your sleeping habits, how much you exercise, and even what you eat, with the help of a free iOS app that serves as the user interface for the UP.

With the help of Jawbone’s MotionX engine, Up tracks every step you make, your distance, pace and calories burned. It even keeps tabs on how long you remain inactive throughout the day, and can be set to vibrate as a reminder to get up and move, if you’ve been sitting still for a certain period of time, which you can adjust using the app.

Up’s motion detection system also can tell when you’ve fallen asleep, and the bracelet monitors how long you sleep, what time of day you sleep, and even the quality of your sleep. Another subtle vibration alarm can be set to go off when you are at the optimum point in your sleep cycle.

Users can keep track of their diet by taking photos of meals through the Up app, which keeps track of meal times and locations, and also allows users to record how they feel after each meal.

Jawbone has even built in social features into Up, giving users the ability to create health plans with friends who have the Up, and monitor each other’s progress – just to make sure you aren’t slacking on your diet and exercise routine.

While Up seems like a great idea in concept, it also seems a bit of a burden to wear day in and day out. Then again, people seem to love those pointless magnet “therapy” bracelets, so maybe we’re underestimating the desire to improve your health by wearing something around your writs at all times. We hope to give Up a try, and then we’ll know for sure how practical this device really is.

Up is available for pre-order now, and will go on sale at Apple, Best Buy, AT&T and Target retail locations in the US on November 6 for $100. International customers will be able to purchase Up on November 17.

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Features Editor for Digital Trends, Andrew Couts covers a wide swath of consumer technology topics, with particular focus on…

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