Jawbone UP MOVE – not quite living “up” – more like a high-tech pedometer. Our review

Perhaps I’m coming at this from the wrong angle, having been a Jawbone Up and then Up 24 user for the best part of two years, but I don’t think the UP MOVE should be confused for an UP wristband at the best of times, however, it’s a fantastic product at its sub-$70 price point and well worth a look for someone looking for basic tracking and information at your fingertips.

UP users should have rushed to stores to replace their original wrist-band for an UP 24 which offered better connectivity with Bluetooth syncing on the go in the same solid form factor.

The MOVE is quite different.  It’s a small “charm” – about the size of a dollar coin, perhaps better described as three dollar coins stacked on top of each other.

This little gadget can be worn inside a clip on your belt, a wrist band on your arm, or just leave it in your pocket or perhaps that little coin pocket of your jeans. Bottom line it’s very versatile like that.

Which, sadly, is it’s biggest failing.

For me, the wrist band was just a step to far in terms of design – I don’t think it suits the average bloke, and perhaps that’s me being picky, but I felt more stares and glares from people with the wrist band on than I normally do with the UP, or a Garmin Vivofit or similar.

If you can fathom the UP MOVE in its wrist band form, then frankly it does everything you need and it’s a whole lot cheaper than the UP 24 and the soon to be released UP 3.

And while you think a belt version is excellent, you’ve got to remember to put it on your belt every day, to take it off each night and put it in the wrist strap to get the best sleep tracking and generally I found myself forgetting it more often than not.

When I forget my UP 24, its missing from my wrist, I know it immediately.  I went days without noticing the MOVE wasn’t with me and thus, not tracking me.

Where it wins a million plus points is battery – with a standard CR2032 battery inside – that’s going to give you oodles of battery life and reduce the endless charging you get with the UP wrist bands.

There’s one other downside, the smart alarm system is not available with the MOVE – the vibrating alarms are fantastic for those hoping not to wake the household with their alarms, but given the teeny tiny size of the MOVE, something had to be compromised.

Despite the design concerns over the wrist strap, the lack of vibrating alarms and potential for it to be forgotten on various days, I think the MOVE is a great entry to the fitness tracking market.

The Jawbone UP app is the best thing in fitness, it’s a simple chart on a daily basis of your activity and sleep, and it learns about you and helps you by giving you coaching recommendations on your steps and sleep.

At $69.95 it’s a great gift, and certainly not a bad recommendation for someone looking for something sub $100.

If you’ve got a bit more, save your dollars for the UP or the UP3 which we’ll review soon.

[schema type=”review” rev_name=”Jawbone Up MOVE” rev_body=”The latest from Jawbone, a simple and affordable entry into the UP ecosystem with step and sleep tracking in a whole new form factor” author=”Trevor Long” pubdate=”2014-12-01″ user_review=”3.5″ min_review=”0″ max_review=”5″ ]