As some of you may know, I used to be a avid runner and fitness freak (part of that is still true, just hard to do while pregnant). So as you can guess, when the Nike Fuelband came out, I had it pre-ordered and showed up at the Nike store in Chicago and waited for the debut. I was beyond excited, as it was the first wearable that was practical (and didn't require you to sell your first born to acquire one). Yes, prior to the Fuelband, the Body Bug was the greatest invention ever, premiering on Biggest Loser. The Body Bug was a band you put around your arm that tracked your temperature, your movements and could calculate the calories burnt, steps taken, activity levels, and sleep quality. On your personal profile, you would enter the amount and what kind of food you had eaten that day, and it would project the time it would take you to lose the weight your wanted. It seemed like it was the best thing that could have ever came out for the fitness world, especially with its backing with The Biggest Loser. It was even ahead of it's time with its capability to sync via Bluetooth to your smartphone to record the data. The only downside was, you had to have a subscription to use their data. On top of the expensive unit price, the fact you had to buy a membership was an added expense people just weren't ready to splurge on. Everyone was just floored at what it could do, that is until Nike had to show them up.
The Body Bug, a very simple design.
BASICS: The Fuleband came out, and the buzz was incredible. Already having coined technology that could track your work outs with the Nike+ technology in the shoes, Nike took the concept to a new level. With its sleek bracelet design that kept it extremely lightweight, you nearly forgot it was there while wearing it. The bracelet is made with a rubber like material that is easily cleaned. The band tracks your daily activity in NikeFuel, calories, steps, and of course displays the time. I love the concept of the Nike Fuel because it removes the focus on how many calories you burned, and zeros in on the activity you do in a day. This was an added bonus for those who just wanted to be healthier in general. It also sync wirelessly to your Iphone, sorry Androids! You can also set a goal for your earned Nike Fuel that helps motivate you. Who wants to not reach that goal? The social feature is also an amazing motivational tool. You combat with your friends to see who has the most fuel. You can also play "tag" which puts whoever has the least amount of fuel for that day as "it" and the rest try to "run away" with their fuel points.
Other specs include being water-resistant, connecting through a USB 4.0, and coming in three different sizes. You can find sizing on the Nike website, or go to a Nike store to find the right size. However your Fuelband does come with to connectors which make the band larger, so if a medium is too big, the small with a connector might be better for you. Unlike when I bought mine, they have since made them in multiple colors and are made of better, longer lasting materials.
MY EXPERIENCE: I absolutely LOVED my Nike Fuelband! I wore it almost everyday (not very fashionable to wear with a formal dress to a wedding) and it never gave me any problems. I am allergic to nickel and never had a single problem with the metal around the connection. The syncing was flawless, though some people do have problems with theirs. I found the display very stunning and fun too. I did shower with it, but never swam with it as I was afraid to break it. While my Fuelband definitely shows it age, the material never scratched or gauged. I got so many compliments on it as well! Since it did also double as a watch, it was practical to wear to work and I did not have to double up on arm accessories. The battery life was incredible, I could go about a week with multiple syncs per day before I needed to charge this band. However, after two years of loyalty (haha, that was a joke) the button broke, resulting in losing the ability to switch through the displays, sync, or even see the time. However, it still works as I can still plug into the computer and sync this way. A little less convenient, but not a loss completely (and after two years of abuse, I am surprised it lasted this long!
The Fuelbands in the original 3 colors.
However, I thought I would try out a different wearable and bought the Jawbone UP at the end of November for a early Christmas present to myself.
BASICS: Jawbone, a company know for its Bluetooth speakers finally emerged into the wearables market with the UP. However, they crashed and burned with too many problems and were quickly taken off the market. Their bands couldn't withstand the sweat and showers as the Fuleband could (and that they said they could). The water and soap and sweat would seep into the band and ruin the technology, rendering the band an expensive rubber bracelet. They reemerged with the UP again, this time with confidence their product wouldn't suffer the same problems. Made of the same rubber material as the Fuelband, the embedded chip monitors your motion, sleep, idle time, and steps. While it won't track non moving activities like cycling, you can manually log those onto the Iphone and Android friendly app. You can also log what you have eaten and it will preform the same functions as the Body Bug would. Some added feature that are pretty cool, the idle alert will vibrate the band if you have been sitting for too long (customizable) as well as smart alarm that will wake you (within 30 minutes of your alarm time) at the most optimal point in your sleep cycle.
Unlike the Fuelband, there is only a small light near the button that will like a sun while you are awake and a moon while you sleep. No watch function here! Also, for a company that is known for Bluetooth, you must uncap the microphone jack on the end of the band and plug into the microphone port in your phone to sync, no wireless. Plus, the cap is very small.
MY EXPERIENCE: I absolutely hate my UP. I know, those are very strong words. However, I felt the UP was just too rushed in manufacturing. The fact that it comes from a company who is known for Bluetooth capabilities, yet can not wireless sync is absurd. Jawbone made a statement about this notion, stating the obvious solution (making it able to wireless sync) is too complicated and requires components that are too big for a wristband. Yet Nike was able to do it... I found the app was not user friendly. The app also is supposed to give "insights" into what you log, yet I was never given anything useful as an insight. More general things like, "Don't forget you need 8 glasses of water a day!" Maybe I just didn't give it a chance, or was biased because of my amazing experience with Nike. The UP prides itself on a 10 day battery, however it was more like 10 syncs. Within one week, I had to charge the band four times. I may not have a Masters in Math but I know something isn't adding up here. I was already upset with this product, then within one month of using it, it would not sync to my device. I had to reset my band a lost all progress I had made within that month. Not durable at all. Also, recently Jawbone has released a new UP called the UP24 which can wireless sync to your smartphone vie Bluetooth. The price is much more however.
The UP bands many colors.
Since I own both, and both still sync I have decided to compare the two. I am going to wear both for about a month, each week I will post how the progress is and any other flaws I find. It would be interesting to see if the calories are accurate as well as the steps. Hopefully, this helped a few to decide, or maybe you will wait and see which works better. All in all, I personally can't wait to see how they match up to each other.
Don't forget also, there are more wearables than what I have mentioned! Besides the Fuelband and UP, there are also the FitBit, Fit Bug, Striiv, and the Motoactive. The FitBit alone has three different wearables! All have their own perks and downfalls. I personally, after research, picked the UP to be my next wearable (although now I think I might buy myself the rose gold Fuelband as a push present when little one arrives).
Much love, as always :)
