Jawbone Up Versus Fitbit Flex Wristband Fitness Movement and Sleep Tracker Review

After using the Jawbone Up and Fitbit Flex Wristband Fitness Movement and Sleep Trackers literally side by side on the same wrist for a period of about two weeks, I have finally come to the conclusion as to which one I prefer and will continue to use as my personal Wristband Fitness Movement and Sleep Tracker. I have split this comparison review into 12 distinct categories to breakdown the strengths and weaknesses of both devices, so without further adieu...

Price:

• Very similar $119 for the Jawbone UP versus $99 for the Fitbit Flex.
• Point goes to the Fitbit Flex for being less expensive.

Looks:

• I kind of like the styling of the Jawbone UP with it's stainless steel accents but I like the flush band and interactive LED's on the Fitbit Flex.
• This one is a Draw. 

Wearability:

• The Jawbone UP is much easier to put on but the flexible band can catch on clothing and objects and has fallen off at times.
• The Fitbit Flex is a bit harder to get on but is less intrusive once attached and there is no real fear of it catching or falling off.
• Again this one is a Draw.

Durability:

• Both of the bands show wear over time and you can see it especially on the high spots or edges, my Jawbone UP actually lost the metal button but Jawbone sent me a new band, (Jawbone has a good reputation for backing their products).
• The bonus to the Fitbit Flex is that you can replace the rubber band part for about $15 and have it looking good as new while the Jawbone UP is an all-in-one unit so there is no refreshing the band without a full replacement.
• The downside to the Fitbit Flex is that you need to clean the moisture from inside the housing area once in a while as I would imagine bacteria may build up over time.
• Point goes to the Fitbit Flex for not breaking and having the ability to replace the band for a few bucks.

Water Resistance:

• Both units can be used in the shower, however neither unit can track any type of actual swimming exercises with accuracy.
• Jawbone recommends you actually take the Jawbone UP off when swimming as it is only "water resistant" which means it is not meant to have any water pressure on it. The Fitbit Flex can be worn in a swimming pool and is rated to 10 meters.
• Point goes to the Fitbit Flex for being water proof down to 10 meters.

Ease of Use:

• Both fitness band devices are easy enough to switch back and forth into their awake and sleep modes, the Fitbit Flex however gives you a real time fitness goal indication using 5 LED bar styled indicators and also notifies you when you have achieved your preset fitness goal for the day by flashing and vibrating.
• Point goes to the Fitbit Flex for the extra LED eye candy and fitness goal alerts.

Syncing:

• The Jawbone UP requires a hardware connection by plugging directly into your smartphones headphone jack so there is no realtime data display. (You can not sync with a computer using the headphone jack either).
• The Fitbit Flex uses a wireless Bluetooth connection that syncs and updates in real time. You can sync with a smartphone or computer using the included BT dongle. (The BT connection will draw more battery on the band device and the smartphone).
• Point goes to the Fitbit Flex for real time BT syncing.

Charging and Battery Time:

• Both Fitness Band Devices use a USB charging adaptor to charge and both charge up rather quickly.
• The Jawbone UP has a 10-11 day run time while the Fitbit Flex has a 4-5 day run time as it uses BT which takes up some battery life with its constant real time syncing
• Point goes to the Jawbone UP for double the battery life.

Smartphone Software:

• Both the UP and the Flex have very good Smartphone software that allows you to view your data very accurately, but I would have to say I like the way the Jawbone UP displays this information, it is easy to use and there is more detail provided especially when it comes to the sleep information.
• I would like to note that you can enter your eating information into both software systems and also sync other partner Apps to communicate additional data back and forth.
• Point goes to the Jawbone UP for it's super slick and easy to use Smartphone Application.

Computer / Web Based Software:

• The Jawbone UP kind of drops the ball on this one as it only really syncs with a smartphone, even so Jawbone could send this information to a web based software program similar to what Fitbit has.
• I find that I primarily use my iPhone to view my Flex data but I do periodically go online to the Fitbit website and check my data there as I can see it a bit differently and get some more detailed charts and information.
• You do not need to have a smartphone to use the Flex while you do need a Smartphone to use the Jawbone UP!
• Point goes to the Flex for being able to view your data on your phone or online.

Integration:

• One big advantage to the Fitbit Flex is the fact that Fitbit has the ARIA cloud based WiFi scale that sends your weight and body fat percentage to your Fitbit online cloud based account, this information helps you keep track of your weight loss or gain goals and also gives you an accurate reading on how many calories your body burns each day.
• Point goes to the Flex for having multiple fitness devices that work together in harmony.

Accuracy of tracking Data:

• This is hard one to measure, both fitness bands seemed to be consistent but I did notice that the Fitbit Flex was more generous with how many calories I was burning, usually about 500 calories more each day than the Jawbone UP accounted for.
• Being that each person is different in how many calories their bodies actually burn, this is not really a big deal as adjustments will need to be made for each person as you figure out exactly how many calories your body burns each day.
• This one is another Draw.

Outcome:

There where 7 winning categories for the Fitbit Flex and 2 winning categories for the Jawbone UP with the Fitbit Flex coming out for me as the clear winner here. Again this is just my take based on what I am looking for in a Wristband Fitness Movement and Sleep Tracker. I used the Jawbone UP for several months before I got the Fitbit Flex and was perfectly happy with it and found it to be a very useful aid in helping me achieve my fitness goals. At the end of the day the big deal makers for me are the integration I get with my Fitbit Aria WiFi Scale and the real time Bluetooth data syncing the Fitbit Flex offers.

Watch my YouTube Video Comparison Review for the Fitbit Flex versus the Jawbone UP:

Fitbit Flex Wristband Movement and Sleep Tracker Review

So what Exactly is a Wireless Activity & Sleep Tracker Wristband?

Here is an excerpt from the Fitbit website:
"This slim, stylish device is with you all the time. During the day, it tracks steps, distance, and calories burned. At night, it tracks your sleep cycle and wakes you silently in the morning. Just check out the lights to see how you stack up against your personal goal. It’s the motivation you need to get out and be more active."

First of all, the Fitbit Flex allows you to track your activity:

• Your steps walked and run, none step based movement.
• The Fitbit software calculates that information into calories burned and distance covered.
• You can also manually enter information.

 And the Flex also tracks your lack of activity or should I say your sleep patterns:

• How many hours of slept in total.
• Your deep sleep versus your restless sleep.
• How many times you awoke in the night and times that you where restless.

The Fitbit Flex also syncs with your Smart  Phone or Computer using Bluetooth:

• The Flex loads information into the Fitbit App and Web-based interface allowing you to see this information so you can see exactly how your progress is going in real time.
• You can add food eaten and see calories burned vs calories consumed to help you keep on track with your eating and exercise goals.
• You can add friends and compare how each other is doing and perhaps have a competition or help motive each other.
• The Fitbit software sends you Award Badge Notifications when you have achieved certain goals which is also motivational.

Here are some of the more positive key points about the Fitbit Flex I want to makes sure to point out:

• The Flex costs about $100 which is very competitive compared to other movement tracking devices in the market.
• The Fitbit Flex has very cool lights that indicates where you are in terms of your daily goals.
• The Flex will vibrate and flash when you meet your daily steps goals.
• The Fitbit Flex is one of the only complete system offerings; A varitey of Movement Trackers, the Fitbit Aria WiFi Scale, and Intigrtated Software that is accessible on both your smart phone and computer with synchronization between all devices via the web.
• Bluetooth syncing is seamless and gives you realtime results.
• I like that you can quickly and easily change the band which can be useful if your band gets worn or damaged, or you simply just want to change the color for a new look!
• The Flex is very comfortable to wear, it is rather light weight, does not seem to catch on anything, and I had no fear of losing or breaking it while it was being worn.
• I have found the battery has been lasting for about 4-5 days and you also get a smartphone software notification that tells you when your battery is low.

There where a few concerns I had with the Fitbit Flex but nothing too serious: 

• I found overall the Fitbit Flex band is holding up well but does show some signs of edge wear, it is nice that at any time you can easily replace the band portion and it will look new again.
• I noticed when you shower, water can get inside the Flex where the dongle is located, you will need to clean that area out and wipe down the dongle from time to time so that you do not get a bacteria problem.
• I found the Fitbit Flex was a bit more generous calorie wise than my Jawbone UP, by about 500 calories per day. It would be nice if you could make an adjustment for this to match your individual metabolism?
• I found a bit of a glitch when entering manual activities if you go back and make a small change to them after the fact. Even if I deleted it and entered it again I found that my calories would get double for that activity. The only solution I found was to delete and then re add the activity but make some small changes to the start and end times. I am confident Fitbit will fix this software problem over time.

So far I am really liking the Fitbit Flex and I highly recommend it, other than the slightly higher calories burned then I am used to, I think the entire system is the best one going right now because it really covers all aspects of your fitness goal tracking.

Make sure to stay tuned to my Fitbit Flex vs Jawbone Up Comparison Review coming later on.

GetFitOver40 Update Video - Human Trainer and Upcoming Fitbit Flex Review

Here's a bit of an update and preview video all in one for you. First of all I did shoot my Fitbit Flex Wristband Movement and Sleep Tracker Review Video today but still need to edit and post it so hopefully I can have this for you later in the week, It is not a comparison video to my Jawbone Up but I do make a few cross references to it during the video review. So stay posted for that one...

I was so excited to try my Human Trainer Suspension System that late last night I gave it a go and got a really great workout in, I have to say it really does give a good workout, even with my limited knowledge of how to really get the most out of it at this point. SO in this video I show you a few exercises I learned last night while testing it out, again keep posted for my upcoming review of the " The Human Suspension Trainer System"

The Human Trainer Suspension Body Weight Resistance Training System

Over the weekend I picked up a "The Human Trainer" Suspension Body Weight Resistance Training System from my local fitness store. I actually went there to grab some wrist straps for my Crossfit classes and the Human Trainer system caught my eye, the store also happened to be dong a promo on it that was basically the "Essentials kit" bundled with the Ceiling Mounts and Versatility Anchors. The whole setup was pretty much half price so I had to do it ;) I also picekd up the Olympic Rings at the same time.

If you don't know what a Suspension Body Weight Resistance Training System is, I will be making some videos in the near future using this setup once I get the "hang" of things, sorry for the pun...

Here is a summary of what the The Human Trainer System is for the time being:

Made for versatility, The Human Trainer is a portable, easy to use, and highly effective training system that can be used virtually anywhere by people of all ages and fitness levels. The Human Trainer harnesses your own bodyweight to provide resistance and gives you virtually unlimited fitness options that train your entire body. By simply adjusting your angle or changing your grip, you can target any muscle group without having to stop in between exercises. The Human Trainer engages your core and stabilizers on every exercise, increases your flexibility, and giving you an unbeatable muscular and cardiovascular workout!

Keep posted on this one, I hope to be incorporating it into my weekly workouts...

Update on Sunday, June 9, 2013 at 11:56PM by Michael Kaye

WOW!! Just did my first Human Trainer workout tonight and even though it was a new experience and I wasn't sure how to make it work for me, I managed to get an amazing workout with it. I took some time thinking through what I wanted to achieve and found a few work arounds on how to use it that I think you will really like what you see when it comes time to show this unit off in some upcoming videos.

Fitbit Flex Wristband Movement and Sleep Tracker Unboxing

Well I finally got my long awaited Fitbit Flex Wristband Movement and Sleep Tracker! It is very nice and in a way I like the way it looks and feels on my wrist a bit better than my Jawbone Up, maybe the flashing lights have something to do with it ;)

This is an unboxing video and not a review so stay posted for my full video review of the Fitbit Flex and also a comparison video review that I will make between the Fitbit flex and Jawbone Up.

So what do you get inside the box when you purchase a Fitbit Flex?

• You get one Fitness Movement and Sleep Tracker that fits inside a band.
• You get two bands, one large and one small.
• You get one clasp unit that can be used with either sized band.
• You get a USB charging cable that plugs into a computer or USB charger.
• Your get a proprietary Bluetooth dongle for syncing your Fitbit Flex to your computer if required.
• You get a redirect pamphlet sending you to www.fitbit.com/setup for activation, account setup, software downloads and online manuals and information.
• You get a regulation and safety sheet.

What will your Fitbit Flex do out of the box? 

• Track your Movement; steps, distance, calories burned, active minutes.
• Track your Sleep; hours slept, times woken up, sleep quality, silent vibration alarm.
• Show you your daily progress using the LED light as an indicator.
• Sync with Bluetooth to your Smart Phone or Computer and upload all this information to your Fitbit account so you have easy access to all this information in real time.

Keep in mind Fitbit offers a complete solution, not only do they have fitness trackers but they also have some very cool scales that not only tell you your body weight but also your body fat while also being able to send this information wirelessly to your Fitbit account. check out my Fitbit Aria Video Review for more on the Fitbit scales.

All right, so make sure to watch my unboxing YouTube video for the Fitbit Flex and again make sure to checkout my upcoming Full review and comparison with the Jawbone Up!