Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Full disclosure: I've had the Jawbone Up3 for a week and the Fitbit Charge HR for 2 days when I wrote this. I had high hopes for the Up3, because of how much I liked the last two Jawbones I had, but the Up3 has totally fallen flat. I actually prefer the older UP24 to the Up3, but it is now discontinued (and like all my Jawbones it seemed to die 6-8 months after I got it.) I got the new Fitbit and the only downside to me is the size of the band and the perspiration build up that results from activity. That’s a small thing compared to the overall benefits. I think the Fitbit Charge HR is everything that the Jawbone Up3 should have been and it’s $30 cheaper. Major points of difference • UP3’s clasp is redesigned and now it unclasps and tries to fall off at least once a day. No issue with Fitbit. If I can lose the band, what’s the point of buying it? • Heart Rate Monitor in the Up3 is worthless. Who wants to know HR once a day, first thing in the morning? The Fitbit has a continuous heart rate monitor which is helps during rest and being active. The worst part is the Up3 can measure HR like the Fitbit as the app has a graph of all the measurements it took while you were sleeping – so why not let us have the data all the time, Jawbone? • Size – Up3 wins, hands down. The band is half as wide and during activity and sweating it doesn’t bother me like the ick that gathers under the Fitbit. • Fitbit’s app has badges and you can do challenges with friends. I game and I <3 achievements and friendly competition. • Fitbit - No turning it to “sleep mode” each night. What a concept! I’ve also noticed that the UP3 will reset to “active” mode if I have to get up in the middle of the night for a bathroom break. I hardly ever remember to turn it back into sleep mode. (The older bands did not used to do this.) Minor points of difference • Yeah, so the Fitbit has a screen. It’s nice, however I’m so used to looking at the Up app via phone it’s a non-starter for me. I haven’t worn a watch on my wrist in 15 years anyway. • The Up has an idle alert that buzzes at you when you don’t move for a set length of time. As far as I can tell, the Fitbit does not have this option and I find it very useful. • Up3 has better sleep measuring capabilities – including both deep sleep and REM sleep. However, I don’t know how scientific all that is anyway, and really all I care about is “how long was I asleep last night?” Which the Fitbit handles just fine. • I like the holistic “Atta Girl” messages that Up provides with their app. It’s encouraging to compare data from last week to this week, or yesterday to today and Up provides that every time you log into the app.