Jawbone is increasing its push into the fitness tracking market by announcing it has purchased BodyMedia. The acquisition of another manufacturer of wellness devices comes at the same time as Jawbone opens up its API to developers, allowing for other apps to be able to use data generated by the wrist-based lifestyle monitor, the Up.
Jawbone has released an Android version of its app for the Jawbone Up connected fitness tracker for devices running Android 4.0 and up. After an initial launch in 2011, the company revamped and relaunched the device in late 2012 for the iPhone only. Additionally, the company is expanding the availability of the Up into markets in Europe, Asia, Australia and the Middle East over the coming weeks.
Jawbone is retrying its wrist-based health monitor by improving and re-releasing the Up. Worn on the wrist, the Up uses various sensors to measure how people eat, sleep, move and generally live their lives, in an effort to help users live a more healthy lifestyle. The wristband then connects to an iOS device via the headphone socket, which displays the collected data in a free app.
Jawbone published details of the rumored Big Jambox today. Preorders start today for the larger cousin to the original Jambox.
Jawbone's Big Jambox, the second Bluetooth speaker from the headset manufacturer will cost $300, according to a leak from Best Buy's website. The webpage detailing the product has since been taken down, but the cache from Google still shows the expected pricepoint.
The Jawbone Jambox may soon be getting a smartphone app. The company has been surveying its customers to find out what features they would like most on their portable Bluetooth speaker. Most likely, the app would be developed for Android driven devices.
Jawbone's plans for a bigger Bluetooth speaker were given away late Thursday after an FCC filing showed a new device. Just called the Big Jambox, the diagramming hints that it might represent a literal upsizing of the brick-shaped audio device. Not much is hinted at in directly by the filing besides the inclusion of Bluetooth.
Jawbone late Wednesday started sending out its promised refunds for the Up early. Having promised the money back in four to six weeks, the company started offering them less than three weeks after detailing the program. Owners can still get replacements, without having to return their existing units, or else get software updates for existing models.
Jawbone is offering a refund for its Up fitness and lifestyle tracking bracelet. Some users have reported their devices aren't working properly, affecting the battery's ability to hold a charge along with a syncing issue.
Jawbone will soon release a new Jambox wireless speaker, according to a possible leak. Called Jambox Big, it was understood by iLounge to be the new flagship, taking over from the original Jambox. It will also cost 50 percent more, at $300 rather than $200.
The Jawbone Up, first unveiled in July, is now set to ship on November 6. The device is an innovative fitness and lifestyle tracker that incorporates numerous tracking functions. The Up is made to work in conjunction with the Up app (App Store; free), so users can track their progress.
AT&T is gearing up to start selling the Jawbone Up personal behavior monitoring system. The Up couples a wristband with an iPhone app. The carrier now has a placeholder page dedicated to the Up, with a "coming soon" banner. The site also teases viewers with a video.
Jawbone has finally revealed additional details surrounding its Up bracelet, which was first introduced earlier this year at the Technology Entertainment and Design (TED) conference. The bracelet is designed to monitor a user's daily and nightly activity, providing insight into fitness activity, food consumption, sleep phases, and balances between active and inactive times.
Jawbone returned to its core Bluetooth headset business Tuesday through the Icon HD and a companion, the Nerd. The headset itself is a subtle upgrade to the Icon with a bigger and more refined speaker that improves audio clarity, especially in noisy environments. The Nerd is its key, Jawbone says: the USB adapter automatically treats the headset as an audio output on a Mac or PC without having to pair up or disrupting the link to a cellphone.
Jawbone at TED unveiled its first real device to step outside of the audio sphere. The Up wrist sensor is designed to track movement as well as other areas, such as diet and sleep. A companion mobile app pairs with a smartphone over Bluetooth and both provides a look at data as well as a social sharing component.
Jawbone started Thursday by putting out a major update to its core Bluetooth headsets. The Jawbone ERA is the first earpiece to have an accelerometer inside and can use it for both its own functions and third-party apps. Four shakes will put it into pairing mode, and a double-tap will start, switch or stop a call.
Aliph today dipped into mobile apps with Jawbone Thoughts for iOS (free, App Store). The app lets iPhone and newer iPod touch users record a voice message up to a minute long and send it to one or more people at the same time. Others with the app will get a push notification and can listen directly in the app, but those either without the app or a non-Apple device can still get a web link through e-mail or SMS.
Verizon has detailed a Black Friday promotion that will see it give away a free Jawbone ICON Bluetooth headset when users buy certain phones on Black Friday. The headset is valued at $100, and supports Jawbone's MyTALK feature that lets users download different apps for the headset itself, personalize its setting and get the latest firmware.
The Jambox Bluetooth speaker announced at the start of the month is now shipping. Aliph's first Bluetooth speaker, as opposed to a Jawbone headset, it has similar app support as the headsets and is one of the very few wireless speakers that can be upgraded with new firmware. The device uses a two small dome speakers that work in conjunction with a moving-wall passive bass radiator and airtight enclosure for more range than most portable speakers manage.
Jawbone has added a new line to its ICON Bluetooth headset range, which it has dubbed the EarWear collection. The new earpieces are named after fashion textiles and have been inspired by the materials to create a line that resembles futuristic jewelry. Each device in the ICON range is equipped with built-in noise reduction circuitry that helps to eliminate virtually all background noise to optimize call quality. They are also A2DP-enabled, allowing users to listen to take calls and listen to music.
An unusual FCC filing discovered today has suggested that Aliph is branching out beyond pure headsets. Nicknamed only the "Nerd Dongle," its only technical details reveal that it runs on the 2.4GHz wireless frequency used by Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. It superficially resembles a USB adapter like the "nano" receivers used by Logitech and Microsoft and has the Jawbone branding of Aliph's existing headsets.
Jawbone headset maker Aliph and Cisco have partnered up on a new Bluetooth headset, the Jawbone Icon for Cisco. Based on the standard Jawbone Icon, the device will automatically pair with cell and Cisco Unified IP phones at the same time. From the headset, users can answer calls from either their desk or cell phone in sequence.
Aliph today released an update to its Jawbone Icon Bluetooth headset for cellphones that gives it ability to stream music and other audio files. It now has A2DP and lets users get any audio regardless of the type, such as from navigation apps or Internet radio stations. The Icon was previously limited to the typical mono, hands-free protocol for calls.
Aliph put a new emphasis on software today with the launch of its third-generation Bluetooth headset, the Jawbone Icon. The new design is slightly wider but overall smaller than the Prime. It also claims the title of the first headset with apps: a beta website will let owners install apps for voice dialing, directory searching and other tasks.
Aliph in a low-key intro tonight revealed Jawbone Prime, the third generation of its Bluetooth headset. The Prime gets a slight cosmetic redesign that includes new, more varied colors but revolves around an updated noise cancellation engine that adds another 6dB to 9dB of outside sound reduction through the namesake jaw-based method. The mechanism is also designed to work more reliably when the jaw isn't in contact and particularly to reduce wind noise.
Aliph today launched a pair of new color variants for its second-generation Jawbone headset. The Babbling Blue and Rambling Rosé (light pink) hues are meant to fit in with the fashions of men and women and support the existing black, gold and silver colors of the Bluetooth headset.
Following a last-minute leak, Aliph tonight unveiled the Jawbone 2 Bluetooth headset. The company promises it has learned lessons from the original while keeping its namesake voice detection system, which measures voice activity from the jaw to provide extremely accurate noise cancellation. The earpiece is more discreet than the earlier version at half the size but is said to be even more effective at blocking outside sound. The ear hook itself is also more comfortable and detaches entirely for users whose ears are already a good fit.
An employee from an unnamed retailer has leaked several photos of a demonstration model Jawbone 2, which is allegedly receiving its official launch tomorrow. According to Engadget, the informer expects that stock for the high-tech headset will arrive tomorrow at an expected retail price of $129. The matte grey headset earns its renown from the first incarnation, which measures vibrations in the jaw, contrasting them against exterior noise for cancellation purposes.
The sequel to Aliph's successful Jawbone Bluetooth earpiece is coming soon, according to a new FCC filing. The headset is referred to by the original Jawbone name but represents a major redesign, including a shorter, subtler design as well as a new noise-canceling jaw sensor that shifts from two 'bumps' to one measuring the user's voice, and a sleeker connector used to charge the headset from its special USB cradle.
New versions of Aliph's popular self-titled Bluetooth headset have been released, according to an announcement. By default, Jawbones are available in grill-shaped red, silver or black designs; celebrity designer Yves Behar, however, has helped fashion three new models, part of a "very" limited-edition run. The Sweet Talk Jawbone is gold-tinted, and has a small floral etching. The Trash Talk headset is white, and has a "censored" expletive on its side; the Dirty Talk model is all-black meanwhile, and is engraved with a woman's silhouette.
