Jawbone's software, dubbed as UP, is now capable of incorporating health and fitness data from multiple devices. These would include Google's Android Wear, Fitbit, Pebble smartwatch, Apple's HealthKit, and more. Jawbone adds that an application for Windows Phone will be available shortly.
Jawbone UP can also collect data from iWatch, Apple's most anticipated wearable device. This means that when a user forgets to wear the band for a night, he can pull data of his sleep from an iPhone and even from an Android smartphone.
Another major improvement is the UP24 band's free firmware update which extends its battery life to last up to fourteen days on a single charge. Users wouldn't have to miss a single step in getting the most accurate view of their day since the band now lasts longer than ever before. In order to get the free firmware update, users can connect their UP24 band to their PC and visit jawbone.com/up/updater.
Jawbone UP24 is the most fashionable, lightweight and comfortable fitness tracking wearable available in the market to date. Since the device has no display, all metrics have to be synced to an iOS or an Android app.
Apart from increasing the relevance of the Jawbone's software by making it accessible through various devices and platforms, the company is also into raising additional funds and hopes to reach at least up to $100 million. Originally, the company had aimed for a $250 million in funding earlier this year.
Helping the company achieve its latest round of raising funds is a strong list of investors. This would include Sequoia Capital, Khosla Ventures, Kleiner Perkins, J.P. Morgan's Digital Growth Fund and Andreessen Horowitz. Its board is composed of Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer, designer Yves Behar and VC Ben Horowitz.
Jawbone UP can track the user's workout activity, food and drink consumption and sleeping patterns. The company hopes it could attract people to the Jawbone hardware as the app takes on a more open approach.
People are also assuming that the company's move to enhance the UP's multi-platform compatibility is just in time for the release of Apple's iWatch. Understanding that the wearable market is growing at a constant rate, the company would like to take an advantage by making its app more accessible. Furthermore, Jawbone has been a strong partner of the iPhone maker and has enjoyed the privilege of having its devices and software featured in Apple's online and retail shops. Incidentally, Apple is now considered as a significant competitor in the health devices arena now that it has formally launched some of its new offerings.
