Jawbone Dropped The Bone and Released New Version

As a review, the Jawbone UP is an all-in-one health monitor wristband that is to be worn 24/7. Used in conjunction with the free UP app for iPhone, the system tracks a user’s sleep, exercise and food intake. As detailed in our previous review, UP works as advertised even with its Version 1.0 limitations. In fact, at the time, we called it “impressive.”

So, what’s the problem?

Battery issues are causing a significant number of UP wristbands to stop working after one or two full charges. Unfortunately, I am experiencing the same issue. My black UP worked flawlessly until I attempted to charge it a second time. Now, all it does is blink red and orange during charging attempts. Unplugged, it does nothing.

Luckily, Jawbone seems fully aware of whatever battery problem exists. In fact, the company is replacing defective wristbands no questions asked at retailers like Apple, AT&T and Target, or through the Jawbone website.

According to Raul Corella, VP of Jawbone Customer Support, in a message left on the UP Community boards:

We’re hearing that a limited number of users are experiencing issues with their UP band. It’s paramount to us that everyone has a great experience with UP. Rest assured we will take care of all of our customers.

We’ve been thrilled by the overwhelming response and demand for this product. As with any new product in a new category, issues may arise during the introductory phase. We’re committed to understanding, addressing, and resolving all issues as soon as we can. For this reason, feedback about your experience is really important to us and will help make the product better.

Please contact us immediately to share your feedback, ideas, or suggestions. You can reach us at the following: upsupport@jawbone.com or 1-800-JAWBONE.
We stand behind our products unequivocally, are working diligently to resolve any issues, and will promptly replace any defective bands.

Personally, I’m thrilled Jawbone is being as proactive as it is on this issue. Unfortunately, as a writer that only six days ago recommended the Jawbone UP to our readers, I felt it was important to put this additional information out there. This is especially true for those readers that are considering purchasing the Jawbone UP in the future. As such, it’s important to note that Sue Megrund also purchased the UP (three, in fact) and has reported no problems.

For my part, I took my defective UP to AT&T, where I purchased it, and received a replacement wristband at no charge.

In the meantime, let us know if you too are experiencing problems with the Jawbone UP. Leave your comments below.

Power Bracelet – Is it really working?

Is it really working?

They’re worn by some of the most successful athletes in the world. Basketball superstar Kobe Bryant wears one, and Shaquile O’Neal swears by them.

Celebrities wear them too. Trendy wristbands and bracelets that supposedly increase strength, balance, and even improve health.

Mark Wahlberg wore one at the Golden Globes and when he appeared on The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson.

And Kevin Dillon, from the hit show Entourage, says his bracelet works so well he won’t even take it off during filming.  When INSIDE EDITION caught up with him on the red carpet, he showed off the wristband he was wearing and said, “If I go somewhere without it, my neck is going to hurt.”

So what’s the secret? The companies say they’re made from special materials like mysterious holograms or unique metals that can make you feel better. But is it really a bunch of baloney?

One of the most successful companies is Power Balance, selling $35 million worth of their hologram bracelets last year.

Former President Bill Clinton wore one. Even the future princess of England, Kate Middleton has been seen wearing one.

And reality star Audrina Patridge thought the wristband would give her an edge on Dancing With the Stars.  “I thought it would help me stay balanced while I was dancing. I think it really works,” she said.

But does it? We asked Dr. Steven Novella, a clinical neurologist at the Yale University School of Medicine to review the claims made by Power Balance.

INSIDE EDITION Chief Investigative Correspondent Lisa Guerrero read him one of those claims. “The hologram incorporated into the bracelet is designed to respond to the natural energy field in your body and it helps you perform to the best of your ability. Do you believe that?”

“Not for a second. That is based upon nothing. That is literally made up marketing hype,” Novella said.

So how do you explain the impressive demonstration the company shows. During a balance test, the subject, standing on one leg with their arms outstretched, easily falls over when someone presses down on one of their arms without power balance. But after the bracelet is put on, his balance appears much stronger!

Dr. Novella showed Lisa Guererro how he believes they do it.

“I’m going to show how easy it is to push you over by putting a little bit of pressure. I’m barely pushing you, you go right over,” he explained

Next, instead of giving her a power balance bracelet to wear, Dr. Novella had something else in mind. “You can use my magical car keys.”

With Guererro holding a set of car keys, Novella can push very hard and she’s not falling over.

“These are magic car keys.  How did you do that?” asked Guerrero

“Very simple,” Novella said.  “It’s all physics.  When I want you to fall over, I push straight down. When I don’t want you to fall, I just push slightly inward.  Now I’m pushing (at an angle) towards your feet. It’s just physics. You’re not going to fall over. It looks very compelling if you don’t know what’s going on.”

Power Balance insists there are no tricks involved and that their products work.

Company executives wouldn’t agree to an interview, so INSIDE EDITION went to a Power Balance sponsored event in New Orleans to try to talk to a representative.

Sure enough, they were doing that same balance test to impress potential customers. But before Guerrero could even ask a question, she and her crew were kicked out.

“Please stop filming,” said a company representative.

The bottom line, according to Dr. Novella: “They can’t work and in fact there is no evidence that they do work.”

Recently the makers of Power Balance admitted to Australian authorities that there is no credible scientific basis for their claims. But, the company told INSIDE EDITION the bracelets do work and they stand behind their products.

All the manufacturers say their customers are very satisfied and they offer a money back guarantee.

Wristbands To Boost Jobs, Small Businesses and Economy

I believe many small business owners are struggling with uncertainty. According to the SBA, 99 percent of U.S. businesses are considered small businesses. And these businesses are the key to job creation and growth. Yet given the tremendous economic uncertainty and our ongoing dance at the edge of the so-called fiscal cliff, it’s no wonder that small business owners are leery of committing to new hiring.

Either way, there’s clearly cause for alarm since the unemployment rate has been running above 8 percent since February 2009. While there was a drop in the rate last month to 7.8 percent, this has been the longest consecutive-month stretch of unemployment in excess of 8 percent in more than 70 years according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The wristband theory works this way; $3,000 donated by fellow Americans (which happens to be 600 wristbands) matched with another $18,000 is the exact sum that the Opportunity Finance network estimates will help a small business create or sustain one job, should the small business receive a $21,000 loan.

And the repayment rate from these small businesses has run at a whopping 98 percent! 

The SBA classifies small businesses as those with fewer than 500 employees. There are a lot of these. When small businesses fail, there isn’t much fanfare or panic. We simply expect that another business will rise up and potentially fill the vacated opportunity. Jobs are lost, jobs are gained. Have you ever heard, “That business is too small to fail?”

It’s not likely that these small business leaders have time to start an occupy movement any time soon, where they take their grievances to the streets. They have their hands full trying to maintain and grow their enterprise. And some may be in a position where they have room to add new hires, but now they simply wait in hopes to better understand and project what potential regulatory changes might impact their future.

Michael Lee, owner of Express Services in Seattle is keenly aware of how this uncertainty plays out. His employment firm is a temporary and recruiting business that provides labor to many area small businesses. “It actually helps our industry in a sense,” said Lee. “These companies are backfilling work with temps rather than hiring when they feel like they’re in the dark concerning taxes, medical insurance requirements, major cuts in government spending and the like.” 

The recent presidential debate, which focused on domestic policies, included plenty of talk about unemployment. Clearly, unemployment is a tremendous concern and challenge to our economic vitality.

In Washington state, our top two gubernatorial candidates are also promising solutions that will bring more jobs to the region and stimulate greater levels of employment. 

It’s disappointing to me that the debate, regardless the party, at the national, state or regional level, politicians are not giving us much in terms of concrete or specific actions that would provide relief or hope to the small business owner. 

So here’s what I did. Rather than sit on the sideline and complain, I invested in hope. I bought the wristband as a token that this may provide stimulus to help even one new job to be created or saved. After all, it’s only $5. And the wristband is made in the U.S.A. This is not a bailout. Rather it is a gift that is converted into an enterprise loan to gain jobs. 

Article was quoted from HeraldNet.  Juergen Kneifel is a senior associate faculty member in the Everett Community College business program. Please send your comments to entrepreneurship@everettcc.edu.

Disney is Looking to Utilize Wireless Wristbands for Theme Parks Visitors

Nothing has been announced as of yet, but something tentatively known as the “Magic Band” was kind of called out right on the website of the Federal Communications Commission.

Without an official announcement it’s all speculation, but it looks like this “Magic Band” is some kind of wireless bracelet that would digitally hold your admission and ticket information. Basically you’d exchange your credit card digits for a Magic Band that would let you access the park, and maybe even charge a mickey ice cream bar right to your linked card. Again, we’re just guessing here.

The bracelets, wristbands, or whatever you want to call them look like they can be customized with your name, and of course they’ll be sporting some snazzy mickey ears. We’re kind of hopeful that they’ll be able to beam down ride reservations—like a new version of their Fastpass system—and other little theme park tidbits right to our wrists.

As of now it looks like Mickey and his friends are keeping their lips zipped when it comes to this new ticket system, but we’ll let you know when (and if) the Magic Band is released into the wild.

Source: FTC
[Photo: Disney/FCC]

Microsoft wristbands is Potentially Remapping The World of Motion Control

While we may still be a few years away from Minority Report-like interfaces, a new development from Microsoft Research could change the way we interact with tablets like the Surface.

Having already changed the motion control world with its Kinect camera for Xbox and windows, Microsoft Research has developed Digits, a new wristband sensor that can accurately track individual finger movements.

Completely made out of off the shelf components, the wristband consists of an IR camera, IR laser line generator, an IR diffuse illuminator and an inertial measurement unit.

The IR camera then captures three different images in rapid succession, combining them to recreate an accurate representation of the hands position in real time.

Potential game changer

Microsoft believes that this new setup has the potential to change gesture controls for not just gaming, but also as an additional interface for tablets.

Because the sensor creates an accurate representation of the hand and requires no external line of sight device, the wristband can seamlessly integrate with touch controls.
It can also enable eyes-free controls, allowing control of a mobile device without needing to take the device out of a pocket or bag.

Some examples of eye-free application includes controlling volume and tuning options in a radio application, or being able to answer a call by simply giving the thumbs up symbol.
There’s no guarantee the wristband will ever become a retail product, but pair it with some Google Project Glass eyewear, a Kinect and a high speed internet connection and we’ve got ourselves a pretty futuristic interface system.

Article was quoted from Gizmodo

$640,000 per night for Wristbands

British rockers Coldplay spent an estimated $640,000 a night to supply fans with flashing wristbands that lit up in time to the beat of their music at concerts.

Mylo Xyloto Tour

The electronic bracelets have been worn by revelers around the world on the band’s Mylo Xyloto Tour, filling venues with color during the group’s hits, but frontman Chris Martin recently revealed he and his bandmates were reconsidering using the cool gimmick because it was proving too expensive.

He said, “Most of the money we’re earning on the tour is put into the wristbands. We have to figure out how to keep it going without going broke because it’s a crucial part of the concert.”

Now guitarist Johnny Buckland has put a price on the bracelets, revealing it has cost the group more than half a million dollars a night to fund the initiative, but he hopes they will be able to continue handing out the light devices for free at gigs – because it really turns concerts into amazing experiences.

He tells Bauer Radio, “It looks amazing, it just makes everyone have a great time, most of all us – and it just feels so magical.”

It is not yet known if Coldplay will use the wristbands when they kick off the second leg of their North American tour in Texas next week.

Source: San Francisco Chronicle