San Francisco--On the one hand, or wrist, there may be an eye-catching Apple Watch, while the other will sport with more discreet jewelry packed with Internet Age smarts.
Jawbone had that vision of the wearable computing trend in mind late Wednesday when it ramped its UP family of lifestyle-tracking bands and teased a coming model that enables American Express users to tap and pay at shop checkout counters.
"People often wear a watch at the same time they are wearing bracelets," Jawbone vice president of product management and strategy Travis Bogard told AFP at the company's San Francisco headquarters.
"We can now put technology into those situations in a way that doesn't disrupt how you would wear it. Then you can collect that information and do interesting things with it."
A UP3 bracelet that tracks heart rate along with activity and sleep is shipping after a delayed release while technicians improved water resistance.
Jawbone introduced another new Up band with an overhauled design and almost half the mass of its predecessor.
Bogard showed off a coming flagship UP4 model with sensors capable of measuring heart rate and other biometrics, and which could be used at checkouts that have American Express contactless payment systems.
"We have created a seamless payment experience all in the tap of a wrist," said Leslie Berland, executive vice president of digital partnerships and development at American Express.
UP4 will be priced at $199 when it is released in the middle of this year, according to Bogard. The lowest priced UP model is $49.
AFP
