Jawbone Up, an always on activity and sleep tracking bracelet, just became far more useful thanks to a new ability to work with many other fitness applications and devices. It dramatically improves Up's ability to track things beyond simple movement (or lack thereof) by tying into other products and exchanging data.
This is possible thanks to Jawbone's new API that it's calling the Up platform which lets it play nice with other programs like RunKeeper and MapMyFitness, as well as devices like the Withings scale, and even the programming-for-everyone service IFTTT. This means you can import your fitness data from other services into its app, or use your Up activity tracking to trigger other events. For example, your Withings weight data or Runkeeper activity can be imported directly into the Up app, and viewed there. In all, Jawbone announced partnerships with IFTTT, LoseIt!, Maxwell Health, MapMyFitness, MyFitnessPal, Notch, RunKeeper, Sleepio, Wello and Withings. The company also says it has plans to open the platform so others can integrate as well.
Right now, the platform is iOS only (sorry, Android users, but hey, you must be used to this kind of thing by now). Update your Up iOS app to version 2.5, and you'll be able to link other services starting today.
Perhaps even more interestingly long-term, the company also announced it has acquired BodyMedia, maker of the FIT system. The two would seem to be a good match. While Jawbone's bracelet is extremely wearable, and great-looking, it doesn't do prescriptive analysis other than on an extremely basic level--such as vibrating to remind you to move around some if you haven't for a while. The FIT, on the other hand, is a multi-sensor device that dives far deeper into your activity and can help build a prescriptive coaching plan, but is bulky and could use a far more approachable industrial design.
