Jawbone vs. FitBit vs. Nike Fuel? Fitness Christmas presents

My friend Sharon recently got a FitBit - it measures her steps, her sleep/wake patterns, and a bunch of other stuff. It logged a ton of steps complete with changes in elevation during our recent trip to the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta, which made me see that it just MIGHT encourage me to park further away from the door at the store, to go for a brief walk in the evening - in other words, to get out there and move more.

Plus, it's a cool gadget. I wanted one! I told my husband I'd send him a link so he can get it for me for Christmas. Soon after Sharon showed me the FitBit, I looked into it, and learned that the newest version is a Fitbit One, which syncs automatically through Bluetooth (a plus, since I'm not great at remembering to plug stuff in).

It's Never That Simple

Today on my to-do list was sending my husband that link. But wait! I got an email from Jawbone about their new Jawbone Up fitness/lifestyle tracking wristband. I like Jawbone already; this is why I'm on their mailing list, I love my Jambox (bluetooth wireless speakers for my iPhone) and my Jawbone bluetooth earpiece.

I Need My Buddies!

So I email Sharon the link to the Jawbone Up video and ask her what she thinks. I prefaced it with: "I already have a buddy on the FitBit, though," thinking I would stay with the FitBit One because I need that buddy system to keep me motivated. Sharon's FitBit steps and activities already show up in my MapMyRide stream - the MapMyFitness family of apps are great about that. Since I most often do cycling, I've got MapMyRide on my iPhone and both iPads, and several buddies on that network.

But damn! Sharon replies that she just LOST her FitBit, she's is in the market for the next gadget, and that someone she trusts told her to check into the Nike Fuel Band.

So since I'm having to decide, I'm asking you to help me. Here are the pros and cons and features as I read them. 

Price

• FitBitOne: $99.95
• Jawbone Up: $129.99
• Nike FuelBand: $149.00

Form Factor/Appearance

It's important to me that I enjoy wearing the thing. Here's what they look like:

FitBit

Jawbone Up (orange)

Nike FuelBand

• FitBit One: Clip on Gadget. It comes with a thick-looking cloth wristband that looks like it might clash with my nightwear, and don't forget - Sharon Lost Hers. Black or maroon.
• Jawbone Up: A mostly flexible wristband with a little overlap. Lots of color choices listed as "Coming Soon" including a "Firecat" orange. But no indication when the color versions will come out, so for now - black only.
• Nike FuelBand: A rigid circlet bracelet that comes in three colors, white/clear, and two forms of black. Designed for and by men, is my guess.

Features That May Sway Me

FitBit One:

• Syncs automatically with Bluetooth.
• Can be set to automatically post to MapMyFitness family of apps.
• If Sharon decides to get another one ... buddy system.
• Elevation/steps up and down. The data gathering and display overall looks more robust.
• Not water resistant - take it off for showering.
• Separate syncing cradle thingy that Shelley already lost, I think.

Jawbone Up: 

• Groovy colorful bracelet that I think I might wear more, but when can I have orange instead of black?
• Syncs to iPhone through a headphone jack. Since I have an iPhone, this works for me. But my Android friends would be left out of the buddy system, for now.
• The sleep / activity setting thing on the end, I would have to remember to set. It has a little moon for sleep time, and something else for "I'm about to go running/biking" etc. Would rather it just see "Oh, hey, she's on the move!"
• Battery life sounds great if true - 10 days.
• Doesn't look like it considers elevation - like the MapMyRide does, and like FitBit does.
• Comes in small, medium and large - nice to see a Small on there, since I have pretty small wrists and don't want a big loose jiggly bangle.
• Water resistant - wear in the shower.

Nike FuelBand:

• A rigid circlet bracelet that comes in three colors, white/clear, and two forms of black. 
• Designed for and by men, is my guess.
• Waterproof.
• Mixed feelings about paying for the Nike brand.
• It seems to be losing in the reviews.

So, I THINK I'm leaning toward a Jawbone Up, waiting for Orange. If you have one of these, I would dearly love to hear what your experience has been.

And of course, it's JUST A GADGET

What would be best is for me to stop blogging and get my bike into the back of my truck, turn on the perfectly serviceable MapMyFitness app, push "Record," and GO.