 In five years, fitness trackers probably won't be a thing. They'll be built into watches or clothing or your phone. But right now, they're the best way we have to use technology to get in shape. There are a million of them, and they all do essentially the same things. They count your steps, and they tell you if today's number is better than yesterday's. But a really good one will also tell you if you're not sleeping well. It'll remind you subtly or not so subtly to eat better, or go to bed a little earlier, or get out and exercise more. And it either looks good or is basically invisible. Or both. They come in all shapes and sizes, but the best fitness tracker you can buy right now is the Jawbone UP24. The reason is simple. It's just crazy powerful. The UP does basic step tracking, essentially the same as any other device. But it's really the most powerful when it comes to tracking your sleep. It tracks that incredibly well, and pairs it with your activity and your diet to give you these awesome small tips about how to do better tomorrow. Plus the vibrating alarm, which wakes you up at the perfect point in your sleep cycle, is just the best. The UP24 also syncs wirelessly, unlike the regular UP, so everything is always up to date automatically. But where the UP24 gets really powerful is its integrations. You can send your UP data to MyFitnessPal or a bunch of other apps, or even let it work with your Nest Thermostat to have the temperature automatically change when you go to bed. It works with some food delivery services, so it'll know what you're eating as soon as you order it. Using If This Then That, there's even a huge list of other things you can do as well. It turns the UP24 from a simple fitness tracker into an essentially limitless data collection machine. It comes in nice colors, it doesn't look geeky, the battery lasts a week, and it's just the best fitness tracker you can buy right now. The only other one worth even looking at is the Garmin VivoFit, which is basically the exact opposite of the UP24. It has kind of an ugly, basic app, it doesn't do much other than just count your steps, and it's not great looking. But I like that it has a screen on it and that it tells the time, and I really like that its battery lasts a full year. If you want to buy a step counter and not a whole health ecosystem, the VivoFit is a really strong choice. The rest of the market really runs the gamut. On the one hand, there are super powerful ones like the Samsung Gear Fit, which is also basically a smartwatch, or the Basis Band, which collects lots and lots of extra data. On the other, there's the Misfit Shine, a beautiful round puck you strap to your wrist that just looks like jewelry. And often some weird other realm is the Huawei TalkBand B1, which also doubles as a Bluetooth headset for some reason. The Fitbit Flex is basically just like the UP24, with a slightly thinner band and a lot fewer features. Same goes for most other options, the Wittings Pulse O2 and many more. Ultimately, you should really pick the one you like wearing the most, because whether or not you'll keep it on is the main thing that matters in a fitness tracker. But if you're committed to getting and staying healthy, eating and sleeping and exercising better, the Jawbone UP is by far the most qualified device to help, at least until a great smartwatch comes along.
 In five years, fitness trackers probably won't be a thing.
 They'll be built into watches or clothing or your phone.
 But right now, they're the best way we have to use technology to get in shape.
 There are a million of them, and they all do essentially the same things.
 They count your steps, and they tell you if today's number is better than yesterday's.
 But a really good one will also tell you if you're not sleeping well.
 It'll remind you subtly or not so subtly to eat better, or go to bed a little earlier, or get out and exercise more.
 And it either looks good or is basically invisible.
 Or both.
 They come in all shapes and sizes, but the best fitness tracker you can buy right now is the Jawbone UP24.
 The reason is simple. It's just crazy powerful.
 The UP does basic step tracking, essentially the same as any other device.
 But it's really the most powerful when it comes to tracking your sleep.
 It tracks that incredibly well, and pairs it with your activity and your diet to give you these awesome small tips about how to do better tomorrow.
 Plus the vibrating alarm, which wakes you up at the perfect point in your sleep cycle, is just the best.
 The UP24 also syncs wirelessly, unlike the regular UP, so everything is always up to date automatically.
 But where the UP24 gets really powerful is its integrations.
 You can send your UP data to MyFitnessPal or a bunch of other apps,
 or even let it work with your Nest Thermostat to have the temperature automatically change when you go to bed.
 It works with some food delivery services, so it'll know what you're eating as soon as you order it.
 Using If This Then That, there's even a huge list of other things you can do as well.
 It turns the UP24 from a simple fitness tracker into an essentially limitless data collection machine.
 It comes in nice colors, it doesn't look geeky, the battery lasts a week, and it's just the best fitness tracker you can buy right now.
 The only other one worth even looking at is the Garmin VivoFit, which is basically the exact opposite of the UP24.
 It has kind of an ugly, basic app, it doesn't do much other than just count your steps, and it's not great looking.
 But I like that it has a screen on it and that it tells the time, and I really like that its battery lasts a full year.
 If you want to buy a step counter and not a whole health ecosystem, the VivoFit is a really strong choice.
 The rest of the market really runs the gamut.
 On the one hand, there are super powerful ones like the Samsung Gear Fit, which is also basically a smartwatch,
 or the Basis Band, which collects lots and lots of extra data.
 On the other, there's the Misfit Shine, a beautiful round puck you strap to your wrist that just looks like jewelry.
 And often some weird other realm is the Huawei TalkBand B1, which also doubles as a Bluetooth headset for some reason.
 The Fitbit Flex is basically just like the UP24, with a slightly thinner band and a lot fewer features.
 Same goes for most other options, the Wittings Pulse O2 and many more.
 Ultimately, you should really pick the one you like wearing the most,
 because whether or not you'll keep it on is the main thing that matters in a fitness tracker.
 But if you're committed to getting and staying healthy, eating and sleeping and exercising better,
 the Jawbone UP is by far the most qualified device to help, at least until a great smartwatch comes along.