Jawbones New Fitness Tracker Lets You Buy Stuff While You Exercise
Ever get a craving for a protein shake at the gym only to realize you left your wallet at the office? Jawbone's newest fitness tracker, the UP4, has you covered. Jawbone's UP4 fitness tracker syncs up with your American Express card and uses Near-Field Communication NFC to let you make purchases via the device, no wallet needed. The UP4 is a result of a partnership between AmEx and Jawbone, so Visa and MasterCard users might be out of luck when the UP4 first goes on sale for 199.99 later this summer. , NFC is the same technology that powers Apple Pay, Apple's mobile payment software found on the iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus and the Apple Watch. Apple is positioning the entry-level, 349.99 and up Apple Watch Sport as a fitness device. Jawbone including one of the Apple Watch's best features  mobile payments  in a cheaper wristband may help it compete with Apple's new wearable, which goes on sale April 24. Mobile payments aside, the UP4 is similar to the 179.99 UP3, Jawbone's recently-released fitness tracker that tracks your activity levels, heart rate, sleep patterns and more. Both the UP4 and UP3 also offer what Jawbone calls "Smart Coach," software that's supposed to make fitness recommendations based on what it learns about your activity levels. Along with the UP4, Jawbone is also introducing a lower-cost fitness band called the UP2. The UP2 packs many of the UP3's features into a smaller wristband that costs 99.99 and is available now.