A lot has been made of product convergence with smartphones becoming more powerful and ubiquitous. Cramming more features into a single device allows the user to do more without sacrificing comfort or accessibility. However, it's a very passive experience and, for all the badges and alerts a program may provide, the user still needs to be motivated to visit the app or access the features. This becomes even more difficult as more information gets packed on these devices.
That's why the Jawbone Up catches my attention. Despite the bad reviews, we may be reaching a tipping point where people revisit the value of dedicated devices. Up could be successful because, by decoupling the device from the phone (since smartphones arguably have the same features), it's a constant reminder that you're being monitored, and may motivate someone to make better health decisions (e.g., walk more, sleep at the appropriate times). Similar to a Prius, Jawbone may also be banking on the social signal component - wearing this demonstrates how much you care about your health.
With that being said, there are some adoption challenges. Right now, this will only appeal to the health conscious who arguably benefit less. However, if the type of technology becomes cheap enough, I could also see widespread use by insurance companies to motivate and monitor, similar to the Progressive Insurance Snapshot program. There are clearly privacy and social issues, so we'll have to see how successful their program is.
However, the idea of dedicated devices has always interested me. For example, instead of being cluttered with other smartphone apps, could insurance companies distribute a flexible e-ink card that explains benefits and provides tips for healthy behavior?
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