Plaud's NotePin has one job for its AI

Unlike the Humane Ai Pin, the Plaud NotePin isn't trying to boil the ocean in its feature set and use of AI. Coming in September, Plaud's new capsule-shaped NotePin is a wearable AI-powered voice recorder.

The NotePin has one main job for its AI – making sense of audio recordings. The device records audio and uses ChatGPT's GPT-4o model – which recognizes audio, vision and text – to organize recordings into transcripts and summaries.

There's an expanding market for wearables, with global shipments of wearable devices growing 8.8% year-over-year in Q1 2024 to 113.1 million units, reported IDC. However, average selling prices (ASPs) declined for the fifth quarter in a row, dropping to 11% in Q1 "as emerging markets gained traction and as the economy put downward pressure on consumer spending."

Compared to other AI-powered pins, the NotePin seems simplistic. But perhaps that's where it will deliver where others have failed. The Humane Ai Pin, for example, is essentially a phone replacement with a laser display that can be projected onto the user's hands.

The problem with complex AI wearables

Packing what are typically smartphone features with AI capabilities hasn't led to stellar device performance.

"This wearable, touch-activated 'second brain' is too bare-bones and not all that useful," reported Wired of the Humane Ai Pin. The device has minimal features, the "projector is annoying to interact with and is impossible to see in daylight," photo and video quality is poor in low light, and it's easy to steal or hack, explained Wired.

Related:What's the Story? The pricey privacy problem with Humane and T-Mobile's Ai Pin

Plus, the Humane Ai Pin has a problem with overheating – not an added feature anyone wants for a device worn on the chest. It also only provides a cellular connection through T-Mobile, doesn't connect to the user's existing phone number and requires a $24 monthly subscription, on top of the $699 for the device itself, reported The Verge.

Plaud declined to comment on Light Reading's request for information on connectivity options, such as cellular or roaming services, and explained that "we're keeping some details about the product under wraps for now."

Earlier this month, Humane was hit with $1 million in total returns compared to $9 million in sales, said The Verge. Ahead of the pin's launch in January, the company laid off 4% of its workforce.

Plaud NotePin combines AI with transcription services

The NotePin, on the other hand, might be a lesson in starting simple when it comes to pairing AI with a wearable. The NotePin can be worn as a necklace, a wristband, a clip or a pin, and records, transcribes and summarizes information. Integrated with ChatGPT AI, Plaud said the device learns from users over time "to perform routine tasks before and after important meetings or events."

Related:What's the Story? Tales of woe from the island of misfit AI toys

NotePin assigns audio clips to individual speakers and can assist with organizing meeting notes and assigning action items. Summaries are searchable in a similar manner to how users ask questions of ChatGPT. Plaud's NotePin has a 40-day standby time battery life and 20 hours of continuous recording, as well as a "Find My" device feature. Recordings can be managed via the Plaud app and Plaud web.

"Its battery lasts for up to 20 hours of continuous recording, the company says, but Plaud doesn't intend for it to always be on — you have to tap on the device to start recording, for one thing, rather than just setting it and forgetting it," reported The Verge.

Plaud said the device also encrypts users' transcriptions and summaries in the cloud, but not on the device itself, according to Wired. However, CEO Nathan Hsu explained that the likelihood of someone stealing a NotePin and accessing recordings is low because the device uses a proprietary charging connector. In theory, a hacker could purchase their own NotePin connector to circumvent that security feature.

The device is priced at $169 and provides up to 300 minutes of audio recording per month, reported Wired. "To record more than that, you can pay a $79 annual fee for the pro plan that gets you 1,200 minutes per month and additional features like labels that identify different speakers in a transcription," according to Wired.

Plaud currently sells the Plaud Note, an AI-capable recorder integrated with ChatGPT that can be attached to the back of a phone. The Plaud Note includes 30-hour continuous recording, 60 days of standby time and up to 240 days on 64GB of storage.