Plaud takes a crack at a simpler AI pin | TechCrunch

Successful wearables are largely confined to a few select form factors. The wrist still rules the roost or perhaps the ears, depending on how broad your definition is. Glasses are having a moment, while the ring gains traction. The pin/necklace never made much headway, though not for lack of trying.

Misfit explored the space, and maybe you remember the lifelogging trend exemplified by Narrative and Memoto. The more recent generative AI push has given us Humane and Friend. The jury is still out on one of those, at least.

Plaud.AI’s newly announced NotePin has the most in common with the latter two examples, with AI serving as its core competency. One key difference, however, is the simplicity of its core functionality: It’s a note taking device. And that’s pretty much it.

Where lifelogging focused on either streaming or still images, NotePin is about conversations. The device utilizes large language model-based text transcriptions. The idea is to provide a more organic method for getting words and ideas down from meetings, school or just life, while the AI does the heavy lifting of digging through the hours of your largely nonsensical ramblings.

“NotePin is more than just an AI device,” Plaud co-founder and CEO Nathan Hsu says in a release. “It’s your always-ready business partner, handling mundane, daily tasks so you can concentrate on what truly drives value in your life and career. This small but powerful device is reshaping the professional landscape, allowing users to optimize their day-to-day workflow and focus on what matters most.”

That’s a lot of marketing speak, particularly the bit about “reshaping the professional landscape.” Among other things, the product has yet to actually launch. One thing Plaud has going for it versus the competition is an earlier product, the Plaud Note, that has both shipped and sold 200,000 units, according to the company.

The GPT-4o-powered Plaud Note generated buzz. The $159 device snaps onto the back of a handset to provide note transcriptions similar to the new product.

The NotePin, which hits preorder Wednesday, runs $10 more than its predecessor. The “free starter plan” gives users 300 minutes of transcription time a month. For $79 a year, users get the Pro Plan with 1,200 minutes a month and additional features like speaker labels and audio importing.