AI gadgets are popping up left and right, and Plaud’s NotePin is the latest to join the crowd. Priced at $169, this sleek AI voice recorder claims to transcribe, summarize, and pull out key information from your recordings. It’s user-friendly and does exactly what it promises, but with phones and smartwatches offering similar features, you might wonder if it’s really necessary. Let’s dive in and find out!
Why It’s Handy
The NotePin is all about convenience. You can wear it around your neck or wrist and record voice notes with a quick tap. The microphone does a decent job capturing audio and has impressive battery life. Need a reminder while driving or walking the dog? That’s no problem. Just speak into the NotePin, and it’s got you covered. It even summarizes podcasts!
Why It’s Doomed
The big issue? We already have this tech in our phones and watches. iPhones, Google’s Pixel phones, and even the Pixel Watch have built-in transcription and summarization features. Plus, there are tons of apps offering similar services. Do you need another gadget for something your phone does just as well?
The Plaud App Struggle
Once you record on the NotePin, you import it into the Plaud app. Sounds easy, right? Well, not so much. You have to manually transcribe and summarize each recording, and the app doesn’t connect to other apps. So, your grocery list or reminder just sits there. This adds unnecessary work when your phone can handle everything in one go.
Final Thoughts
The NotePin is undeniably cool, but when your phone or smartwatch can do nearly the same thing, it starts to feel a little redundant. While the idea of a dedicated AI voice recorder is clever, it’s hard for it to compete with the all-in-one tech we already carry around every day. Ultimately, AI gadgets like this might struggle to stay relevant in a world dominated by smartphones and smartwatches.
