PLAUD NotePin Review: World's Most Wearable AI
By Cybernews
Summary
## Key takeaways - **2024 AI Gadgets Mostly Flops**: Most AI gadgets released in 2024 were flops, take as a prime example the Rabbit R1 which was one of the Darlings of CES 2024, sold out pre-orders in a single day, then became a buggy half-baked product with serious security issues. [00:38], [01:01] - **NotePin: Tiny Key-Sized Wearable**: Whereas the NotePin's predecessor the Plaud Note is about the size of a credit card, the NotePin is about the size of a house key with a sleek appealing design made from lightweight ultra thin aluminum alloy and multiple attachment options. [02:19], [02:30] - **Instant Offline Recording**: Press one time in the center to begin recording through two high fidelity microphones with a red light and haptic vibration; audio saves locally like old school micro cassette recorders, not dependent on internet. [02:51], [03:03] - **Fast AI Transcription Accuracy**: Process audio with ChatGPT 4o or Claude 3.5 into searchable transcripts, summaries, mind maps, and action items in seconds; super accurate at summarizing main points though struggles with atypical names. [04:42], [05:03] - **Key Cons: Manual Cleanup Needed**: Transcription and summaries still require manual cleanup; platform should automatically merge files instead of inconvenient extra steps leading to multiple separate lists to edit. [05:25], [05:48] - **Existential Threat from Phones**: Could the transcription work the NotePin does be done on my iPhone with a ChatGPT subscription? To prove its standalone existence against phones and big tech giants with unlimited resources. [07:39], [08:00]
Topics Covered
- 2024 AI Gadgets Flopped Hard
- Always-Arm's-Length Recording Frees You
- Auto-Merge Files to Kill Fragmentation
- Standalone Gadget Beats Phone Dependency
Full Transcript
most AI gadgets released in 2024 were flops now some reviewers are calling the new pla not pin the best AI Gadget I wanted to find out whether the not pin could improve not only my productivity
but also dial back my stress levels by making my life easier or if it was just more of the same overhyped junk and I got to say I was surprised at just how
much I like this thing stick around as we get hands on with this new AI wearable to dig into its flaws and surprising health and Wellness [Music]
[Music] benefits like I said before most of the AI gadgets released in 2024 were flops take as a prime example the rabbit R1
which was one of the Darlings of CES 2024 when the AI Gold Rush hit an all-time high with its fun slick design and promised to be the AI Wizard of Oz delivering all things to all people it
raised expectations Skyhigh selling out pre-orders on its first 10,000 unit production run in a single day then it became clear that rabbit had over promised when it underd delivered a
buggy half-baked product with a fraction of the advertised functionality and some serious security issues the positioning of plot's new not pin is different it's being sold as an easytouse wearable AI
memory capsule that puts a digital stenographer at your fingertips the design isn't flashy like some of its AI wearable predecessors no laser displays or scroll Wheels here and its
functionality promises to remove the need for tedious note taking and memorization through AI powered processing that automatically turns audio recordings in 112 languages
including conversations into searchable Auto paragraph transcripts summaries mind maps and action items now I'm also someone for whom inspiration strikes and disappears quickly and a major part of
my job is writing the easiest way for me to overcome writers and knock out a first draft of a script or a creative brief quickly is via dictation so I think I'm probably the core demo for this thing all right so this is the
creative brief for the video you're watching right now video begins with a cold open where we say most of the AI wearable releases in 2024 or fails however we're actually hearing good
things about the pla note pin whereas the note pin's predecessor the plaud note is about the size of a credit card the note pin is about the size of a house key the note pin has a sleek
appealing design and is made from lightweight ultra thin aluminum alloy seen here in the color Cosmic gray it has a magnetic back to fasten the device to your clothing but also comes with
three alternate attachment options including a clip lanyard and wristband I prefer The Wristband because it's easier for me to see the right spot to press you just press one time in the center of the note pin to begin recording through
its two High Fidelity microphones a little red light turns on and you'll feel a single haptic vibration to let you know you've started the recording then to stop the recording you press the same button again and this time you'll
feel two vibrations and the light turns off after you stop the recording the audio is saved locally on the not pin almost like one of those old school micro cassette recorders which I actually think is a good thing because
your ability to record isn't dependent on the internet like it is with some other devices which can sometimes lose a recording and leave you feeling like a dumbass after you just rambled into the thing for 30 seconds for no reason then
you transfer your audio recording to the pla AI platform at your convenience for transcription and summary which you do through an app on your phone the app has a simple standard setup process download from your respective App Store and
create an account should totally take less than 5 minutes the plot notein finds and connects to your phone via Bluetooth and after the first time using notein it seems to do this automatically again pretty simple the audio file
transfer is generally pretty quick depending on its length though you can make it even faster by using something called Fast transfer that connects to the note pin via Wi-Fi hotspot the not
pin uses something called AI High speech enhancement and does sound better than Note for comparison here's a pla Note review of the audio quality it's called the pla note and it's this super skinny
thing that's literally the size of a credit card and now the note pin hearing good things about the pla note pin so I got Hands-On with the device to see if
it really could improve my productivity all you video production people you won't be replacing your lavalier mics anytime soon however the audio quality is definitely good enough for review and transcription / summarization which is
what we're here for at this point you can choose to process your audio by using either chat GPT 40 or Claude 3.5 and you can choose between summary templates including autopilot call note
consulting or report then hit generate and in a matter of seconds for a 22-minute recording it didn't take more than a minute for me here's the result of the recording you saw earlier where I outlined this video you've got a full
transcription summary with headings and action items and mind maps which I found to be super accurate although it does struggle with with atypical names of people places and companies take note
plaud all right first pro and con Pro it's honestly amazing to have this thing at arms length and not behind a lock screen inside an app so I'm able to begin recording immediately add to
shopping list we're going to need some vegetables for the stew we're going to need some Tempe for one of the sides
we're going to need some drinks I think we're going to do some wine but first significant con the transcription and summaries generated still requires some manual Cleanup in organization I'm
constantly juggling multiple tasks and ongoing projects simultaneously coming up with new ideas for each at random times though the plot AI platform does allow you to manually merge audio files and transcripts this feels Like An
Inconvenient extra step the platform should be capable of automatically taking care of to truly make my life easier I want to be able to say hey I have a new idea for a creative brief or
add the following items to my dinner party shopping list and have the not pin not to automatically tack the new stuff onto my existing files not have 12 separate shopping lists that I later
have to merge and edit it's annoying right now but I do think we'll get there pla AI can transcribe conversations and has a new beta function that automatically separates and labels different speakers this presents one of
the main differences between the note pin and its predecessor where you can attach the older note to the back of your phone to record private calls in phone call recording mode through through vibration conduction sensor
technology the younger note pin has no comparable technology so any calls would need to be on speaker making privacy harder but both versions are accurate and eliminate the need to take notes so
you can be present during meetings and spend less time doing organizational busy work like Recaps and action items and this of course brings up the obvious ethical concern privacy since you'll essentially be wearing a surveillance
and recording device at all times it's on the user to ask permission to record conversation I mean look we've all essentially been walking around with little recording devices in our pockets for decades already so I don't know that this is a
big deal but again there's something about how easy it is to do here that makes me a bit uneasy the not pin comes with a starter plan that includes 300 minutes per month audio processing with
the option to upgrade to the Pro Plan for $6.60 per month build annually that includes up to 1,200 minutes per month and more summary template options which brings me to the existential battle that
plaud like other aiare able companies is fighting right now to prove that the various productivity and stress relieving benefits of not pin justify its existence as a standalone product
instead of just a feature on the phone you already have in your pocket the fact that plot is essentially still in startup mode and created a product which sits on top of chat GPT that all their competitors also have access to doesn't
allow for a lot of long-term security for their business model especially when competing against industry Giants with massive platforms and unlimited resources for long term Innovation like
Google's Willow Quantum chip which took over a decade to develop could the transcription work the notep pin does be done on my iPhone with a chat GPT subscription yeah but for me at least it
feels super freeing to have this thing Within Reach at any time not in a pocket not behind a lock screen inside an app not dependent on an internet connection but ready to record at the push of a
button you just hit the button so these are ideas for the book forward I have to write now to the improved health and wellness angle I'm not sure I feel less stressed but then I am recording this video around the holidays which is the
most stressful time of year that said this thing really did let me transcribe shopping lists plans and ideas at a moment's notice was it some second brain I could give tasks to without revision
no but it was really accurate at summarizing main points and extracting action items which was definitely useful and the price point is super reasonable for how helpful this thing is look I'll admit it's hard to see a long-term
future for something like this in the Cutthroat world of big Tech but honestly I really really enjoyed using it the plot note pin is definitely not one of 2024's AI fails until something better
comes along something that doesn't make me pull my phone out of my pocket I'm going to keep it in my toolkit because I think it's awesome if you like this review give us a thumbs up we've got tons more Tech content coming your way
including on the ground coverage from CES 2025 so make sure to subscribe also drop a comment and let us know what upcoming Tech has you excited thanks so much for watching see you in the next
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