Amazon's Bee listening gadget gets two new versions, and can now help you shop
Amazon's Bee devices listen to your day and write summaries and to-do lists. The new ones start at $75, and a paid plan lets them suggest things to buy.
Amazon bought Bee last year, when Bee sold a $50 always-listening wearable. Now Amazon is selling two new Bee gadgets, The Verge reports. The Bee Frontier costs $74.99. You wear it on your wrist or clip it to clothes, and it is on sale now. The Bee Eclipse costs $99.99. It is the size of a credit card and sticks to the back of your phone. It is coming soon.
Both gadgets listen to your day, then produce summaries and to-do lists. The Verge reports the new shopping feature is opt-in. If your spouse asks you to buy cat litter, for example, you might see a product reminder on your Amazon homepage. Shopping links need the Bee Pro plan at $11.99 a month. The free plan gives summaries and 14 days of memory.
TechCrunch says rival note-taking gadgets cost more: $159 for the Plaud Note and $129 for the Pocket. On privacy, Amazon told The Verge that Bee encrypts your transcripts and does not store audio recordings.
To be honest, the low price is the real news, since a $75 gadget is easy to try. But the shopping feature means a device that hears your conversations can nudge you toward buying from Amazon. If that bothers you, the notes work without the shopping link, which is opt-in.
The facts
- The Bee Frontier costs $74.99 and is available now; the Bee Eclipse costs $99.99 and is coming soon.
- The Bee Eclipse is a credit-card-sized device that attaches magnetically to the back of a smartphone.
- The Bee Pro subscription costs $11.99 a month and adds unlimited summaries, suggested to-dos, and Amazon and Alexa+ compatibility. The free plan includes summaries and 14 days of memory.
- The Amazon integration is opt-in and can surface shopping suggestions based on your conversations.
- The Plaud Note costs $159 (or $189 for the Note Pro), and the Pocket AI device costs $129.
- Amazon told The Verge that Bee devices encrypt transcripts, summaries, and to-dos and do not store audio recordings.
- The original Bee was a $50 always-listening wearable; Amazon bought Bee last year.
Sources
- TechCrunch AI: Amazon’s Bee launches two new personal AI devices, starting at $75
- The Verge AI: Amazon’s always-listening Bee wearable can now help you buy stuff
Published
More in New products
ChatGPT's Chrome add-on can now read the tabs you already have open
OpenAI says its ChatGPT add-on for Chrome can now look at your open tabs and help with tasks. Its Atlas browser is gone.
Google launches one shopping cart that saves items from many online stores
Google's Universal Cart is rolling out in the US. It gathers products from different stores in one place and sends alerts when prices drop.
New productsYouTube Music will now label songs made with AI
YouTube Music is adding a "Made with AI" label to songs made fully or partly with AI tools. It tells you what you're hearing but does not block or hide those songs.