Humane officially released its much-awaited Ai Pin on Thursday and the AI-powered device will cost $699 with a subscription of $24 per month. The pin, which is being billed as the next big thing in the post-smartphone era, will be available for order starting Nov. 16.
The Ai Pin is a small, lightweight device—no bigger than a large business card—that you can wear. It doesn’t have a screen and is controlled via voice and touch. The device attaches magnetically to clothing and does not need to be paired with a smartphone.
Also read: Ai Pin – What Is the New GPT-4 Device From Humane?
Ai Pin: Smartphone without a screen
In a blog post, Humane said the Ai Pin will feature batteries that can be swapped “throughout the day to keep it running.” An earlier report by The Verge described the pin essentially as “a $699 wearable smartphone without a screen” – a price slightly below that of an iPhone 15.
It is unclear how long each battery lasts. The square-shaped Ai Pin is sold with a charger and two “booster batteries” that power the built-in battery. The pin has a built-in speaker, which Humane calls “personic speaker,” and can be connected to Bluetooth devices like headphones.
The $24 monthly subscription provides users with a phone number, cell data, cloud storage for photos and videos, and “unlimited queries” of the pin’s AI models.
Humane revealed that the device operates on a proprietary system called Cosmos and uses a wireless service that runs on T-Mobile’s network with access to AI models from Microsoft and OpenAI.
The Ai Pin’s system isn’t a collection of apps, The Verge said, but “more a seamless system that can call up various AIs and other tools as you need them,” much like ChatGPT’s plugins system, which allows users to improve their chatbot experience by adding new features.
“An entirely new AI software framework, the Ai Bus, brings Ai Pin to life and removes the need to download, manage, or launch apps,” the company said. “Instead, it quickly understands what you need, connecting you to the right AI experience or service instantly.”
On Thursday, Humane also released a number of new features for its AI pin, including music streaming, translation, email summaries, and user-specific voice cloning. Music streaming service Tidal is the company’s first software partner, for an “AI-driven music experience.”
“Customers can use their Ai pin to play music based on their context, and find the right Tidal tracks to enhance the moment,” said Tidal CEO Jesse Dorogusker, TechCrunch reports.
This is the Humane Ai Pin https://t.co/ytUSGF3y55 pic.twitter.com/Zrcoaf49u7
— Humane (@Humane) November 9, 2023
Next big thing in tech
As MetaNews previously reported, the novel Ai pin caught attention at the Fashion Week in Paris in October when popular model Noami Campbell and other models showcased the device, which was attached to the lapels of blazers, jackets, and trouser pockets.
The gadget uses artificial intelligence to sense (it has input sensors) and respond to the environment around it, helping it to answer user questions, answer phone calls, and send texts. Because Ai Pin is screenless, it primarily uses voice to perform the different tasks.
Ai Pin is powered by a combination of Humane’s own software—an advanced Snapdragon platform from Qualcomm—and OpenAI’s GPT-4, which enables it to ‘translate languages in real-time and analyze the nutritional information of food items.’
The device is designed to be an AI personal assistant that can be carried everywhere and has a built-in camera, microphone, and speaker, just like any other smartphone.
But it does have a small projector that can be used to project images and text onto surfaces, even the hands of a user, for those keen on visuals. In April, Humane cofounder Imran Chaudhri demonstrated some of Ai Pin’s interactions and capabilities at the TED conference in Canada.
As Chaudhri indicated, the device has a prominent privacy indicator called the “Trust Light” that turns on each time the pin’s camera, mic, or input sensors are active to make sure everyone around knows when it’s listening or recording.
Ai Pin’s tailor-made experience
In its blog post, Humane highlighted that the device experience can be customized off-device using the Humane.center service.
“To manage and access your data, including photos, videos, and notes, Ai Pin connects to to Humane.center,” it detailed.
“This platform serves as a central hub for your device, ensuring a streamlined interaction from setup to daily use. Upon purchasing Ai Pin, users are invited to onboard via a privacy-protected portal, allowing the device to tailor its services to individual preferences.”
Humane is currently offering a waitlist for those interested in the device, which comes in three colors: Eclipse, Equinox and Lunar. The Ai Pin will start shipping in 2024.
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