Holding a phone was like that last year.
Humanes Ai Pin, a wearable smartphone alternative that acts as a personal AI assistant, is widely available in the US starting Thursday.
The pin has created a lot of hype and promises an AI smartphone alternative that will help users be more present. It was one of TIME’s best inventions of 2023.
The futuristic wearable attaches magnetically to clothing and becomes a voice-activated AI assistant, like a faster Siri or Alexa, that can make calls, send texts, take notes and find answers to complex questions.
It costs $699 or $799 depending on the color and requires a $24 per month service plan through Humane in partnership with T-Mobile’s 4G network. The plan includes unlimited talk, text and data with a dedicated phone number.
Humane Ai Pin. Photo credit: Angel Garcia/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Humane co-founders Imran Chaudhri and Bethany Bongiorno said the Ai Pin is the first step toward a screenless future.
“We like to say that the experience is screenless, seamless and sensory, allowing you to access the computing power while remaining present in your environment,” Chaudhri said during an April 2023 TED talk that has been viewed 3.5 million times was viewed.
It is based on the technology of ChatGPT developer OpenAI and is supported by Microsoft’s cloud computing services.
Chaudhri, who served as Apple’s design director for over 20 years, and Bongiorno, who served as Apple’s software engineering director for over 8 years, began conceptualizing the Ai Pin in 2017.
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Instead of a screen, the Ai Pin beams a laser ink projection onto the user’s palm, which they can then control with a series of hand gestures.
A built-in camera on the device helps users capture moments and even get food calorie estimates right in front of their eyes. When a user asks, “What am I looking at?” The Pin’s camera examines the scene and identifies objects within it that might be useful for viewing. Currently, the Pin can also record 15-second HD videos.
A “confidence light” lights up when the pin’s camera, microphone, or sensors are active.
Gesture control of the laser ink display projection of a Humane Ai-Pin. Photo credit: Angel Garcia/Bloomberg via Getty Images
The Ai Pin also has an interpreter function with real-time audio translations in more than 50 languages.
A USA Today reviewer called it “the best real-time voice translator I’ve tested to date.”
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Other recent reviews currently show mixed assessments of the pin’s effectiveness.
Engadget wrote Thursday that the Pin had its drawbacks — the laser screen was difficult to see outdoors and on cloudy days, and the audio-heavy controls were sometimes a problem.
“Speaking out loud and having the content played back to you in an audio format is really not something that can be used in public for most people,” the review states.
It also noted that asking about the weather required listening to an audio response before the pin projected more details, and that typing in a Wi-Fi password was “not only tedious, but nearly impossible” and required additional steps.
The Washington Post pointed out that sending SMS with the pin was difficult as some messages did not arrive as intended and wrote that the device tended to overheat.
But Bongiorno is optimistic.
“As with all Gen 1 products, this is just the starting point,” Bongiorno said Posted on X on Thursday.
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