Humane Ai Pin - The Truth
TLDRThe Humane AI Pin has garnered mixed reactions, with users expressing concerns over its limited functionality, lack of synchronization with phones, visibility issues, and discomfort in using it in public. Despite its sleek design and innovative features like voice interaction and laser projection, the device falls short as a smartphone replacement. It can perform tasks like making calls, sending texts, and taking photos, but with limitations. The AI Pin struggles with outdoor visibility, has a short battery life, and lacks many apps and internet connectivity. The subscription service adds to the cost, and the device's high price tag raises questions about its value. While the company is responsive to criticism and has a roadmap for future updates, the current state of the AI Pin suggests that the technology is promising but not yet ready for prime time.
Takeaways
- 📛 The Humane AI pin has received widespread criticism due to issues like functionality, lack of synchronization with phones, visibility problems, and discomfort in public use.
- 🤖 Despite initial excitement, the device turned out to be expensive with limited capabilities, failing to fully justify its existence.
- 🔋 The AI pin has a small built-in battery, lasting only a couple of hours, necessitating frequent battery swaps or use of the battery booster.
- 📱 It was envisioned as a smartphone replacement, but it falls short in practicality, as it requires a new phone number and cannot replicate all smartphone functions.
- 🌐 The device is not connected to your phone and has limited internet capabilities; it can't display images, provide fitness info, play streaming services, or use social apps.
- 💬 It can make calls and send texts, but with limitations, and its voice-first interaction is innovative but sometimes awkward to use.
- 🌍 A cool feature is the ability to translate languages and get information about objects or scenes, although it can be slow to respond.
- 🔥 The device can overheat, especially with the battery booster attached, and its battery life is a significant drawback.
- 💰 It comes with a high upfront cost plus a monthly subscription for AI services and data, making it a pricey investment.
- 🚫 The service has restrictions on international use and roaming, which could be a deal-breaker for frequent travelers.
- ❓ The company is ambitious and has a roadmap for future updates, but the current state of the device and its high price make it a hard sell for most consumers.
Q & A
What is the general sentiment towards the Humane AI pin according to the transcript?
-The general sentiment towards the Humane AI pin is negative, with people expressing dislike due to various reasons such as functionality issues, lack of synchronization with phones, visibility problems, and discomfort with using it in public.
What were the initial impressions of the reviewer after trying out the early demo unit of the Humane AI pin?
-The reviewer was very impressed and blown away by the technology, features, and design of the Humane AI pin during the initial demo. It was described as a great experience.
What are some of the features that the Humane AI pin offers?
-The Humane AI pin offers features such as making calls, sending texts with a new phone number, remembering information, playing music by title, answering questions, taking burst photos and videos, translating languages, and pairing with Bluetooth earbuds or a car for music.
What are some of the limitations of the Humane AI pin?
-The Humane AI pin cannot display images or visuals from the internet, provide fitness information, play streaming services or media except for title music, set timers or alarms, or give directions. It also lacks many common apps like Uber, WhatsApp, and Instagram.
How does the Humane AI pin handle voice interaction and what does it project on the user's hand?
-The Humane AI pin operates through voice interaction without a wake word. Users tap and hold to activate it. Instead of reading out answers, it displays them on the user's hand using a laser projector. It also has gesture controls for interaction.
What are the subscription costs associated with the Humane AI pin?
-The Humane AI pin has a subscription service costing $24 a month, plus taxes and fees, which covers unlimited talk, text, and data, as well as AI services. International calls outside the US and roaming incur additional charges.
What are some of the design aspects of the Humane AI pin that the reviewer appreciated?
-The reviewer appreciated the small size, design, case, and battery boosters of the Humane AI pin, noting that they felt beautifully and thoughtfully made. The product's packaging and the use of magnets for attachment were also praised.
How does the reviewer perceive the future of the Humane AI pin?
-The reviewer believes that the future for the Humane AI pin is still far away and that the current product is not yet at a stage where it can replace a smartphone. They suggest that the device should have been marketed as an accessory to a smartphone rather than a standalone device.
What is the reviewer's opinion on the battery life of the Humane AI pin?
-The reviewer finds the battery life of the Humane AI pin to be limited. The built-in battery only lasts a couple of hours, and while battery boosters extend usage, they require frequent swapping and carrying around, which is inconvenient.
What are some of the technical issues the reviewer experienced with the Humane AI pin?
-The reviewer experienced issues with the device's laser projection being hard to see in outdoor or shaded environments, gesture controls being awkward, and occasional network connection problems or server connection issues.
How does the reviewer feel about the company's response to criticism and their roadmap for future updates?
-The reviewer is impressed with the company's responsiveness and positivity towards negative criticism, appreciating that they are open to feedback and view the product as a work in progress. However, they also note that the roadmap for future updates feels long and the next software update does not seem to offer features that would significantly improve the product.
Outlines
🤖 Initial Impressions and Public Sentiment on Humane AI Pin
The first paragraph discusses the mixed reactions to the Humane AI pin, a wearable device that aims to serve as a smartphone replacement. Despite initial excitement, the speaker notes a general negative sentiment due to issues like functionality, synchronization problems, visibility, and discomfort in public. The speaker personally found the design and build quality impressive but acknowledges the device's limitations and high cost, which led to fading excitement over time.
📱 Functionality and Limitations of the Humane AI Pin
The second paragraph delves into the device's capabilities and shortcomings. While it can make calls, send texts, play music, take photos, and translate languages, it is not fully capable of replacing a smartphone. The device has limitations such as the inability to connect to the user's existing phone number, lack of support for streaming services, and no access to social media apps. It also struggles with slow responses at times and has no network connection occasionally.
💵 Pricing and Subscription Model of the Humane AI Pin
The third paragraph addresses the cost of the Humane AI pin, which includes a $700 USD price tag, a monthly subscription for AI services and data, and additional charges for international use and roaming. The speaker highlights the financial impracticality for those who travel frequently or live outside the US. The subscription is mandatory even for Wi-Fi use, as it is required to access AI features, and the company's transparency and receptiveness to criticism are appreciated.
🔋 Battery Life and Future Prospects for the Humane AI Pin
The fourth paragraph focuses on the battery life and charging system of the pin, noting that the built-in battery is insufficient for a full day's use, necessitating the use of battery boosters and a charging case. The speaker also discusses the company's roadmap and the need for the device to be more affordable and feature-rich. The paragraph concludes with the speaker's desire to continue testing the device, hopeful for future improvements, but acknowledges that the current state of the technology is not yet where it needs to be.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Humane AI pin
💡Voice-first interaction
💡Laser projector
💡Battery life
💡Subscription service
💡Smartphone replacement
💡Design and build
💡Limited functionality
💡Heat and discomfort
💡Translation feature
💡Roadmap for future updates
Highlights
People express dislike for the Humane AI pin due to functionality issues, lack of synchronization with phones, visibility problems, and discomfort with public use.
The reviewer was initially impressed by the Humane AI pin's technology, features, and design but found the excitement fading as limitations became apparent.
The device, despite its high cost, is limited and does not fully justify its existence according to the reviewer's experience.
The Humane AI pin is a mini wearable computer with voice interaction and a laser projector for displaying information.
The device's design is praised for its luxury and thoughtfulness, including the use of magnets for attachment.
The AI pin can perform tasks like making calls, sending texts, and playing music, but it requires a new phone number and has limitations.
The built-in battery life is short, with the device lasting only a couple of hours without the need for battery swapping.
Laser projection is a smooth and futuristic feature, but it's hard to see outdoors and gesture controls can be awkward.
The AI pin can take photos and videos, translate languages, and pair with Bluetooth earbuds, but the video quality is subpar.
The device cannot display images from the internet, lacks fitness information, recipe guides, and cannot stream media or use social apps.
The AI pin requires a subscription service costing $24 a month for unlimited talk, text, and AI services, in addition to the $700-$800 upfront cost.
International calling and roaming are available at an additional cost, but the service may stop working under certain conditions.
The company, started by former Apple designers, is responsive to criticism and views the product as a work in progress.
The device can sometimes get too warm, especially with the battery booster attached, and has had issues with overheating.
The reviewer suggests the AI pin should have been a smartwatch accessory rather than a standalone device, and criticizes its high price point.
The reviewer is intrigued by the potential of the AI pin but acknowledges that the current state of the technology is not yet sufficient.
Humane has a roadmap for future updates, but the timeline is long, and the next software update does not seem to drastically improve the device.
The reviewer believes the device should have been marketed better and shipped later when more features were available.
Despite its shortcomings, the reviewer wants to continue testing the AI pin to see how the technology develops over time.