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Humane Debuts $700 AI Pin With 'Laser Ink Display'

The product vision is not bad, there is definitely room for a voice-powered AI pin, as long as that is what they are making. A big square thing with multiple batteries is… not quite what I had in mind.

I think it will stand or fall with the AI assistant. The other day I was rewatching the movie ‘Her’ which features Scarlett Johansson as a voice-operated AI OS, and that was quite convincing for near-human-level AI. Once it gets that good, it will find traction.

But that requires a voice which can emote, and an AI which can scan all your email in 0.2 seconds and make a pretty reliable judgment call on what to keep, and which can be configured based on personal preferences.
 
I don't see any useful purpose in this. How is this better than simply having an earplug with a voice reading the message or providing directions etc, rather than having a projector showing an arrow/message on your hand to indicate how to turn?
 
truthsteve said:
if I'm underground and there's no internet, how will this product be useful to me in getting directions or doing practically anything else other than taking video or listening to music.
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And how is that any different than a phone?
 
jeroenvip said:
See if the laser actually could heat up my coffee mug, it would be worth spending money in it. I am also not sure of the AI pin is compatible with the apple cleaning cloth. I mean it will get dirty outside while wearing this.
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If the laser can’t be used to blind my enemies then it’s useless.
 
I barely want to use anything voice related functions from my phone in the public.
 
The defining characteristic is not the form factor, or the voice commands. It's that it is a post-app device. I find that really interesting. All apps live in the cloud, the AI offers a top consolidation layer and you just interact with that layer. The AI then selects which app on the cloud to use to execute your command. So when I send a text to Bob it may use WhatsApp, but a text to Sheila will use Facebook Messenger or Snapchat. Booking a hotel it will check multiple booking apps and then chose one based on price, reliability, etc. Certainly an interesting concept that could revolutionise how we interact with computers, just like the App Store and comparison sites revolutionised it.
 
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The amount of hate directed towards a company trying something new is mind-blowing, especially considering many people have likely bought Apple's $19 polishing cloth. Remember, purchasing is always a choice.

I, for one, am really glad to see someone venturing into uncharted territory. This isn't just another rectangular slab of metal or a foldable rectangle – it's a novel idea. Will it succeed? I can't say. Might it be acquired and integrated into a smartphone voice assistant? No idea.

What matters to me is that someone is venturing into new territory and challenging boundaries that have remained unchallenged for a long time. Innovations like these might finally compel Apple and other companies to strive harder and truly innovate, rather than offering us minor upgrades each year while claiming they're brand new phones.

To be clear, many commenters have raised valid points with which I agree. No first-generation product is ever perfect though. And it's possible that this new product might not be widely used, as people may not want to speak out loud in public. However, I commend the company for launching something that risks failure. Failure isn't necessarily a bad thing; in one way or another, it will pave the path for something different, even if this particular venture doesn't succeed.
 
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truthsteve said:
this looks so bad and I feel so sorry for anyone who invested in this company and anyone who placed a preorder. lol

that projector on hand feature is a classic example of gimmick ideas.

what happens if they get on a crowded train and someone just snatches it

why would I want someone to listen to my phone calls

if I'm underground and there's no internet, how will this product be useful to me in getting directions or doing practically anything else other than taking video or listening to music.

I don't think they thought this product through.
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I believe I had toys that did this exact thing and looked identical all the way back in the 80's..
 
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subjonas said:
Interesting concept, but ultimately might be too niche. It might successfully compete with smartphones if tech was more advanced (assuming that is the goal), but I don’t think we’re even near to where it would need to be yet. The AI would have to be insanely good—basically like Jarvis or Her—to come close to completely replacing the need for a traditional screen. Also “personic speaker” that creates a bubble of sound? How is that physically possible? Of course, one could just use something like an AirPod for sound anyway. The other issue is that having to speak text to the device is not always practical. Maybe there could eventually be a hand gesture system to input text.

Still, pretty innovative and cool. With the ever decreasing number of small size phone options these days, if the tech was sufficient I would heavily consider moving over to one of these.
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Only use I could see is as a rental type thing when you're traveling abroad. If it has that "personal speaker" thing and translates in real-time, that can be useful. But even then, I feel like other apps can do the same. Rent the thing for like $50/week on an international trip and maybe get some practical use out of it. But even that's a stretch.
 
genjmill said:
The amount of hate directed towards a company trying something new is mind-blowing, especially considering many people have likely bought Apple's $19 polishing cloth. Remember, purchasing is always a choice.

I, for one, am really glad to see someone venturing into uncharted territory. This isn't just another rectangular slab of metal or a foldable rectangle – it's a novel idea. Will it succeed? I can't say. Might it be acquired and integrated into a smartphone voice assistant? No idea.

What matters to me is that someone is venturing into new territory and challenging boundaries that have remained unchallenged for a long time. Innovations like these might finally compel Apple and other companies to strive harder and truly innovate, rather than offering us minor upgrades each year while claiming they're brand new phones.

To be clear, many commenters have raised valid points with which I agree. No first-generation product is ever perfect though. And it's possible that this new product might not be widely used, as people may not want to speak out loud in public. However, I commend the company for launching something that risks failure. Failure isn't necessarily a bad thing; in one way or another, it will pave the path for something different, even if this particular venture doesn't succeed.
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I like the thinking outside the box thing. But this just looks so bad, no one is going to buy it so they won't bring in the revenue they'll need to stay alive and develop the idea further.
 
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genjmill said:
I, for one, am really glad to see someone venturing into uncharted territory. This isn't just another rectangular slab of metal or a foldable rectangle – it's a novel idea. Will it succeed? I can't say. Might it be acquired and integrated into a smartphone voice assistant? No idea.
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I won't say it's uncharted territory. It feels like the company is making the same fundamental mistake as the smart speaker by trying to bet against screens. The problem is that people don't really hate smartphones and are not looking to replace them anytime soon.

The other funny thing about the design of this product is that a better alternative already exists in my opinion - the smartwatch. How is a laser projector that projects messages onto my hand any more convenient than simply looking at my wrist? As for image recognition telling me about the nutritional value of food items, it seems like it would simply be easier for me to just read the food label instead.

Camera aside (and most people will already have a better camera on their smartphone), all the features demo'ed make more sense on a smartwatch. What likely happened is that because Humane raised $230M of VC funding to date, what may have seemed like a cool and simple product idea in 2017 (smart camera with AI features) with a few friends and seed capital, now needed to be a full-fledged product with a comprehensive, value-add feature list and accompanying Apple-like launch to justify its current valuation.

It’s a classic example of how raising too much capital before having a product in the marketplace is a recipe for disaster.
 
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I give them credit for trying something new, but the subscription on top of the price is steep. Especially since we know how corporations like to treat subscriptions when they decide revenue needs fluffing.
 
ttaylor2258 said:
I like the thinking outside the box thing. But this just looks so bad, no one is going to buy it so they won't bring in the revenue they'll need to stay alive and develop the idea further.
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Perhaps. However, they generated enough interest to develop a waitlist of over 100K people. We'll see how it goes but with all the employees who are working there and depend on an income to feed their families I hope for their sake this generates enough revenue to develop a second gen.
McTaste said:
what problem does this even try to solve
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The average American spends over 7 hours a day looking at screens, and this includes more than just smartphones. Many people (like myself) would love to see a world where technology works for us, rather than for companies that develop apps designed to make a profit from us. What excites me the most about this vision is not the hardware; it's the idea of a future where I can spend more time doing things that make me happy, and where a phone doesn't stand between me and the world I'm trying to live in.
 
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avheatherim said:
I give them credit for trying something new, but the subscription on top of the price is steep. Especially since we know how corporations like to treat subscriptions when they decide revenue needs fluffing.
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$24 a month for ChatGPT, data, text and calling...that's a steal. If I'm missing something here let me know (because I keep seeing folks post this). If you want the same tools you're paying $20/month bare minimum just for ChatGPT. Add unlimited text/data/calling and that's easily another $30/month.
 
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Why is that guy walking around the city looking confused all the time? If I'm new to a city or something I would just try to look normal and blend in.
 
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