A new AI device “more exciting than the Apple Vision Pro”?

Since the start of the digitalization of our societies, GAFAM's attempts to change our habits have been numerous. Sometimes it works, but other times, not so much. This is especially true for digital voice assistants, whether Apple's Siri, Windows' Cortana, or Google Assistant. The web giants have invested enormous resources to develop them, but it is not working.

Shall we move on?

We have to face the facts, people don't want to give voice instructions to their smartphone all the time. It's socially cumbersome, it hasn't become the norm, and it's unlikely to ever become so. Especially since new generations use voice less in their interactions and are more inclined towards visual interactions.

However, hopes were raised when we started using voice assistants in our living rooms, thanks to connected speakers, but that did not last. The effect then faded, although some still find it interesting. For ordinary mortals, however, there are few.

However, the future of virtual assistants could ultimately lie in another form than what we already know.

Rewind becomes Limitless and presents its physical AI assistant

In July 2023, we presented the Rewind application, a non-invasive application that works in the background.It records everything you doon your device, so you don't miss anything or forget anything. The era of loud and often clunky voice commands is giving way toa silent, almost imperceptible interaction.

The example most often used to show its usefulness is that of a meeting, during which the application is active. Once the meeting is over, Rewind has recorded everything andcan help you write a detailed and precise report, without forgetting anything. ADHDers also seem to show a particular interest in this tool, for which the company has just changed its name.

After a successful launch,Rewind becomes Limitless AI and launches its new product, in the form of software, but also as a physical device. Concerning the latter first of all, it is a pendant, in a format similar to the Apple AirTag:

It’s called “Pendant”, and you can alreadypre-orderfor $99, plus a $14 delivery fee.delivery, which is planned for the fourth quarter of 2024.

With its 100 hours of autonomy, it will be able to follow its owner everywhere, and record everything he says, with his consent of course. It may seem intrusive, but the companyprovides confidentiality guarantees, whichreassure the most wary. Limitless offers, for example, aConsent modeto record only the voices of those who have given their consent.

Little by little, the AI ​​gets to know its owner and can assist and advise him in his daily life, on various things.

Regarding the AI ​​functionalities in the application,free users enjoy 10 hours for free. Pourunlimited accesshowever, thiscomes to 19 dollars per month, billed annually.

Below, the presentation video of the Limitless project, by co-founder and CEO, Dan Siroker. It is available with subtitles automatically translated into French. If you don't have 9 minutes to spare, here are the most important passages:

Regarding Rewind, our current customers are essential to our success. That's why Rewind Pro subscribers receive Limitless Pro at no additional cost. We are now focusing on Limitless, a more effective solution for the challenges we address. We will integrate the best features of Rewind into Limitless, and although we are changing our company name to Limitless, Rewind will continue to be supported.

–For the first time, you get all the benefits of personalized AI without sacrificing your privacy. The inspiration for our approach comes from our existing product, Rewind. Unlike Slack, Zoom or Gmail, Rewind works locally, so your data is protected from your employer, software vendor and the government.

About the Humane Ai Pin

The presentation of the Limitless pendant follows the launch of Ai Pin from the startup Humane, another physical AI device, much less promising this time.

It was created by former Apple employees, and was soldas the replacement for the smartphone, just that. It is objectively anice device, which could be described asholographic phone using AI, but it is absolutely not intended for the general public.

We honestly wonder how investors could believe in Ai Pin, to the point of financing the project to the tune of hundreds of millions of euros. Mark Gurman is clear after testing it: “it will never work and is not worth buying.»