Amazon-owned Bee unveiled two new personal artificial intelligence devices on Thursday, marking the wearable maker's first product launch since the retail giant acquired it last year. The Bee Frontier, a next-generation device that can be worn on the wrist or pinned to clothing, starts at $74.99. The Bee Eclipse, a credit-card-sized device that attaches magnetically to the back of a smartphone, is priced at $99.99.
The Eclipse places Bee in more direct competition with AI devices such as the Plaud Note and the Pocket, though at a lower price. The Plaud Note costs $159 and the Note Pro costs $189, while the Pocket AI device is priced at $129. The Frontier will be sold in Onyx, Lavender and Sage, and the Eclipse will come in Silver, Midnight, Honey and Blush.
As with the original Bee, the new devices use AI to capture notes from everyday conversations so users can recall important details and turn them into to-dos, summaries and insights. Bee says a user who discussed plans with friends could have the device remember the agreed date and time and create a calendar invite. The device could also be used for lecture notes in class or to record a care plan discussed with a doctor.
All Bee devices provide conversation summaries and recaps at no cost and offer 14 days of memory. An $11.99-per-month Bee Pro subscription adds unlimited conversation summaries and integrations with Amazon.com, Alexa+ and third-party applications, along with suggested to-dos, daily memories, a personal chat assistant and conversation templates.
Bee devices rely on a private computing security architecture that does not store raw audio. Audio is processed in real time and then deleted, and transcripts are encrypted with keys created and controlled by the user's device, so no one else, including Amazon employees, can access the files unless the user intentionally shares them. Users can optionally connect Bee to Alexa so an Echo device can use its Voice ID feature to recognize when they are speaking and record conversations for Bee's insights, and Amazon says transcripts and summaries can be deleted at any time.
The Amazon.com and Alexa connections let Bee users make purchases from Amazon or ask Alexa for insights, summaries or to-dos hands-free. Bee also works with Gmail, Google Calendar and Microsoft Outlook to draft emails, set up meetings and surface action items. Users can upload photos to Bee or connect it with Apple's HealthKit to fold a picture of overall wellness into the insights it provides.
Both devices have a single button for power and an indicator light that shows when a conversation is being summarized. The Frontier adds IP67 water resistance, up to seven days of battery life, USB-C charging and dual microphones with advanced noise filtering. All Bee devices come with a companion mobile app, which has been redesigned, plus a new desktop app. The Frontier is available now on Amazon, and the Eclipse will follow soon after.
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