Many people wonder: what will come after the smartphone? Apple has been doing it for more than half a decade, hence its total commitment to the Apple Vision Pro, in the future, a substitute for the computer and the mobile phone. But it’s not the only one.
And it’s true that the smartphone was invented in the mid-2000s, and there are many companies that believe the time of the intelligent mobile phone has passed and that we must innovate or die.
The American company Humane has been teasing its first device, the AI Pin, for almost the entire year. Its launch is scheduled for today, Thursday, but The Verge has managed to get ahead of its official presentation. And this is what we know about it.
A very expensive wearable with access to artificial intelligence
Humane, the company that advocates for a world beyond smartphones, is about to launch what amounts to a wearable smartphone priced at $699 without a screen. It comes with a monthly subscription fee of $24 and provides access to AI models from Microsoft and OpenAI.
The AI Pin is a square-shaped device that magnetically attaches to clothing or other surfaces. The clip serves as more than just a magnet—it also functions as a battery, allowing you to swap it out throughout the day to keep the Pin operational.
The exact battery life of a single battery is unknown, but the device comes with two “battery boosters.” It runs on a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor and utilizes a camera, depth sensors, and motion sensors to track and record its surroundings. It features a built-in speaker, referred to by Humane as a “personal speaker,” and can connect to Bluetooth headphones.
Since it doesn’t have a screen, Humane has devised new ways to interact with the Pin. It is primarily designed as a voice-based device but also features the green laser projector we’ve seen in demonstrations, which can project information onto your hand.
Objects can be brought close to the camera, allowing interaction with the Pin through gestures; there is a touch panel somewhere on the device. The Pin isn’t always recording or listening for a wake word; it requires manual activation in some way. It has a “trust light” that blinks when the Pin is recording.
Documents indicate that Humane wants the Pin to be seen as a completely standalone device rather than an accessory for your smartphone.
For $699, you get the Pin, a charger, and the two battery boosters. However, the catch is the $24 monthly subscription to Humane, which includes a phone number and data on Humane’s own branded wireless service operating on the T-Mobile network (in the U.S.).
The Pin’s operating system is called Cosmos, and instead of functioning like a collection of apps, Humane seems to be envisioning a more fluid system that can call upon various AIs and other tools as needed. It sounds a bit like the plugin system of ChatGPT, where new functions or data can be added to the chatbot’s experience.
