AI gadgets have evolved from prototypes and hype-y demos to things you can actually wear every day. Prices now range from budget-friendly tags to premium handhelds, and the basic pitch is consistent no matter what tier you’re shopping in: give yourself a smart sidekick that listens, remembers, and helps without causing whatever else you’re using—usually your phone—to come out of pocket.
Analysts monitoring wearables say that demand is recovering as assistants become faster and more context-aware, while companies test out new form factors. Meanwhile, there have also been reports that OpenAI has been developing a compact companion device, indicating just how seriously the big players in AI are taking the category. Here are the ones you can buy right now — and how they stack up.
AI Pendants and Companion Tags You Can Buy Today
Bee is the budget option but works like a memory aid. The $49.99 pendant also clips to a shirt or can be worn on a band that records what it hears so that it can learn routines and turn conversations into reminders and notes. There’s a mute switch, and there’s also an iOS app for $19 a month that includes daily takeaways and searchable transcripts. The startup behind Bee was purchased by Amazon in July, highlighting big tech’s interest in the category.
Friend follows through with the “emotional companion” thing. The white pendant, which costs $129, pairs over Bluetooth and is always listening for your words in order to chat, nudge, or even send some encouragement ahead of big moments like an interview. Its very in-your-face nature has provoked scrutiny as well: the latest New York City subway ad push was met with backlash over surveillance concerns, a reminder to consider privacy settings carefully.
Limitless, the pendant from the group formerly known as Rewind, targets professionals who crave searchable recall. At $99, it archives meetings and calls (with permission), makes transcripts, and turns hours of speech into summaries and action items. The app comes with 10 hours of AI features per month, but you can upgrade to unlimited for $29 a month — which is handy for journalists, founders, and sales teams drowning in conversations.
Omi is a lightweight assistant integrating live notes with personal context. Costing $89, it can answer questions, recap recent chats, pen to‑dos, and assist with schedules. It pipes your interactions through ChatGPT to learn what you prefer. The device fits into a locket that you can wear, or you can temporarily fasten it near your temple with medical tape so it knows when you’re speaking to it. The hands-free detection ensures you won’t feel awkward barking out commands.
Note-Taking Wearables for Work, Lectures, and Meetings
Plaud’s NotePin is a minuscule recorder for lectures, interviews, and depositions. It costs $159. It sticks to clothing magnetically, or you can slip a wristband through its hole. It records high-quality audio and saves recordings in real time to your phone. The transcript and summary are automatically generated by the built-in AI. You receive 300 minutes of transcription for free each month; an $8.33 Pro plan increases the amount to 1,200 minutes. The company is also preparing the $179 Note Pro, an ultra-thin, single-purpose note-taking device now available for preorder.
Phone-Adjacent AI Handhelds for Everyday Assistance
The rabbit R1 is the most popular pocketable “agent” to date. This $199 retro-minded gadget gives you a touchscreen and spinning camera, then uses an AI agent to book travel, order food, and control your services without swiping on phone apps. Early software hiccups have been smoothed out by major updates, and a feature, Creations, lets owners make simple tools and games. As of spring 2024, Rabbit said it had exceeded 100,000 orders — proof that early-adopter curiosity pays off for task-first AI companions.
AI Built Into Smart Glasses for Hands-Free Assistance
Meta’s Ray‑Ban smart glasses are not offered as recording equipment for meetings, but they are a general-purpose AI headwear you can pull off the shelf. They combine utility: hands-free photo and video capture; voice commands; an assistant that can recognize things you’re looking at in certain locations; and social features (like live streaming). For makers and jet-setters, they provide a discreet way to ask an assistant a question without pulling out a phone.
How to Pick an AI Wearable and What to Watch For
Check the privacy model first. Always-on microphones have raised issues of consent, and laws around recording depend on the state and country. Civil liberties groups have encouraged shoppers to question whether their devices store audio on-device, how long cloud copies of recordings hang around, and whether any hardware kill switch exists. If you intend to use a pendant at work, check your employer’s policy on recording and note-taking mechanisms.
Budget for the whole cost of ownership. Subscriptions range from about $8 to $29 monthly for transcription and advanced summaries. Battery life and durability are also factors to consider: most pendants last a workday, and they can be topped up quickly by USB‑C; water- and dust-resistance ratings remain rare, so think of them like electronics, not fitness trackers.
Finally, evaluate reliability. Even powerful large language models can fail to correctly hear names or create details that are inaccurate. Find products that allow you to audit transcripts, export raw audio, and edit summaries. Market trackers like IDC and Counterpoint Research say wearables are rebounding as AI finds clearer jobs to do; the latest devices above help explain why. Whether you’re in the market for a digital diary that never forgets, or just an unobtrusive sidekick while running errands, the most intriguing AI wearables are no longer figments of technology’s imagination — they’re en route (or already there).
