April 12, 2024
From The Verge‘s review of the new AI Pin from Humane:
Should you buy this thing? That one’s easy. Nope. Nuh-uh. No way. The AI Pin is an interesting idea that is so thoroughly unfinished and so totally broken in so many unacceptable ways that I can’t think of anyone to whom I’d recommend spending the $699 for the device and the $24 monthly subscription.
After ripping the Pin apart, the reviewer goes on to say:
Still, even after all this frustration, after spending hours standing in front of restaurants tapping my chest and whispering questions that go unanswered, I find I want what Humane is selling even more than I expected. A one-tap way to say, “Text Anna and tell her I’ll be home in a half-hour,” or “Remember to call Mike tomorrow afternoon,” or “Take a picture of this and add it to my shopping list” would be amazing. I hadn’t realized how much of my phone usage consists of these one-step things, all of which would be easier and faster without the friction and distraction of my phone.
Reading that made me wonder if The Verge hadn’t heard of the Apple Watch. Those one-tap tasks are what I use the Apple Watch for, though I don’t even use one tap; I just say, “Hey Siri…”
Raise wrist. “Hey Siri, ask my wife if she needs anything at the grocery store.”
Raise wrist. “Hey Siri, remind me to put the library books in my bag when I get home from work.”
Raise wrist.”Hey Siri, what song is this?”
Raise wrist. “Hey Siri, call my dad.”
Sure, Humane promises that its Pin will be able to do all kinds of cool things in the future. Unfortunately, for now, as The Verge found, “The AI Pin doesn’t work. I don’t know how else to say it.”
The Apple Watch can already do most of the Pin does, and Apple isn’t standing still.
