The Sam Altman-backed Humane AI pin is both interesting and futuristic, but it won’t replace your phone

Ever since the Humane AI Pin was first announced, people have wondered if it could one day replace smartphones. The device was also mentioned in Time’s “Best Inventions of 2023” list, and finally, we spent some time with it in the hands-on area at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. Although we didn’t use it independently, an extensive demo in which company representatives talked about all the features and demonstrated most of them gave us a glimpse into the future of mobile devices , but at the same time we also had the impression that the AI ​​Pin is not yet ready to replace your smartphone.

The square-shaped screenless device was designed by former Apple employees and is currently available for pre-order in the US for $699 (approximately Rs. 60,000). It’s like a full-fledged device without a screen and is attached to the user’s chest using a magnet. You can interact with the device using hand gestures, and the best part is that it has a projector that can display the menu and more on your hands using the ink screen company laser. The demo looked fantastic, with the Humane employee demonstrating various use cases, such as asking questions about a particular city and weather conditions. The AI ​​Pin can pick up gestures in the air, making it ideal for practical use.

Another thing we liked is the fact that it supports E-SIM, making it a standalone device. There are many ways to use the AI ​​Pin, whether to check information about something or to enter texts. The Humane AI Pin can also pair with your smart speakers and play music through Tidal. During the demo, one of the Humane employees showed us various features and added that AI Pin can translate around 50 languages, which is fantastic.

The small, square-shaped device can hear and respond to the user through small speakers. The company currently claims up to five hours of battery life. However, backup can be improved with a battery booster accessory.

The attention to detail is very apparent, such as the presence of a single RGB LED light on the device when attached to the chest, which illuminates to indicate when the device is functional. If you loved playing with the laser as a kid, your love is back. Voice is the main game here as there’s no touchscreen to interact with – also a central theme of the Humane AI Pin.

Besides voice, users can also interact using the touchpad on the front panel. As the name suggests, AI takes care of the whole package and keeps you on top of everything from your emails to text messages to reminders and more.

In about an hour that we spent watching various demos presented by Humane employees at Qualcomm’s MWC booth and asking several AI Pin-related questions, we came up with a few observations that we think are applicable in real-world use . Indeed, the screen on your palm is easy to read, tilting and rolling your hand to interact with the screen is easy to understand, closing your fingers to make a selection is again an easy gesture to interact with; the interpreter is loud, considering we were in a large room and there was ambient noise. The AI ​​Pin also has a camera that captures a photo by double-tapping the touchpad with two fingers.

Now we come to the million dollar question: Can Humane AI Pin replace smartphones? No. Imran Chaudhri, chairman and president of Humane, emphasized in a short conversation with Gadgets 360 that it is more of a companion device than a device designed to replace your smartphone. What AI Pin can do is minimize your interaction with your smartphone, as you can do a lot of things with the small, square-shaped screenless device with just your voice.

Sam Altman-backed Humane has already revealed plans to introduce the AI ​​Pin in India, as confirmed by Moneycontrol. This will be an interesting move because Humane, according to Chaudhari, has received an “overwhelming number of requests” from India. Although discussions are in their initial stages, it will be interesting to see how the AI ​​Pin performs when it begins shipping in March 2024.

Is the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 the best foldable phone you can buy in India right now? We discuss the company’s new clamshell-style foldable handset in the latest episode of Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts .

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