AI Wearables: Bee’s $49.99 Pendant to Sandbar’s $299 Ring

By Elena Vasquez

A $49.99 Bee pendant clipped to clothing records everything it hears, after Amazon acquired the wearable startup in July 2025.

OpenAI is also working on a compact AI companion device, according to the product roundup.

Amazon’s new Bee hardware costs $74.99 and $99.99.

The roundup spans AI-powered necklaces, rings, wristbands, and portable devices, dividing them between practical productivity tools and friendly companions meant to listen to everyday thoughts throughout daily life.

For buyers, privacy and consent sit beside usefulness. Recurring subscription prices shape the bargain too.

What does Amazon’s Bee actually do?

Bee is a $49.99 pendant. It clips to clothing or can be worn like a fitness band. It records everything it hears. The device learns the wearer’s routines and preferences. It uses that history to create reminders and notes. A physical mute button stops recording and protects private moments.

The companion app is currently available only on iOS. It comes with a $19 monthly subscription. Users can interact with Bee directly and ask questions. They can review key takeaways from their day. The app also generates chronological transcripts of conversations.

Amazon acquired Bee in July 2025. The company launched its first new products earlier this month, according to the roundup. The $74.99 Bee Frontier can sit on the wrist or clip to clothing. The $99.99 Bee Eclipse is credit-card-sized. It attaches magnetically to the back of a smartphone.

Both devices retain the previous generation’s core functions, according to the roundup, which positions Bee as a more affordable alternative to the Plaud Note and Plaud NotePin. Users can also choose to connect Bee to Alexa.

Can a pendant act as a friend?

The roundup calls Friend one of the most hyped entrants in the “personal AI” device market. Its $129 white pendant hangs around the neck. The device functions as an emotional-support companion. It recognizes tone and mood and accepts chat.

The $129 pendant listens continuously and can respond or send proactive messages, such as good-luck wishes before an interview, while staying linked to the wearer’s phone through Bluetooth. That approach drew criticism and backlash against its New York City subway ads. People vandalized the ads with messages including “surveillance capitalism.”

The company recently unveiled a major product update called “Friend 2.0.” It introduces a new voice feature and a built-in speaker. The speaker lets the pendant communicate with users and express a more distinctive personality.

What does Limitless remember?

Formerly known as Rewind, Limitless is a $99 conversation-recording pendant.

It continuously listens and transcribes meetings, calls, and conversations, with consent, into searchable and summarized knowledge that can serve as a searchable memory of daily activity.

The roundup positions it as a memory aid for professionals. Journalists, especially, may use it to recall important discussions. Its app includes 10 hours of AI features each month. These cover transcription and summaries. Users can unlock unlimited features for $29 per month.

What does Meta’s Muse Charm promise?

Meta introduced its first AI wearable in September. It gives users another route to the personal AI assistant Muse. The device has not shipped yet.

The pocket-sized unit can be carried around or attached to a keychain, with a miniature display showing Jolly, a playful digital avatar that represents Muse. Voice commands let users interact with the assistant and ask it to complete tasks.

How does Nirva track personal growth?

Nirva is a startup founded by former Meta Reality Labs employees. Its wearable focuses on personal growth rather than productivity or meeting notes. It comes as a pendant or bracelet and will cost $249.

The wearable listens to the wearer’s speech and uses AI to turn everyday experiences into a personal journal, helping users understand their emotions, communication style, and habits. The companion app explores behavioral patterns. It offers insights on how users communicate and ways to improve.

Nirva plans to open orders in November. It targets shipments to early users by the end of the year.

What can Omi handle?

The $89 Omi answers questions, summarizes conversations, creates to-do lists, and helps schedule meetings. It listens constantly and runs conversations through ChatGPT. The device remembers context about the user and offers personalized advice.

Omi can be worn as a necklace. It can also attach to the side of the wearer’s head with medical tape. There, it detects when the wearer is speaking to it.

What does Plaud put on the market?

The $159 Plaud NotePin is a tiny wearable recorder designed for people attending meetings and lectures. It clips magnetically to clothing or wraps around the wrist. The roundup calls it one of the pricier options. Its built-in transcription and summarization make it useful for lawyers, journalists, and students.

Recordings save to the wearer’s phone in real time, removing the need for manual notes. The device includes 300 free transcription minutes each month. The $8.33-per-month Pro plan raises that allowance to 1,200 minutes.

Plaud also has a $179 ultra-thin note-taking device. It is called the Plaud Note Pro. The device is available for preorder and slated for launch this year.

Can Rabbit R1 act without a phone?

The $199 Rabbit R1 is a small retro-styled handheld. It has a touchscreen and rotating camera. The roundup says it became a topic of interest in the tech world despite problems during its initial launch.

The device is designed to be phone-adjacent. It can book flights, order meals, and control apps without requiring the user to pull out a phone each time.

A software update fixed earlier performance problems. It also expanded the AI feature set. One addition, “Creations,” lets users build their own tools and games.

What privacy choice does Sandbar’s Stream make?

Sandbar emerged from stealth last year. It unveiled the Stream, an AI ring designed for note-taking. The device is expected to cost $299. Silver and gold finishes are planned.

Its microphone stays off by default. Pressing and holding the flat, touch-sensitive panel on top switches it on. The gesture records notes. It also opens interaction with an AI assistant through the companion smartphone app. The same panel controls play, pause, skip, and volume.

The Stream is expected to launch this summer.

The next checkpoints are already dated: Sandbar targets a summer launch for the $299 Stream, Nirva plans November orders and year-end shipments, and Plaud is preparing the $179 Note Pro preorder. Each device asks buyers to accept a different bargain between ambient access, recorded memory, and personal guidance.