TechCrunch has mapped ten AI wearables and pocket gadgets priced from $49.99 to $299, from recording pendants to a ring and a handheld assistant. Amazon now owns Bee after its July 2025 acquisition, while Meta is preparing a pocket Muse device and OpenAI is reported to be working on a compact companion. The roundup matters for business because continuous listening, transcription and proactive reminders are moving from phones into dedicated hardware.
What TechCrunch included in the wearable roundup
Bee remains the cheapest entry at $49.99, worn clipped to clothing or like a fitness band, with a mute button and an iOS companion app on a $19 monthly subscription. Amazon has added two models this month: the Bee Frontier at $74.99 for wrist or clip wear, and the Bee Eclipse at $99.99, a credit-card-sized unit that attaches magnetically to the back of a smartphone. Both keep the same core recording and reminder functions and can connect to Alexa, which positions Bee against Plaud Note and Plaud NotePin.
Friend sells for $129 as a white neck pendant that listens over Bluetooth, detects tone and mood, and sends proactive messages such as good luck before an interview. The company has released Friend 2.0 with a built-in speaker for voice replies and a more distinct personality, after criticism that included vandalism of its New York subway ads. Limitless, formerly Rewind, costs $99 and records meetings and calls with consent into searchable, summarized knowledge, with 10 hours of AI features per month and unlimited use for $29 per month.
Omi costs $89, runs conversations through ChatGPT, answers questions, summarizes talk, builds to-do lists and helps schedule meetings while retaining context for personalized advice. It can be worn as a necklace or attached to the side of the head with medical tape to detect when the wearer addresses it. Plaud NotePin costs $159, records to the phone in real time from wrist or magnetic clip, includes 300 free transcription minutes and expands to 1,200 minutes on the $8.33 per month Pro plan, while the $179 Plaud Note Pro is now on preorder.
What always-on assistants mean for companies
For small firms and solo professionals, sub-$100 pendants lower the cost of capturing meetings, lectures and client calls without manual notes. Journalists, lawyers and students are the named users for Limitless and Plaud, where chronological transcripts, summaries and 300 to 1,200 transcription minutes replace dictation and follow-up writing. A team can trial one $89 to $129 device plus a $19 to $29 subscription before standardizing, which keeps initial spending contained.
Larger organizations face a different calculation around consent, storage and integration, since most devices listen continuously and process speech in companion apps. Sandbar Stream ring, expected this summer at $299 in silver and gold, keeps its microphone off by default and activates by press-and-hold for notes, assistant queries and media control. Rabbit R1 at $199 takes another route as a phone-adjacent handheld with touchscreen and rotating camera for booking flights, ordering meals and building tools through Creations after a software update.
The marker to watch is shipment and subscription uptake through year-end, starting with Nirva at $249, planned for November orders and first deliveries targeted for the end of the year. Nirva, built by former Meta Reality Labs employees as a pendant or bracelet, converts speech into a journal of emotions and communication patterns rather than meeting minutes. If Meta ships its pocket Muse device with the Jolly avatar and voice control, always-on assistance will have two clear tracks for business to evaluate: task capture and personal coaching.
