I had never heard of this at all, after learning about it I can't think of a single thing I'd use it for, and I am not a luddite with new gadgets - I love stuff that tries to do something never done before.
Taking barely a closer look at this and Rabbit (and likely "Friend" next) the answer is obvious. It isn't wearables that is the problem, it's shoving AI into things it doesn't need to be and then it barely working to do what it claims to do in the first place.
It just so happens that for some reason many of these products are wearables, but thankfully Rabit is there to show what the actual bad investment is.
Premature comoditization.-
That is basically what is happening here. Just different versions of hardware where the actual software side is the smallest part of the equation. It is incredibly ironic that we went from an over engineered App into Hardware and a Pin solving a problem that didn't exist, to probably the laziest implementation with "Friend".
Given the (current) weaknesses in the AI underlying these gadgets, I feel we will look back to these widgets much in the same way the "crazy flying machines" of the early days of aviation look ridiculous now. They were ridiculous.-
(But perhaps a necessary part of the technology's evolution ...)
P.S. I wonder who is (or what applications are) today on that slow, steady path of leveraging AI using carefully thought-out + meaningful approaches? Time is the best filter :)
I am afraid it is a "gold rush" situation. Also, maybe (maybe) if VC and Wall Street love slows down a bit , we might see more careful approaches.-
Under these circumstances I am afraid the slower, careful approach does not get much used.-
Maybe - maybe - Anthropic could be that company. But the environment is not conducive. And, the major players - it appears - lack leadership to approach the development in this incremental, wise, and secure way.-
Right now my phone and watch are fighting over this role and I have to keep fiddling with things like Bluetooth connections because of it. I can’t carry my phone when I’m out training. It’s just too big. But my Apple watch struggles wi5 battery capacity. Some days I’m charging my watch twice. If I had a candy bar phone I wouldn’t have tho juggle.
Personally I think the bodycam form factor is interesting for a new tertiary device category, but if there is a marketable product there, it’s not a replacement for your phone.
Watch - Almost everyone can wear this daily, in almost any environment. Glasses - Almost everyone can wear this daily, in almost any environment. Bodycam - Depends on what you're wearing and where. Work at a hospital? Probably not. A night out on a date? Probably not. At the beach? No. Tank top? No. Rainy day with layers? Not easy. It's too dependent on something that varies considerably.
As for mounting, if you look at Axon’s bodycam website you can see they offer a variety of mounting options. The solution Humane came up with is not the only one, but yeah, you wouldn’t take it everywhere either.
I don't see that as a worthy goal nor I do believe there is any significant market demand for such a thing. It's almost impossible to exist in modern society without a smartphone.
Presumably the billions of dollars invested in this space would be evidence enough, or the success of things like the apple watch, or how Meta is shifting towards wearables to achieve a similar goal. I don't know what kind of "evidence" you're looking for here.
Do you have evidence this is something the market doesn't want?
The success of wearables doesn't mean people are looking to replace their phone -- these are all phone accessories. This AI pin would have been more successful as a phone accessory than a stand-alone device.
People already have to or want to carry their phone around; they are not looking for separate phone-replacement device. They want something that compliments their phone, not replaces it.
That is only evidence that gambles are getting desperate.