Why you’ll be able to belief TechRadar
We spend hours testing each services or products we evaluation, so that you could be positive you are shopping for the most effective. Find out more about how we test.
Plaud NotePin: 30-second review
The cloud AI devices are impressive from the outset, and when I looked at the Plaud Note a few months ago, I was blown away by how precise the AI recording and transcription were in summarizing meeting notes, telephone conversations, and any situation with person-to-person interaction.
With the NotePin, that same technology has been integrated into a small device that can be clipped onto a lapel or slipped into a top pocket, so it’s always there, ready to be activated whenever you need it.
Whereas the Plaud Note (review here) was designed to connect to the again of your cell phone, the NotePin is solely designed to connect to your clothes, in the identical method as a wi-fi lavalier mic.
Just like the Plaud Word, it is extremely fast and straightforward to make use of, with a easy one-tap to start out recording and one other to cease. When you cease recording, the audio will get transferred straight over to the cloud app, the place the AI integration kicks in, first transcribing the audio, then supplying you with the choice to summarise it in a wide range of other ways.
The advantages are apparent, particularly in conferences. The NotePin is ready to differentiate between totally different audio system, which you’ll be able to assign names to inside the app, then summarise precisely what has been stated and by who.
However it goes far past a easy transcription. The recording is ready to break down into assembly minutes, to-do lists, grievances raised, and motion factors. By means of the Plaud app, there are many totally different choices to summarise what’s been stated, relying in your state of affairs and career.
Whereas the small system is extremely compact and light-weight, it options an inside battery that provides loads of use for a full day and in addition affords an honest quantity of storage. Over a three-week check interval, it was in a position to maintain 20 hours of recordings from a full cost.
As soon as once more, nevertheless, the Plaud NotePin requires a subscription to unlock full options. Whereas the essential AI options are spectacular, the limitless use {and professional} vocabularies, designed to fine-tune the AI to a selected career, require a a lot greater outlay, with the subscription price being over £100/$100 greater than the precise system.
One factor I famous in regards to the app: whereas it’s absolutely featured and does excess of simply pairing ChatGPT with audio transcription, integration with workflow apps like Google Calendar or Trello is missing. You are left to manually combine findings into whichever app you utilize, quite than counting on an automatic route, which might’ve been best.
I used to be additionally shocked that you could’t manually switch the audio recordsdata from the system to a laptop computer as you’ll with a conventional dictaphone; this all must be executed via the companion app.
That stated, when you begin utilizing the Plaud system with full AI integration, it is troublesome to return. Having reviewed the Plaud Word and used it extensively, having the identical performance in a wearable makes issues even simpler, particularly when out and about.
Whereas the {hardware} is comparatively cheap for an audio recorder that transcribes out of the field, that translation and AI Utility is restricted to only 300 minutes a month earlier than requiring one of many bigger subscription plans.
In case you’re trying to purchase a Plaud system, it is value contemplating not simply the price of the {hardware}, however the subscription that you will want as effectively.
Plaud NotePin: Price and availability
- How much does it cost? From $149 / £149
- When is it out? Available now
- Where can you get it? Directly from plaud and on-line retailers
The Plaud NotePin is extensively out there and could be bought straight through Plaud’s official web site or via on-line retailers like Amazon and Currys. The present worth is $149 / £149, however you additionally want to contemplate the subscription plan. The Plaud AI Limitless annual plan is $240 / £230, and the Plaud Word AI Professional plan is $100 / £100.
For many customers, the Professional plan is probably going the most effective match. The improve to the Limitless plan turns into worthwhile provided that there is a language mannequin and glossary tailor-made to your particular business.
Plaud NotePin: Specs
Storage: 64GB internal
Ports: Proprietary, USB-C for docking charger
Connectivity: Bluetooth
Audio: Dual MEMS microphones
Size: 8× 8 × 14 mm
Weight: 26g
OS Installed: Works via companion iOS/Android app
Accessories: Magnetic clip, wristband, lanyard, USB-C cable
Plaud NotePin: Design
The size and weight of the Plaud NotePin are designed to be clipped or worn on clothing, and with its magnetic clasp, it will easily attach to most garments. If you want to clip it to a lapel, there is an optional magnetic pin available from the store. You can even get a wristband to hold the NotePin if you want to wear it in a watch style. In this review, I received the Plaud NotePin bundle that had these additional accessories included as part of a kit.
While the NotePin is incredibly small, it isn’t overly discreet, measuring in at 14 mm by 8 mm x 8 mm, so it is apparent when you’re wearing it. It looks like a small wireless lav mic.
When it comes to weight, even on T-shirt material, it’s light enough not to bunch the fabric too much at 26 g. This also means that if you use it with the clip, wristband, or other mounting accessories, it doesn’t add too much weight or bulk.
It uses a magnetic clasp, so the magnet goes behind the material, with the NotePin connecting above to hold it firmly in place. The magnet is strong; even if you’re walking around or chatting through a meeting, it will pick up audio without issue.
The device is simple, but there is quite a lot in the design. The cap itself features a magnetic back, which, once removed, reveals the contacts that sit in the charging dock, which uses a USB cable for charging. The contacts on the device are proprietary, so you do need the dock to charge it. However, this is also small and lightweight, and complements the design of the device.
My review sample was the Cosmic Grey version, which looks very neat and tidy, but there’s also Lunar Silver and Sunset purple.
When it comes to use, the design and handling are exceptionally easy. A simple touch to the centre of the device starts recording, and another tap stops it. There’s a slight vibration to confirm when recording starts or stops, and a small status light is incorporated into the discreet logo design to show whether it’s recording or in standby mode.
Plaud NotePin: Features
The Plaud NotePin, unlike many other AI devices, has been designed to be as simple to use as possible. As such, there’s no screen or complexity to the design, just a status light and a simple touch button to start and stop recording on the device itself. All other interaction is done through the Plaud AI app. What’s more, to keep the design discreet, there’s no physical button; it’s just a touch-sensitive surface on the outer casing.
The status light is discreetly incorporated into the logo, so while it’s subtle, it’s still apparent that you’re wearing some type of device.
The NotePin features dual MEMS microphones to pick up audio from the user as well as those nearby. Once the recording starts, the audio is stored on the internal 64GB memory, allowing it to store recordings offline if you don’t have your mobile phone with you to transcribe the conversation or meeting.
AI-powered transcription is possible for up to 112 languages at present, with support expanding as needed. In this test, I stuck to UK English.
One of the main features of the app is the transcription of recorded audio. Once downloaded and subscribed to, transcriptions are fully searchable. But where the AI stands out is that you don’t just get a straightforward transcription, which many other devices offer; you also get a summary feature that provides a good overview of the meeting. You can also ask the AI for further refinement of the transcription, allowing you to copy and paste it into other applications.
The base plan offers 300 minutes and includes most of the main features. However, if you want custom templates or a personal glossary tailored to your profession, you’ll need one of the subscription services.
Compared with the Plaud Note, the NotePin offers higher-quality voice recording playback with timestamps, which can be listened to through the Plaud app. While this was available on the Plaud Note, the NotePin steps up the audio quality, although it’s still not at the level of a wireless lav mic such as the DJI Mic 3.
Plaud NotePin: Performance
When I took a look at the Plaud Note earlier in the year, I was impressed by the ease of use. Although at the time I was a little taken aback by the cost of the subscription services, in hindsight, I now feel these are actually well-balanced, having seen the gradual price rises of other AI services across the board.
Once again, the Plaud NotePin just offers a more convenient option than the Plaud Note. You can either wear it around your neck, attach it to your clothing, or wear it as a wristband, ready for whenever you need it. That means you don’t have to get your phone out. A simple tap on the device and a short vibration tells you it’s started recording; it’s really discreet and actually far more intuitive to use than the Plaud Note.
Through the test, what I really liked was the fact that you could wear it and have it ready to go at all times. The battery life was more than enough for an entire day’s use, and the small USB docking station was compact enough to fit neatly in a bag, or, as I found, I just left it on my desktop, so when I got home, I could simply give it a charge, ready for the following day.
There are other apps that can do much the same as the Plaud NotePin for free, but just having a device that’s with you all the time and so simple to use makes a huge difference to its usability, and increases the likelihood you’ll actually start to incorporate the power of AI into your everyday life.
There were a few things along the way that really highlighted how this device can help, but also a few areas where I felt it could be improved, especially with integration into other workflows, such as adding appointments directly to calendars and lists in Trello.
Another major point before I really look at the performance is that the audio recording quality is definitely a step up from the Note, which was fine for quickly scrubbing through, but when it came to higher-quality use, it was limited. The NotePin’s recording quality does take a step up and offers much clearer clarity. However, it’s still far behind what you’d get recording with your mobile phone or a wireless mic system – although pop it through Adobe podcast and the audio is usable.
Otherwise, when it comes to AI features, the Note and the NotePin are pretty much identical. The one major difference is that, when it comes to recording voice calls on your mobile phone, you will need the Note, as this is impossible with the NotePin due to its lack of direct integration.
That said, you can always put your mobile phone on speaker and the NotePin will pick up the audio absolutely fine.
In the base subscription that comes with the Plaud NotePin, you get up to 300 minutes of transcription through the app. Essentially, you record audio on the NotePin, then transfer it to the app, where it transcribes the audio into searchable text. From this point, you can generate a summary or a mind map of the meeting, conversation, or lecture in just a few seconds, and once again, I’m impressed by the speed at which this works.
You also have the choice of a few language models to use, either ChatGPT 3.0 or ChatGPT 4. At the moment, it doesn’t seem to utilise the latest iteration of ChatGPT 5, although there have been so many updates to the app since I first looked at it that I’m sure this integration will follow soon.
To run you through the workflow of the Plaud NotePin: first, after charging the NotePin, attach it to your clothing using one of the accessories or the built-in magnet. This magnet clasp pulls away from the back of the Pin, and you place it behind the material of whatever clothing you’re wearing.
Then place the device over the top of the material, and it holds in place securely. At 26 g, it’s still noticeable on fabric, and while it’s light, lightweight materials will bunch slightly.
Once in position, it’s in standby mode. Open the app, select ‘connect to device’, and within a second or two, the NotePin should appear, ready for use. You can either press the centre of the NotePin and feel a single vibration with the status light turning red, or press again to stop and feel two quick vibrations with the status light switching off to indicate that recording has stopped.
Once you’ve finished recording, head to the Plaud app, and your audio should have automatically copied across. You can also start recording directly from the app. In both cases, once that’s done, you click the ‘generate’ button at the bottom.
Here is where the subscription model really comes into play. With the 300-minute base level subscription, you can select a summary template that suits you, including building your own. A few quick examples include Autopilot Reasoning, Autopilot Consulting, Discussion, Class Lecture, Call, Interview Notes, and the list goes on. The app will transcribe the audio and then format it according to your selection.
There are many more summarisation templates available, but to access them, you’ll need to upgrade to the Pro or Unlimited subscription. On a day-to-day basis, if you’re just using this for personal workflow, the 300 minutes will probably suffice. However, if you’re using this professionally, some of the upgraded templates, such as Clear & Highly Detailed or Strategic Meeting Summary, will really focus on the key points of a meeting. Profiling is another good one, especially for longer meetings. There’s also a generic’ Meeting Note’ template that pulls out a few key points in less detail.
For me personally, the lecture template was particularly useful. I gave a lecture on photography and was able to pull out the key takeaways and highlights. At the end of the session, I ran the audio through the lecture option, got a decent summary, and emailed it out to students, with a list of to-do points. It also picked up on questions that were asked, so I could add these to the class notes. While most of the information was already in the planning documents, what wasn’t included were those questions and evolution of the session based on student input, and it’s these points that are invaluable to the students’ learning.
At all subscription levels, there’s a good level of interaction. With monthly plans starting at £8.40 or £99 annually (billed in one go), it becomes relatively affordable. If you work in the medical field or any profession that would benefit from a technical glossary, the Unlimited plan at £19.20/month or £229/year becomes very beneficial.
However, I did find a few things a little restrictive, even when I trialled the Unlimited plan. While the glossary of terms and greater depth of transcription analysis are useful, as well as the unlimited recording time, the content still doesn’t integrate with external apps.
By this, I mean if I’m drawing up a kit list for a session, it would be great to say: “Please add tripod, ND filter, and CFexpress Type B card to the exposure triangle session kit list.” Instead, each time I remembered a bit of kit or a technique to include, I had to start a new note or manually copy the summary into an external document.
Likewise, for a static website project I’m working on with a few others, the ability to upload notes directly to the Discord discussion would be handy. Again, I can make the note and summarise it, but I have to upload it manually. It would just be great if the Plaud NotePin took a little more ownership over where the AI-generated summaries go.
However, unlike many other AI devices, the stripped-down nature of the Plaud NotePin just works. It’s a fast and effective way to record audio and summarise it in a few clicks. Automatic downloading to your mobile and transcription into multiple formats is incredibly useful. Whether you want to read the transcription, get a summary, see a mind map of what was said, or fine-tune it through one of the template models, the Plaud NotePin is extremely useful. My only issue is still figuring out how best to utilise a device like this to truly help with my everyday working life.
Plaud NotePin: Final verdict
There are many AI devices out there, including those built into your mobile phone, and the integration of AI into everyday life is steadily increasing. What I really like about the Plaud NotePin is its pure simplicity. While it is an AI device, the fact that it’s an intelligent dictaphone makes it less intimidating than many other AI productivity tools that have appeared on the market.
The fact that one click starts recording and another switches it off, and the app is very transparent in the way it transcribes the audio into text, allowing you to search and format it how you want, is really helpful.
For individuals, the NotePin is just a great way of quickly capturing information and ensuring you’ve got the key points. As we all know, in meetings, points can be missed, but with the Plaud NotePin, there’s just no way of missing anything, and it’s a reliable reference point that you can go back to easily.
Once again, though, the subscription model is as expensive as it is. While £10–£20 a month might not seem like a great deal, when added to all the other subscriptions required in modern life, it’s another pull on your financial resources, especially after the cost of the hardware.
You also have to consider that, while it is convenient, it’s only a small leap to get similar functionality from the likes of ChatGPT, on which this is based. If anything were to happen to the ChatGPT subscription model, the whole premise of this device could become obsolete.
However, as it stands, the Plaud NotePin is a superb AI workflow device. Once you sit down and figure out how to work it into your everyday life, at £140 it really does make sense, even if you only use it at the lightest level.
When you do subscribe, it opens up even more depth of analysis into your meetings, lectures, and discussions. The fact that you basically have someone taking notes for you every day and can ask for the key points instantly really does help save time and effort.
For me, there’s still a lot of work to be done on the Plaud Note app in terms of workflow integration, but as it stands, it’s still exceptionally good and does exactly what it set out to do.
Should I buy a Plaud NotePin?
|
Value |
The hardware is exceptional value. Unfortunately, the subscription models are still expensive. |
4/5 |
|
Design |
A very neat and tidy design, but still just a little bulky for something that’s supposed to be nice and discreet. |
4.5/5 |
|
Features |
The NotePin keeps things nice and simple, with all of the main features being accessible through the app. |
4/5 |
|
Performance |
Exceptional performance when it comes to summarising conversations and meetings, but would love to see closer external integration. |
4.5/5 |
|
Overall |
As it stands, it’s one of the best AI devices on the market, and the fact that it’s powered by an app means new features are easily integrated. |
4.5/5 |
Buy it if…
Don’t buy it if…
For more note-taking tools, we reviewed the best speech-to-text apps round.
Source link
