Rabbit

Apple

There’s a new entrant in the AI-powered wearables market, and no, this one doesn’t help people keep appointments or identify weird flowers — it just wants to be a friend.&nbsp;
Introduced in a July 31 video <a href="https://x.com/AviSchiffmann/status/1818284595902922884" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">posted</a> on X and YouTube, the “Friend” device has already seen mixed reactions from the public.
Connected to a phone via Bluetooth, the puck-shaped device constantly listens to its user and can be spoken to by touching a button on the device. In its launch video, the device seemingly responds to whatever the user is doing at the time via text messages.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
 introducing friend. not imaginary. order now at <a href="https://t.co/7kGiH5pQVK" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">https://t.co/7kGiH5pQVK</a> <a href="https://t.co/qU58xNvX5v" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">pic.twitter.com/qU58xNvX5v</a>— Avi (@AviSchiffmann) <a href="https://twitter.com/AviSchiffmann/status/1818284595902922884?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">July 30, 2024</a>
</blockquote>
But some are pretty skeptical about the concept. Some users on X described the launch video as reminiscent of an episode of “Black Mirror” — a British television series that explores near-future dystopias containing science fiction technology.
Meanwhile, others are <a href="https://x.com/DaddyReduxx/status/1818393653540421734" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">calling</a> it the “adult incarnation of Tamagotchi” due to its similar rounded shape— though the devices' actual functions are far different.
<figure><img src="https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2024-07/f7c79c2a-c711-43fa-91c4-bc2913ef678e.jpg" alt="$99 AI necklace puts a ‘friend’ around your neck">
 <figcaption style="text-align: center;">An original Tamagotchi device. Source: Amazon
 </figcaption>
</figure>
The device was designed and launched by Avi Schiffman, a tech entrepreneur who rose to prominence in 2020 when he built a <a href="https://ncov2019.live/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">website</a> that tracked the spread of COVID-19.
Schiffman <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2024/07/30/friend-is-an-ai-companion-backed-by-founders-of-solana-perplexity-and-zfellows/?guccounter=1&amp;guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&amp;guce_referrer_sig=AQAAANPGKz4RrRX8zXvENqxJlE4diCowjMHpcwMpjAv7mEM5Lv0u1-_SJWKEVcfMAntJ0Ue29r3WTlf9t5hX3f4jFChLdGMGmf8SPdz1xEwrXzlSGUSfunsXBH1J74EmVKL4B98zdolopaM_N-m0rUFEA6PLv3psFCyzkU7BqlYmfCza" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">told</a> TechCrunch that, unlike many other AI gadgets, the device isn’t designed to enhance productivity or act as a professional aid in any capacity.
Its sole purpose is to act as a virtual companion its users can talk to and nothing more.
<figure><img src="https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2024-07/11375e15-c45f-45cd-a25b-58869a1fde45.png" alt="$99 AI necklace puts a ‘friend’ around your neck">
 <figcaption style="text-align: center;">The friend necklace is currently available for pre-order. Source: friend.com
 </figcaption>
</figure>
The device is currently available for pre-order on the official friend website and will set buyers back $99.
Schiffman originally planned to create an AI-powered pendant <a href="https://mytab.ai/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">called</a> “Tab” to help users transcribe meetings and keep track of others.
With a price tag of $600, the device netted $100,000 in pre-orders. However, Schiffman later decided to pivot solely to the friend device and is instead offering a trade-in for the friend device as well as full refunds on the original Tab device.
Related: <a href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/apple-intelligence-potentially-missing-initial-ios-18-rollout" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Apple Intelligence may be absent from initial iOS 18 rollout: Report</a>
Meanwhile, AI-powered devices and wearables have launched to disappointing results from the market in recent months.
Rabbit — a pocket-sized “human-machine interface” device — launched in April to a slew of negative feedback. The Rabbit device was <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddTV12hErTc" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">described</a> as “unfinished, unhelpful, and barely reviewable,” by prominent tech reviewer Marques Brownlee in an April 30 video.
In May, Rabbit AI, the firm behind the device, was later called out by YouTube investigator Coffeezilla for <a href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/rabbit-ai-alleged-nft-scam-coffezilla-report" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">perpetrating an alleged NFT scam</a>, which the firm <a href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/rabbit-denies-nft-scam-allegations-coffeezilla" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">subsequently denied</a>.
Meanwhile, Humane’s AI pin — a wearable “multi-modal” gadget that assists users with making calls, sending messages, and capturing video — was also decimated by tech reviewers following its <a href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/openai-microsoft-humane-wearable-ai-pin" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">launch in November</a> last year.
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$99 AI necklace puts a ‘friend’ around your neck

Cointelegraph

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