The Reviews for the Humane AI Pin Are Excruciating
The reviews for the much-hyped Humane AI Pin are in and it makes for tough reading for the Californian startup.
The $699 AI-powered wearable pin — that has no screen — is supposed to offer up a vision of a post-smartphone world but judging from the flurry of reviews published this morning, the company has failed miserably.
‘It Doesn’t Work’
The Verge describes the AI Pin as an “interesting idea that is so thoroughly unfinished and so totally broken is so many unacceptable ways.”
The main complaints from reviewers are that the device simply doesn’t work. Robbed of a screen, the pin is mostly used via voice, and as anyone who has ever had a frustrating conversation with Siri or Alexa knows, they often don’t cooperate.
Writers bemoan that the Pin took too long to reply when asked to do something. The Pin has a camera with a Vision feature meaning the lens can analyze what is in front of it but the reviewers reported that most of the time the Pin didn’t respond or said the wrong answer.
“Every time, I was told ‘Your AI Pin is not sure what you’re referring to’ or ‘This question is not related to AI Pin’,” writes Engadget.
The Camera
The AI Pin comes with an ultra-wide 13-megapixel camera that can be operated by motion sensors or by telling it to press the shutter.
The Washington Post says the camera is “pleasant enough” in daylight but Engadget writes that a 2012 Nokia E7 delivers better pictures in dark environments than the Humane Pin, and it overheated after too much use. Users can preview the photo they’ve taken by using the laser projector on their palm but it’s impossible to make out any details looking at the monochromatic representation.
Meanwhile, Wired says that several people believed the reviewer was wearing a camera and had to explain to a bartender that it wasn’t the device’s primary function. “I’m a little on edge about someone bringing it up in a confrontational way,” they write.
Could This Gadget Work Eventually?
The Humane AI Pin is an arousing, novel concept that could be an interesting device in the future. The company is promising forthcoming software updates and more functionality, but as it stands reviewers do not advise handing over $700 for the pin.
