<p><em>Product Thinking is a series of case studies/posts about my product thinking process. These are products that I admire or would improve.</em></p>
<p>I know I’ve very frequently said in the past I have been hugely skeptical regarding AI. I have even wrote a blog post about a failed AI product, the <a href="https://www.joshblewitt.dev/posts/2025-02-23-humane-pin">Humane AI Pin</a>, and my views on AI haven’t changed.</p>
<p>But it seems that companies have found an area where AI could be implemented; voice recording.</p>
<p>There are plenty of use cases for voice recording, such as:</p>
<ul>
<li>A student who wants to record a lecture.</li>
<li>A journalist who wants to record interviews.</li>
<li>Meetings that are held in person.</li>
<li>A phone call for a job interview.</li>
<li>A training session.</li>
</ul>
<p>But then comes the challenge of transcribing the audio into usable text. This is a long and tedious process if done manually, especially if the audio recording is over an hour. Without the text transcribed, you can’t search it, you can’t make use of the text in other applications such as creating flow charts in Miro.</p>
<p>This is a genuine problem that AI could solve, if it could transcribe the audio into usable text automatically, then this would save time in the use cases I described above.</p>
<p>That’s where the product, <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CZX48H2Z/?coliid=IX91QWF80IY15&#x26;colid=49DQY3M54JDN&#x26;psc=1">Plaud Note</a>, comes in. In this edition of Product Thinking, I want to explain why I admire this product, and also the issues that I have with this product. Maybe it could be</p>
<h2>Why I admire this product</h2>
<h3>Mind maps and templates</h3>
<p>This is a good example of an undeserved need, being able to take a recording and generate a mind map based on the recording is a great feature in organising data. It’s something that I honestly haven’t thought of myself. Visualisations are something that I’ve used in the past to help me learn a topic.</p>
<h3>Enhanced transcriber features</h3>
<p>Plaud Note offers the following features when it comes to transcribing audio:</p>
<p><strong>Speaker labels</strong></p>
<p>If you’re recording a meeting where there are multiple people talking, it’s good to know who said what if you’re reviewing what was discussed.</p>
<p><strong>Auto-paragraphing</strong></p>
<p>Nobody enjoys reading a wall of text, paragraphs are important in improving readability. Plaud Note offers auto-paragraphing to make scribing and formatting seamless.</p>
<p><strong>Multi-language support</strong></p>
<p>Plaud Note supports 112 languages, making the product compatible with the global market.</p>
<h3>Free plan</h3>
<p>Although there is a paid subscription plan, which includes features such as custom templates, there is a free plan that gives you enough to see what the possibilities of the product are. I think it’s pretty generous, especially if you are looking at recording lectures.</p>
<h3>Slim and light design</h3>
<p>If you’re recording multiple conversations in a day, then having something that can fit into your bag easily and isn’t cumbersome is key. With the Plaud Note being 30g and 0.117 inches, it looks like a credit card which makes it extremely portable.</p>
<h2>Issues that I have with this product</h2>
<h3>On privacy</h3>
<p>Of course, given that this product records everything that is said when it’s active, privacy is something that needs to be discussed and is my biggest issue I have with this product.</p>
<p>If you’re recording conversations you have with people, their privacy must be respected and permission to record must be obtained. With just one press of a button and Plaud Note can record <em>everything</em> it hears can be slightly worrying, especially if it picks up on background noise if you happen to be having a conversation in a cafe for example.</p>
<p>Becca Farasace recently looked at a similar product called <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3cN37P8DME&#x26;t=3s">Bee</a> and spoke about privacy regarding these sorts of devices.</p>
<h3>Support and updates</h3>
<p>At some point, support for this product will cease, and then comes the question; what do you do with your notes and recordings? Can be they be exported to a different service or downloaded to be stored locally?</p>
<p>This could be seen as an argument for using traditional voice recorders, as you are in control of where you store your recordings and aren’t tied to a provider.</p>
<p>What happened with the Humane AI Pin and it’s sudden closure is something that could easily happen again with other products.</p>
<h3>Cost</h3>
<p>The Plaud Note costs £149.90 (at this time of writing) which is quite steep for a voice recorder. There are plenty of voice recorders available at a much lower price point. Granted, the Plaud Note offers more features with the use of AI, but if you’re in the market for just a voice recorder, cheaper options are available.</p>
<p>Also, are customers prepared to pay for yet another subscription for something?</p>
<h2>Wrap up</h2>
<p>An AI powered voice recorder is something that I genuinely see a product-market fit for. There are clear benefits and is an improvement against existing products in this field. But the concerns I have around privacy still bug me.</p>
<p>Maybe in time this will be improved, but for now, the Plaud Note is a product that I admire for it’s goals.</p>


Product Thinking: Plaud Note

<h2>Overview</h2>
<p>When it comes to AI, I’ve been more on the skeptical side of things. I’ve written about this <a href="https://www.joshblewitt.dev/posts/2024-06-30-ai-hyped">view</a> in the past and I will always mention the blog post of <a href="https://ludic.mataroa.blog/blog/i-will-fucking-piledrive-you-if-you-mention-ai-again/">“I Will Fucking Piledrive You If You Mention AI Again”</a> because it’s on point. I truly believe AI is overhyped, and that the bubble will burst.</p>
<p>And if there’s anything that backs up that claim it’s the story of the <a href="https://humane.com/">Humane AI Pin</a>. In case you haven’t heard the <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2025/02/18/humanes-ai-pin-is-dead-as-hp-buys-startups-assets-for-116m/">news</a> about this device, HP is buying the assets of Humane for $116M. This includes CosmOS, the technical staff, 300 patents and patent applications.</p>
<p>However, Humane has <a href="https://support.humane.com/hc/en-us/articles/34374173951373-Important-Update-for-Consumer-Ai-Pin-Customers">said</a> that the company would be winding down the AI pin. This includes that the pin would no longer connect to Humane’s servers after February 28th 2025. That means that customers would no longer be able to call, send messages, send queries and receive responses. Plus, any data stored in the cloud will be deleted after the shutdown date.</p>
<p>After the shutdown, offline <a href="https://support.humane.com/hc/en-us/articles/34243204841997-Ai-Pin-Consumers-FAQ">features</a> such as checking the battery level will still work (<em>thank goodness</em>).</p>
<p>To add insult to injury for owners of the pin, only customers who have purchased a pin and are within the 90-day return window are eligible for a <a href="https://support.humane.com/hc/en-us/articles/34243204841997-Ai-Pin-Consumers-FAQ">refund</a>.</p>
<p>This is all after how Humane was once looking to <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-05-22/wearable-ai-startup-humane-is-said-to-explore-potential-sale">sell</a> itself for <em>one billion dollars</em>.</p>
<p>What a mess.</p>
<h2>How did we get here?</h2>
<p>Before the pin launched, it received an incredible amount of hype. The cofounder of Humane, Imran Chaudhri, gave a <a href="https://www.ted.com/talks/imran_chaudhri_the_disappearing_computer_and_a_world_where_you_can_take_ai_everywhere">TED</a> talk where the pin was shown. It was a good demo that gave a glimpse into the future. The stage was set.</p>
<p>The pin launched in April 2024, and received terrible <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TitZV6k8zfA">reviews</a>. Reviewers found that the pin would overheat, <a href="https://www.theverge.com/24126502/humane-ai-pin-review">missing features</a> such as not being able to set an alarm or a timer (very basic features) and hallucinations from the AI model the pin uses. In August 2024, it was <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2024/8/7/24211339/humane-ai-pin-more-daily-returns-than-sales">reported</a> that the returns were outpacing sales. It was around this time the company was exploring a sale.</p>
<h2>Why was the product bad?</h2>
<p>So we know that the reviews were terrible, and it’s clear that the product really wasn’t ready and needed more time when it launched. But I have four major points that I’m amazed that were missed when this product was brought to market.</p>
<h3>Price</h3>
<p>At launch, the pin was being sold for $700 with a $24 monthly subscription. Which is such a high price for a product with so many fatal flaws. Granted, Humane did drop the price by <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2024/10/23/beleaguered-startup-humane-drops-ai-pin-price-by-200/">$200</a> but even then, with smartphones costing less than or equal to $700 (or $500 after the price drop), the pin doesn’t make sense from a sense of value.</p>
<p>A smartphone would have better quality cameras, do more, have better battery life and so on. With that in mind, why would you want to buy this pin?</p>
<h3>Target customer and undeserved needs</h3>
<p>Who is this device for, exactly? Humane advertises the pin with the slogan of ‘see the world, not your screen’. If a customer is seeking a way to disconnect from a smartphone, then there are plenty of minimalist or ‘dumb-phone’ options available (and some which cost much less than the pin itself).</p>
<p>And then there are the underserved needs, the problems that aren’t being addressed by existing solutions in the market, which I struggle to think of. The modern smartphone does everything that the pin does and more (like setting an alarm or a timer).</p>
<p>I’m surprised that this product got funding given that there was no market for the product to begin with.</p>
<h3>Value proposition</h3>
<p>Why would a customer choose the pin over alternatives? As I mentioned, a smartphone could be bought for the equivalent price or less than the pin, and would do more. So it doesn’t make sense to buy the pin.</p>
<h3>Issues with the product itself</h3>
<p>Shortly after the pin released, users of the pin were told to stop using the charging case due to <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2024/06/05/humane-urges-customers-to-stop-using-charging-case-citing-battery-fire-concerns/">fire concerns</a>. Now with the shutdown, Humane has <a href="https://support.humane.com/hc/en-us/articles/34243204841997-Ai-Pin-Consumers-FAQ">said</a> that the business will no longer be providing replacement cases.</p>
<h2>The end of AI devices?</h2>
<p>Although there is plenty of hype around AI, I think devices such as the Humane Pin goes to show that there isn’t a market out there for this type of product. Users are happy with their smartphones and tablets for digesting digital content, taking photos and videos, social media and so on.</p>
<p>I’m aware of the Rabbit R1, another AI device, which also faced similar scathing <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2024/5/2/24147159/rabbit-r1-review-ai-gadget">reviews</a>. Although that device starts at $199, it still faces the same issues as the pin; unknown target customer, issues with the AI model and just doesn’t work.</p>
<p>I feel bad for those who bought the pin at launch and are unable to get a refund. The pin at this point is doomed to being e-waste (<em>unless you want to check the battery of your pin</em>).</p>
<p>Perhaps smartphones will evolve to offer AI personal assistants, which is what we’re seeing with Apple Intelligence. But whether or not this is what users want remains to be seen.</p>
<p>Regardless, it’s clear that wearable AI products should be avoided for now.</p>


Bad Product; Humane AI Pin

<p>I travel by air a lot these days. My wife is American so naturally, I travel between the UK and USA by air at least once or twice a year. And now have friends and family from the USA come to visit me in the UK. With that in mind, I needed an application that tracked flights that I and friends were taking from different airports around the world.</p>
<p>I tend to go to the following airports:</p>
<ul>
<li>Heathrow - LHR</li>
<li>New York - JFK</li>
<li>Nashville - BNA</li>
<li>Atlanta - ATL</li>
</ul>
<p>Sure, there are dedicated applications for individual airports (or in some cases, they don't) but I don’t want to switch between applications. I want to use <em>one</em> application that handles <em>everything</em> that comes to flights.</p>
<p>That’s where <a href="https://flighty.com/">Flighty</a> comes in.</p>
<p>In this post, I want to explain why Flighty is an excellent product.</p>
<h2>The product market fit for Flighty</h2>
<p>Let’s take a look at the <a href="https://leanproductplaybook.com/book/">product market fit</a> for Flighty.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Target customer -</strong> frequent fliers</li>
<li><strong>Undeserved Needs -</strong> important flight information (preflight, while you’re at the airport, after you’ve landed), social media stickers, lifetime flight statistics, notifying friends and family when you have a flight.</li>
<li><strong>Value Proposition-</strong> important flight information</li>
</ul>
<p>Now that we understand how the Flighty product fits with it’s target market, let’s look at what makes it a good product.</p>
<h2>The design; getting flights added takes centre stage.</h2>
<p>Flighty shows you the most important information to you when you open the application; your upcoming or active flights. If you don’t have a flight, you can search for one by using the airline and flight number.</p>
<p>This is a major reason why Flighty is a good product. It is centred on getting flights added quickly and easily, and tracking them is shown when you open the application. Flighty prioritises your time and makes it a stress free experience when you use it.</p>
<p>The icons to highlight which gate or baggage belt you need to go to grabs your attention so you can clearly see important information at a glance is very useful if you’re going around an airport.</p>
<h2>Where’s my plane?</h2>
<p>I think wondering <em>'Where's my plane?'</em> might be one of the most asked questions when it comes to air travel. Flighty helps to answer this question.</p>
<p>Flighty tracks your plane 25 hours before your flight, so it can predict a new departure time. Flighty also shows you notifications from Air Traffic Control, which is great at understanding why your flight has been delayed for reasons like weather.</p>
<p>Speaking of the weather, the map also shows real time weather around the world. I find this quite useful if I want to check if I’m going to experience any turbulence during my flight.</p>
<p>I’m a fan of data for this sort of stuff, and being able to see my plane on a map and info about the plane itself is fascinating to me. It’s also handy when tracking a friend’s flight I can see exactly where their plane is.</p>
<h2>Live activities</h2>
<p>I’ve rarely used an application that’s used live activities, let alone a live activity that I found useful. But the live activity from Flighty is an exception. Just being able to check what gate I need to get to or the status of a friend’s flight from the Lock Screen is extremely efficient and a time saver (plus, my iPhone XS doesn’t have the best battery life these days, so the less time I spend looking at my phone, the better).</p>
<p>Whether I’m in a taxi going to the airport, or at the airport itself, it’s so useful just to quickly check my phone and get the information I need. Plus, in my case, it saves the battery life on my iPhone XS.</p>
<h2>Friends and sharing</h2>
<p>How many times have you had to share flight information with friends and family? Too many?</p>
<p>With Flighty, it handles that for you. Flighty Friends lets you sync flight information instantly, so your friends and family can monitor your trip. Plus, it sends notifications to you if a friend has landed or taken off.</p>
<p>Or if they don’t use Flighty, you can share a web link to your flight or copy text to your clipboard. I use this so much when I'm telling my parents details about the flight I'm on as they don't use Flighty (as they don't fly that much).</p>
<p>This problem might look like a minor inconvenience, but if you’re someone who flies frequently and needs to update multiple family members, Flighty takes care of that for you and gives you one less thing to worry about.</p>
<p>Plus, there are some fun stickers you can use in instagram (or others). From a flight map, a Flighty boarding pass, flight status and even a Flighty Passport. The graphics for this are well done and look great when creating stories on social media.</p>
<h2>Data, data and more data</h2>
<p>I’m not sure if I’m alone out there, but I do appreciate the flight stats that Flighty keeps track of. From total miles flown, number of flights, time lost to delay and most flown aircraft, I appreciate the data available and the graphics for the most flown aircraft and the flighty passport make it more appealing to view.</p>
<h2>It works across iOS, Apple Watch and Mac</h2>
<p>It’s great that this application just works across multiple Apple Devices, and the experience is consistent.</p>
<p>But it being exclusive to Apple devices is a slight downside. My parents use Android phones and it's a shame they can't receieve a push notification if I've landed or taken off and need to rely on checking it manually themselves.</p>
<h2>The pricing plans</h2>
<p>The free version does miss out on a lot of features, and I do subscribe to the pay as you go option when I do need to use it as it provides the most flexibility (at $3.99 a week). There is a one time payment option at $249, as well as $47.99 annual option.</p>
<p>I have praised Flighty a lot in this post, but if you don’t fly often, or track friends flights then this application might not be for you. It is expensive and to get the most out of it, you need to subscribe as it includes push notifications, live activities, weather radar and more.</p>
<p>However, if you are someone who values data, a high quality application and flies frequently (and has an iOS device), then Flighty might be the product you are looking for when it comes to monitoring flights.</p>


Saving me time at airports around the world.

Posts tagged with Product