AI has been involved in all tech talk the last couple of years. Some cases more useful than others. AI assistants promise to help multi-tasking and getting you the information you need. The Plaud Note AI is a voice recorder that takes your voice notes and transcribes and summarizes them efficiently using AI. It’s purpose to help with productivity and organization , the Plaud Note became an additional gadget to briefings and events.
DESIGN
Similar to that of a magnetic wallet the goes behind your phone, the Plaud Note goes in a magnetic sleeve that sticks to the back of your phone. The Plaud Note itself is about the size of a credit card, and the thickness of two credit cards. The body is crafted from a brushed aluminum alloy, available in colors like black, silver, and starlight, giving it a cool, solid, and durable feel that belies its feather-light 30-gram weight.
There are only two physical controls at the top of the note. The primary interaction point is a single, indented record button with a confirming click, which is held for a couple of seconds to start and stop recording. Adjacent to it is a small slider switch. The slider button allows the user to toggle between its two primary modes: “Note Mode” for capturing ambient audio like meetings and lectures, and “Call Mode” for recording phone calls.
EXPERIENCE WITH THE PLAUD AI NOTE RECORDER
Setting it to record is pretty easy. Press the indented button and you will feel it vibrate. The red light turns on in the “a” of the “Plaud” logo at the top of the device. I love the feedback it gives, both tactile and visual. I don’t mind the double confirmation at all. You can quickly turn it on and start recording and go back to the meeting without being rude or interrupting the speakers. You pair the phone with bluetooth. After you finish recording, you would have to connect the Plaud Note to your phone to transfer the recording and create the summary.
You get 300 minutes of transcription in the free starter plan. The starter plan also over 15 summary templates, cloud storage, If you need more, you can pay for different . After your recording is finished, you can open the app to generate the template you need for transcribing. Once it transcribed, you get four sections. You get an Overview, Transcript, Summary, and a Mind map. You can add details to the recordings. You can name the speakers in the recordings. The Plaud Note does a great job of recognizing different speakers. I’ve had up to 10 speakers be recognized without error. Impressive! The summary and Mind Map with next steps helps the workflow continue for the projects and making future meetins more flow more efficiently.
The templates are great. Now there is a community where users can submit templates for others. Different industries can get specific to their needs which makes the Plaud AI that much more beneficial. I enjoy using the Plaud Note over my phone because the Plaud Note does the recording and transcription specifically and I can use my phone in the meantime to do anything else that is needed and without worry of interruptions to the recording.
BATTERY LIFE ON THE PLAUD NOTE AI RECORDER
Since the Plaud Note is so thin, there is no room for a USB port, so it charges via a cable with prongs. The other end of the cable is USB-C. As expected I misplace that cable all the time. It’s the price to pay for the credit-card slim form factor. I do wish there was a way to charge wirelessly or something. In the meantime, I have to be more careful with the cable. As for battery life, I would charge it every few days and it would seem fine. It can record up to 30 hours continuously, with up to 60 days of standby time. Unfortunately, there is no warning for a low battery or a remnder to charge the device, which I would definitely find useful.
PRICING AND AVAILABILITY
The Plaud Note AI recorder starts at $159 USD and is available in four colors; black, starlight, silver, and Navy blue. If you don’t like the flat credit-card form factor, Plaud also has one in the shape of a pill, the Plaud NotePin. It’s also $159 and it’s a wearable version of the recorder.
In the box you get the Plaud AI Note recorder, magnetic case, MagSafe ring, USB-A to USb-C converter, and the charging cable.
VERDICT
The Plaud AI Note has to be one of my favorite gadgets. It does its job perfectly, making great use of AI. The minimalist design is perfect for to keep on your phone or in your pocket. With the community providing useful templates, the use case just grows. I recommend it to professionals or students who have lots of notes and need to organize them efficiently. Anyone who deals with lots of spoken information would benefit from the transcription alone. It has helped my workflow tremendously. It pays itself back more and more after every use.
Plaud Note AI Recorder
$159
Pros
- Great templates to use
- Flat and Sticks to the Phone
Cons
- Proprietary charger
