Summary
Amazon has introduced Bee Frontier, a wearable AI device available for $74.99, and Bee Eclipse, a magnetic phone attachment planned at $99.99. The devices turn conversations into summaries and to-dos, with some features requiring a Bee Pro subscription.
Amazon has introduced two Bee personal AI devices: Bee Frontier, a wearable that can be worn on the wrist or clipped to clothing, and Bee Eclipse, a slim attachment that connects magnetically to a phone. Amazon says Frontier is available now for $74.99 on Amazon.com; Eclipse is due to become available soon, starting at $99.99.
Both devices are designed to capture conversation context and turn it into summaries, insights and to-dos. Amazon is also adding connections between Bee, Alexa+ and Amazon.com, so users can ask Alexa for Bee summaries or receive shopping recommendations based on items mentioned in conversations.
Two formats, with different battery lives
Frontier has dual microphones, an indicator light and a button to control when audio processing is on. It is rated IP67 for water resistance and has up to seven days of battery life, according to Amazon. It charges over USB-C and is offered in Onyx, Lavender and Sage.
Eclipse is about the size of a credit card and attaches to the back of a phone. Amazon says it has more than 21 days of battery life on a charge. A button switches it on or off, and an indicator light signals when it is summarising a conversation. The announcement lists Silver, Midnight, Honey and Blush as its colours.
The two designs offer different ways to use the same Bee service: a wearable for conversations throughout the day, or a phone-mounted device. Bee can also connect to services such as Gmail, Google Calendar and Microsoft Outlook. Depending on the connected apps and settings, it can surface action items, draft follow-up emails or create calendar invites from a meeting or call. Summaries are available in Bee's mobile app and new desktop app, with templates for uses such as lectures, care plans and brainstorming.
Features and privacy controls
Amazon says all Bee customers receive conversation summaries, recaps and 14-day memory at no additional cost. Bee Pro costs $11.99 per month and includes features such as unlimited recent summaries, third-party app integrations, suggested to-dos, conversation templates and the desktop app. Amazon says new Bee customers receive a 30-day Bee Pro trial. Some features require the subscription.
Amazon describes Bee Private Compute as a secure, isolated environment for processing conversations. The company says audio is processed in real time and deleted afterward, while transcripts are encrypted with keys created and controlled by the user's device. Users can delete transcripts and summaries, and both devices have physical controls and visible indicators for audio processing. Amazon also says Bee prompts users to obtain permission from call participants each time a recording is started.
The launch adds hardware options to a service that combines conversation capture with connected-app context and follow-up tasks. The timing of Eclipse's availability is described only as “soon” in Amazon's announcement.