This AI pendant, a hit across the entire internet, has suddenly been sold to Meta. A large number of netizens are calling for refunds.
Limitless, a wearable AI hardware device touted as the world's smallest, completed the standard process for an AI hardware startup in just over a year:
Release - Go Viral Online - Get Acquired
Last week, Meta announced that it had officially acquired Limitless, a manufacturer of wearable AI devices. Company CEO Dan Siroker posted on social media, saying:
Meta recently announced a new vision to enable everyone to have a personal super - intelligence, and a key part of this is creating powerful wearable AI devices. We share the same vision as Meta and will work together to turn this goal into reality.
In the full statement, Siroker explained the background behind this decision:
When we founded Limitless five years ago, the world was completely different. At that time, artificial intelligence was just a fantasy in the eyes of many. Hardware startups often had difficulty obtaining funding, and companies working on both AI and hardware were considered unrealistic. But now, the times have changed. We are no longer exploring a 'fringe' path; instead, we are building a future that seems inevitable.
This acquisition means that Limitless will stop selling many of its existing products. This includes a popular wearable AI device called Pendant that can record meetings and conversations. However, Limitless will continue to provide technical support for existing Pendant users for at least one year.
In addition, the official also announced a series of adjustment measures for existing users.
Existing users no longer need to pay subscription fees and can get the Unlimited plan for free. Meanwhile, users will no longer be able to use the Limitless Desktop app or the Limitless Web app to record meetings, and the company also plans to gradually discontinue the Rewind app service.
Regarding data privacy issues, Limitless emphasizes that whether users choose to continue using the Pendant or not, they need to agree to the updated privacy policy and terms of service. Users can easily export all their personal data. If users wish to delete all their data, they can also do so conveniently in the application.
In Siroker's comment section, although there were many words of blessing, considering Meta's "reputation" in terms of privacy, the first reaction of many users was to ask for a refund and express concerns.
Real - Time Typist, the AI - Enhanced Kind
Looking back at the birth of Limitless, it has a similar appearance to the LARK MIX button microphone launched by Mengma. The LARK MIX weighs 9 grams and has a sampling rate of 48kHz 24Bit. It is an excellent partner for outdoor shooting.
Although both are products centered around "sound", these two devices with similar looks and sizes represent different fields and eras:
The former, while taking into account the sound - pickup effect, has reached a new level in terms of the volume and weight of traditional MOMA devices. The latter has a built - in LLM, can record the conversations between the owner and others around the clock, and has a memory summarization function.
Shortly after its release last year, Siroker announced that the sales of this AI pendant had exceeded 20,000 units, with most users coming from China and the United States.
Frankly speaking, the Limitless Pendant is a simplified version of the Ai Pin.
It doesn't have the laser ink screen of the Ai Pin, no camera for recording videos or taking photos, and no replaceable battery back - clip. The only remaining function is recording.
However, different from traditional recording devices in the past, with a built - in large - scale model, it has many more functions: You can make it access online apps, such as those on Mac and Windows, by asking questions and having conversations. It's like integrating numerous applications into this wearable device in a "picture - less" way.
From the official introduction by Dan Siroker, the founder of LimitlessAI, we can learn that the original intention of founding Limitless was:
To enhance human intelligence through artificial intelligence, rather than replace it.
The Limitless Pendant has a real - time recording function, so it can be regarded as a voice memo to overcome the limitations of the human brain in memory and attention.
The limitation here doesn't mean that the development of human brain capacity has reached its limit. Instead, wearable AI helps us make a backup of what we see and hear in life, just in case.
For example, if you are in a meeting and the next four work activities keep distracting you, the Pendant allows you to focus 100% on the current work, concentrating on one thing at a time. The Pendant has already prepared for those details and processes that you're afraid of forgetting, and it can be your personal assistant.
Moreover, what you say at this time will also be recorded in real - time by the Pendant and a summary will be generated.
The above are the three core functions of the Pendant: "Transcript", "Notes", and "Summary".
These three functions correspond to literal transcription, highlighting key points, and summarizing the main ideas respectively.
Transcription has not been a new topic in the past year since the explosion of large - scale AI models. In fact, it has become a "must - have" for AI devices.
The transcription speed and accuracy of the Pendant in the demonstration are not bad. It can be said to have reached the "average level of AI".
However, the note - taking and summarizing functions of Notes and Summary are what really test the capabilities of AI.
One is whether the summary points are accurate, the second is whether all the elements of the full text are complete, and the third is whether the point - by - point logic is smooth.
Dan Siroker once showed Limitless's summarization ability at the end of a release video, and the content was this nearly ten - minute video.
The Pendant accurately divided the video into action items, key updates, priorities, and current challenges, which are all the key contents of an online press conference.
In addition, the Pendant can also list some detailed and key contents separately. For example, the summary clearly mentions that the design concept of this product is to enhance human intelligence rather than replace it. This means that situations where you can't follow the class just because you picked up a pen in a math class will probably become less and less common.
"Intelligent Minimalism"
In addition to achieving a high level of integration on the software side, the hardware form of the Pendant is also a major highlight: It is extremely simple.
The U - shaped clip structure allows the Pendant to be worn as a pendant around the neck or directly fixed on clothes with a magnetic port.
At the beginning of its release, Dan Siroker said that the Limitless Pendant was the easiest - to - wear AI (hardware) in the world.
First of all, it is only 31.9mm wide and 16mm thin, which is even smaller than the first - generation AirPods (44.3mm x 21.3mm x 53.5mm).
In such a tiny volume, the Pendant has a battery with a battery life of up to 100 hours (the battery capacity is not mentioned), which greatly reduces the anxiety about battery life. This is very different from the Ai Pin. In the reviews of the first - batch users of the Ai Pin, battery life was a pain point mentioned by many. Even with a replaceable battery pack, the total light - use battery life of less than 8 hours still cannot meet the needs of most people.
Secondly, the Pendant without a screen actually retains most of the components of an electronic device. For example, it supports Wi - Fi and Bluetooth connections. Even without a mobile phone, Limitless can be used independently.
In addition, the Pendant retains two physical buttons to activate the "conversation" and "recording" functions. The recording button is on the side of the device. After the recording function is activated, a prompt light will turn on to remind oneself and others that "the device is recording", which is similar to the trust indicator light on the Ai Pin.