Plaud debuts NotePin S with physical button and desktop app to capture meeting notes seamlessly

Plaud launches a new AI pin and a desktop meeting notetaker

Hardware maker Plaud launched a new AI notetaker called Plaude NotePin S, along with a desktop app that helps you take notes for digital meetings, ahead of this year's Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. The company first launched its pin-styled notetaker in 2024, which my former colleague Brian Heater really liked. The new pin brings a physical button that lets you start and stop the recording. Plus, during the recording, you can tap the button to highlight a certain point -- just like you can do on the newly launched Plaud Note Pro. One nice thing about the $179 Plaud NotePin S is that you get a clip, a lanyard, a magnetic pin, and a wristband in the package. That means you can wear the device however you like. The company is also adding Apple Find My support for the pin, so that you can easily look for the device if you can't find it. The core specifications of the device remain the same from the previous generation. There is 64GB of onboard storage with a battery capacity of 20 hours of continuous recording. The device has two MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems) mics that can capture clear audio within 9.8 feet of range. Users will get 300 minutes of transcription per month for free and As compared to the Note Pro, this device has a shorter recording range and lower battery life. But it is smaller in size to carry using any of the above mentioned accesories. The company said that the pin is suited for people who are constantly on the go. This is Plaud's fourth device, and the company has sold more than 1.5 million devices until now. With these devices, the focus has been on in-person meetings. However, Plaud also wants to take on meeting notetakers like Granola, Fathom, and Fireflies with a new desktop client that works across meeting apps. The company said that the app can detect when a meeting is active and prompt you to capture the transcript. The Mac app takes notes using system audio to capture the meeting, and then structures the transcription into notes using AI. The company introduced multimodal inputs for notetaking with its app that allows users to add images and typed notes along with audio transcription last year. Plaud is bringing that functionality to its desktop app as well.

My CES 2026 Secret Weapon? This New Wearable AI Note-Taking Pin From Plaud

Katie is a UK-based news reporter and features writer. Officially, she is CNET's European correspondent, covering tech policy and Big Tech in the EU and UK. Unofficially, she serves as CNET's Taylor Swift correspondent. You can also find her writing about tech for good, ethics and human rights, the climate crisis, robots, travel and digital culture. She was once described a "living synth" by London's Evening Standard for having a microchip injected into her hand. CES is always one of the most hectic weeks of the year for CNET journalists -- myself included. I'll be jumping between booths, often speaking to multiple different companies within the span of an hour, having interesting and intense conversations about different products as I go. Sometimes these conversations begin before I've even had a chance to pull my recorder from my bag, never mind switch it on. Often I end up scribbling down extra details or quotes in my notepad -- a fun challenge for my memory and eyes when the time comes to sit down and write and I'm forced to decipher my own handwriting. Not this year, though. At CES 2026, AI note-taking company Plaud is launching its new NotePin S, an AI wearable that can clip to your collar, strap onto your wrist, hang around your neck or cling to your shirt with a magnet and record your conversations as you go about your day. Plaud sent me this updated version of the NotePin ahead of CES, so I'll be able to test it out as I wander the show floors. Just as with the previous version of the pin and the Plaud Note Pro, which the company announced back in August, the NotePin S connects to your phone via Bluetooth, and transcriptions of your conversations will appear in the Plaud app. I already expect the NotePin S, which is a sleek pill-shaped device that's smaller than a USB stick, to be a game changer for me as I roam the halls of CES. In a briefing ahead of the show, Plaud said that the pin had been successfully tested out at the Dreamforce conference earlier this year, so I know the dual microphones, which have a range of around 9.8 feet, are capable of working well in a noisy convention center. To activate the recording, all I'll need to do is long press on the front of the pin. But the feature I'm most looking forward to testing out is the press to highlight button on the pin, which will allow me to mark key moments in conversations so they'll be easy to find when I come to look through my transcriptions later. I'm also glad that, thanks to the range of the wearable accessories bundled with the NotePin S, the device will work with a variety of different outfits. In such a busy environment, I might be tempted to use the lanyard to carry it around my neck, but on the days I'm wearing a jacket, the lapel clip might be more suitable. For sit-down interviews, I'm tempted to switch to wristband so that I can press to highlight with the least amount of intrusion into the conversation. For when I'm back home, conducting interviews from the comfort of my office, Plaud has another new toy for me to play with. At CES the company also announced Plaud Desktop -- an AI notetaker designed to bridge in-person and online meetings by capturing your conversations natively. This means no intrusive meeting bots joining your call. (If you know, you know.) Instead, it will sit on your computer and detect when a meeting is taking place, record that meeting discreetly and then provide a context-rich summary within your Plaud account. The most appealing part of this for me is the idea that all of my notes, meetings and conversations -- whether captured by my wearable or my computer -- will be accessible and organized in one place. Both the NotePin S and Plaud Desktop will be available immediately, with pricing details to come.

I'm an AI expert, and this note-taking pin is the most convincing hardware I've tried at CES

Plaud.ai launched its latest AI wearable, the Plaud NotePin S.Plaud Desktop, a desktop app, also launched at CES.Now users can get summaries in person and online. Since the explosion of generative AI, AI wearables have become increasingly popular, and Plaud has been one of the companies leading the charge. At CES, the company introduced two new products to its lineup, designed to take AI note-taking a step further. Also: CES 2026 live: The 7 biggest announcements across TVs, laptops, weird gadgets, and more The Plaud NotePin S retains the same minimalist and sleek design of its predecessor, featuring a smooth, elongated pill shape. It can be worn in a wristband, necklace, pin, or clip for easy recording at all times. However, the company said Plaud NotePin S offers "more seamless capture," thanks to a clickable button in the center of the device. Also: Best of CES 2026 awards: CNET Group names 22 winners and best overall With the click of the "instant-highlight button," previously available only on the Plaud Note Pro and Plaud Note, users can tell the AI which moments are the most noteworthy, thereby informing the insights that the device delivers. That same button can be used to begin capturing content. During the demo, I clicked the button and was pleased with how tactile it felt, as well as the haptic feedback I experienced when I started recording. The demoer told me that this was a frequently requested feature in the predecessor, which lacked a button, and left people unsure whether it had begun recording. I was also impressed with the battery life, which Plaud says can last up to 20 continuous hours and 40 days standby. If that's accurate and if you only use it intermittently, then its battery could last for several weeks. The Plaud NotePin S retails for $179, which is $20 higher than the Plaud NotePin's price. This includes a free starter plan with 300/minutes per month, including transcription, which users can upgrade if they require additional minutes or wish to access more advanced AI features. The company also launched Plaud Desktop, which allows users to record online meetings. However, unlike other online meeting tools, such as Otter.ai or Fireflies.ai, this is a native recording experience that doesn't send bots to the call. Also: The most exciting AI tech I've tried at CES 2026 so far (including a cleaning robot) Rather, Plaud said that the application detects when an online meeting is happening on platforms such as Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams, and it allows the user to begin a "secure, real-time audio capture." There is also the option for multimodal input, where you can add other inputs, such as visuals, and even add text. Plaud Desktop is available as part of the Plaud ecosystem. All recordings from both the wearable and desktop apps can be accessed through any of the central hubs, including Plaud Desktop, Plaud App, and Plaud Web. ZDNET is going hands-on with the NotePin S this week, so stay tuned for an update to this article with our hands-on experience.

Plaud updates the NotePin with a button

Plaud has updated its compact NotePin AI recorder. The new NotePin S is almost identical to the original, except for one major difference: a button. It's joined by a new Plaud Desktop app for recording audio in online meetings, which is free to owners of any Plaud Note or NotePin. The NotePin S has the same FitBit-esque design as the 2024 original and ships with a lanyard, wristband, clip, and magnetic pin, so you can wear it just about any way you please -- now all included in the box, whereas before the lanyard and wristband were sold separately. It's about the same size as the NotePin, comes in the same colors (black, purple, or silver), offers similar battery life, and still supports Apple Find My. Like the NotePin, it records audio and generates transcriptions and summaries, whether those are meeting notes, action points, or reminders. But now it has a button. Whereas the first NotePin used haptic controls, relying on a long squeeze to start recording, with a short buzz to let you know it worked, the S switches to something simpler. A long press of the button starts recording, a short tap adds highlight markers. Plaud's explanation for the change is simple: buttons are less ambiguous, so you'll always know you've successfully pressed it and started recording, whereas original NotePin users complained they sometimes failed to record because they hadn't squeezed just right. AI recorders like this live or die by ease of use, so removing a little friction gives Plaud better odds of survival. Alongside the NotePin S, Plaud is launching a new Mac and PC application for recording the audio from online meetings. Plaud Desktop runs in the background and activates whenever it detects calls from apps including Zoom, Meet, and Teams, recording both system audio and from your microphone. You can set it to either record meetings automatically or require manual activation, and unlike some alternatives it doesn't create a bot that joins the call with you. Recordings and notes are synced with those from Plaud's line of hardware recorders, with the same models used for transcription and generation, creating a "seamless" library of audio from your meetings, both online and off. Plaud Desktop is available now and is free to anyone who already owns a Plaud Note or NotePin device. The new NotePin S is also available today, for $179 -- $20 more than the original, which Plaud says will now be phased out.

Plaud AI NotePin S Introduces Recording Button, Desktop App for Online Calls

With over a decade of experience reporting on consumer technology, James covers mobile phones, apps, operating systems, wearables, AI, and more. One of the most popular AI gadgets is getting an upgrade. The Plaud NotePin S introduces a new button onto the brand's cheapest AI recorders designed to help you make more accurate notes of your everyday conversations. The brand included a button on its Plaud Note Pro recorder, but this is the first time it has come to its basic Pin. The original NotePin asked you to squeeze to start a recording. On the new NotePin S, a long press will start or stop a recording, while a short press marks a highlight in a conversation that you want to refer back to later. Aside from the button, the NotePin S keeps a similar design with a choice of black, purple or silver. The NotePin S is designed to be worn as a clip, necklace, or on your wrist. Unlike the first-gen device, Plaud includes a lanyard and wristband in the box for you to try, plus there's a magnetic clip so you can wear it on your clothes without any damage. The NotePin S is available from today, but it appears to be sold out. The brand's US website currently says it's out of stock. The NotePin S costs $179, up from the $159 for the original version. Expect to see this new version replace the original NotePin, which is also out of stock on Plaud's website. Plaud is also introducing a new desktop AI note-taker application for meetings which will record Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, Zoom, and other online meeting tools. The app for Mac and PC will detect when you switch to call software and will begin taking notes. Unlike other AI note-taking software, Plaud's option won't use a bot to join the call and it'll instead us your computer's recording equipment as well as your pin to pick up the conversations and break them down in the notes.

This new app fixes the most awkward thing about AI meeting note-takers

The days of trying to perfectly jot down everything the speaker says (and accidentally missing a significant chunk of the call) are becoming a thing of the past. Now, most professionals rely on AI-powered meeting assistants like Fireflies AI and Otter, which can join meetings with you, transcribe conversations, and automatically generate summaries. These meeting assistants let you search through past discussions, quickly find key points, and reference decisions without flipping through pages of notes. While Fireflies and Otter dominate the AI meeting assistant space, they have one major drawback, and Plaud's new desktop app aims to fix it. Plaud's desktop app lets you record meetings without a bot The way most AI meeting assistants work is that they join your calls with you as visible participants. This means that instead of quietly working in the background, a bot sits through your meeting with you. Ultimately, this means that the assistants aren't exactly subtle, and it can make even routine calls feel...a little weird. Though I've tried out all these AI meeting assistants, I currently use the Plaud Note, which is a hardware device that does the exact same thing, just without sitting on all my calls as a visible participant. Now, ahead of 2026's Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, the same hardware company has launched its desktop app that takes on meeting notetakers like Fireflies, Otter, and Granola. Instead of sending bots to calls, Plaud Desktop automatically detects when a Zoom, Google Meet, Teams, or another online meeting is active, and allows you to begin a "secure, real-time audio capture" with a click. Similar to the Plaud Note (and the company's other devices), all the meetings you record using the Desktop app are saved and accessible via the Plaud App and Web, in addition to the Desktop app. The Plaud Desktop app also supports multimodal input, letting you capture text notes, highlights, and screenshots alongside the audio. Plaud Desktop, which is currently in beta, is available starting today. Plaud launches the NotePin S, its newest AI wearable The company also launched its newest AI wearable, the Plaud NotePin S, today. This is the successor to the first Plaud NotePin the company launched in 2024, and comes with a new instant-highlight button that lets you highlight key points instantly, a feature you'll also find on the Plaud Note Pro the company launched a few months ago. Additionally, Plaud is also adding Apple Find My support for the NotePin. The NotePin S, which retails for $179, comes with a clip, a lanyard, a magnetic pen, and a wristband in the package. As someone who absolutely loves the Plaud Note and uses it every day, the NotePin S and Desktop app feel like a perfect extension of the same bot-free workflow.

Plaud's latest AI wearable has a button for flagging key moments

Plaud is back with another conversation-recording AI wearable. This one, the NotePin S, is only a minor iteration on the original NotePin. This model adds... a button. The recessed recording button replaces the squeeze-to-record mechanism on the 2024 original. A single long press starts recording. It also adds a new "press to highlight" feature. The idea is to flag what's most important in a conversation, helping the AI learn what to emphasize in its summary. Otherwise, you're getting the same package as in the first NotePin. The capsule-sized "S" model still has two microphones, weighs 0.6 ounces and has an advertised reliable recording range of 9.8 feet. (Students may want to keep that last point in mind before considering one for classes in lecture halls.) It includes hardware to set it up as a pin / lapel, lanyard, wristband or clip. The NotePin S is available today for $179. You can order it from Plaud's website and Amazon. Just be sure to look out for your fellow humans and get their consent before recording them, okay?

Plaud announces the release of new Pin and Desktop app -- here's everything you need to know

Plaud, an AI wearable company burst onto the scene a couple of years ago, creating a line of AI-powered recording devices to change how you take notes. Now, they're back with two new releases. Announced this weekend at CES, Plaud is releasing the NotePin S -- an update on its previous version of this same product. The NotePin is designed to clip onto your clothes or wear as a wristband, recording conversations to listen back to later. It also uses AI to analyze your conversations and meetings, producing notes and key pieces of information from these discussions. The NotePin S is smaller and lighter (now 17.4g) and its design lets you to wear it as a clip, necklace, or pin. It can now also capture audio, notes, images and highlights, giving the user more options for how to use it. More importantly, it has improved on one of the bigger criticisms of its predecessor, and can record audio from up to 9 feet away, according to the company. It can also record for up to 20 hours, and has a standby battery life of around 40 days. A unique feature that sets this recording device apart from Plaud's previous releases is the instant-highlight function. This allows you to press and hold the device's button to make quick vocal notes. So far, Plaud has only released its technology in two formats -- wearables and an app. At CES 2026, it also announced the release of Plaud Desktop for meetings. This is similar to the technology that is seen in the likes of Gemini on Google Meet, or Otter AI. Plaud doesn't use a meeting bot, but rather natively detects meetings on platforms like Zoom, Google Meet, and Slack, allowing users to capture audio, notes and screenshots as the meeting is happening. Once your meeting is done, Plaud will upload all of the files to your app to listen back through or transcribe at a later time. It will also use AI to organize these notes, picking out the most important details that came up. Both the desktop app and the new Plaud app are available for purchase and download immediately.

The new Plaud NotePin S could change how you take notes

Plaud expands AI notetaking with wearable NotePin S and Meeting app CES 2026 Read and watch our complete CES coverage here Updated less than 6 minutes ago Just ahead of CES 2026 in Las Vegas, hardware startup Plaud has taken the wraps off its latest productivity tool: the Plaud NotePin S. Alongside this new wearable, the company is launching a dedicated desktop application designed to bridge the gap between in-person chats and virtual meetings, signaling a major move to own the entire notetaking ecosystem for pros and students alike. The NotePin S is a refined, more compact version of the original pin-style recorder Plaud launched back in 2024 One of the biggest complaints with the first version was the "squeeze-to-record" mechanism, which could be a bit finicky. Plaud fixed that here by adding a dedicated physical button. Now, a long press starts your recording, and a quick tap while you're talking lets you "highlight" a specific moment - giving the AI a heads-up that a particular part of the conversation is extra important. Priced at $179, the NotePin S is built to be forgotten while you wear it. It's incredibly light and comes with a whole kit of accessories - a clip, lanyard, magnetic pin, and even a wristband - so you can find the most comfortable spot for it regardless of what you're wearing. They've also added Apple Find My support, which is a lifesaver for something this small. If it falls off or gets left behind in a conference room, you can track it just like an AirTag. Recommended Videos The internal specs are solid, even if they aren't a massive jump from the previous generation. You get 64GB of storage, enough for 20 hours of continuous recording, and about 40 days of standby battery life. The dual microphones are designed to pick up clear voices from about 10 feet away, which is perfect for one-on-ones or small group huddles. Like Plaud's other devices, this one comes with 300 free minutes of AI transcription every month to get you started. The hardware is only half the story Plaud is also launching a new desktop app to compete directly with services like Granola and Otter. While the NotePin handles the "real world," the app tackles your virtual life on Zoom, Slack, or Google Meet. It can automatically detect when a call starts and begins transcribing system audio immediately. What's cool is that it keeps the "multimodal" approach Plaud started on mobile - you can snap a screenshot or type a quick note during the meeting, and the AI will stitch all of that together into one comprehensive summary. Ultimately, Plaud is trying to move beyond being just a "gadget company." With over 1.5 million users already in their pocket, they're positioning themselves as a complete productivity suite. Whether you're recording a lecture in a hall or a strategy session on a video call, they want to be the ones capturing and organizing it for you.

Plaud launches NotePin S wearable AI recorder and bot-free desktop app - SiliconANGLE

Plaud launches NotePin S wearable AI recorder and bot-free desktop app Plaud Inc., the maker of artificial intelligence note-taking pins, has introduced the Plaud NotePin S, the latest in its family of wearable devices capable of recording audio and processing it using AI for meetings and everyday life. In addition to the new pin, Plaud also announced Sunday a desktop application for capturing and summarizing online meetings without the need for an intrusive "meeting bot." Plaud develops and sells ultra-thin, ultra-light wearable devices that act as "memory capsules" to record what a user can hear and assist them in recalling conversations. The company touts its devices as useful for work and school, allowing people to record meetings, lectures and conversations where they may want to revisit details later. "Capturing conversations in their natural form is the best way to empower people in real life," said co-founder and Chief Executive Nathan Xu. "Our mission is to amplify human intelligence, and our latest innovations reinforce our commitment to this promise." The NotePin S upgrades the company's current lineup of NotePin devices, clip-on AI recorders originally launched in August. Like its predecessor, it's designed to be worn naturally and easily, as a wristband, necklace, pin or clip. It's also designed to remain unobtrusive. As an upgrade over the NotePin, the new S version includes a button that lets users flag a moment as important, notifying the onboard AI that the current conversation matters. That way, users can prompt the model to pay closer attention and tailor its insights accordingly. Plaud is capable of transcription in 112 languages with speaker labels and customized vocabulary. Users can generate summaries of conversations and meetings using over 10,000 templates, mind maps and workflow integrations. These notes can be integrated easily with additional notes, images and other highlights using the company's Plaud Intelligence service. In addition to the new notetaking device, the company launched Plaud Desktop, a bot-free way to capture online meetings without needing to bring in an external third-party service that joins the call. Plaud Desktop detects when a Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams or other online meeting is in session and lets users begin to securely record real-time audio with a single click. Notetaking AI bots are slowly becoming a mainstay of online meetings. It's increasingly rare to join a call without at least one bot entering from a service such as Otter.ai or Fireflies.ai, driven by their ability to automate tedious meeting notes. In some cases, employees have even been sending bots instead of attending meetings themselves, creating tension with real-time collaboration. By now, most people have heard of Zoom fatigue, the draining sensation of having to join yet another online video meeting. The rise of note-taking bots is adding another layer, now being dubbed "bot fatigue." Although some experts have decried the lack of transparency, a botless approach can reduce the vigilance that comes from seeing a recorder as a participant, something that can make meeting members less open and more transactional. The other side of the coin is concern over security leaks and compliance issues caused by unauthorized note-taking services in sensitive meetings. The company stressed that its services and devices remain compliant with security practices and standards, including ISO 27001, SOC 2, HIPAA and the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation. The Plaud NotePin S is now available for $179, and the desktop app is available as part of the company's service ecosystem. "What sets Plaud apart is our design to work in all scenarios: in-person, over the phone, or on screen. It's how intelligence naturally flows," said Xu.

Plaud launches NotePin S AI notetaker at CES 2026

Plaud launched the NotePin S AI notetaker and a desktop meeting-notetaking application ahead of CES 2026 in Las Vegas to expand its product lineup for capturing meetings. The NotePin S introduces a physical button that enables users to start and stop recordings directly on the device. During an active recording, tapping the button highlights specific moments for later reference. This functionality mirrors the capabilities found on the recently introduced Plaud Note Pro, providing consistent user experience across models. Priced at $179, the NotePin S package contains multiple accessories for versatile wear options. These include a clip for attaching to clothing, a lanyard for neck wear, a magnetic pin for secure fabric attachment, and a wristband for hands-free use. Such variety accommodates different preferences and activities. Plaud added Apple Find My integration to the NotePin S. This feature allows users to locate the device through the Apple ecosystem if misplaced, enhancing practicality for mobile users. Core specifications of the NotePin S align with the first-generation model. It offers 64 GB of onboard storage for recordings. The battery supports 20 hours of continuous recording. Dual MEMS microphones capture audio clearly within a 9.8-foot range. Users receive 300 minutes of free AI transcription per month. Relative to the Note Pro, the NotePin S operates with a shorter recording range and reduced battery life. Its smaller dimensions improve portability, making it suitable for attachment via the provided accessories. Plaud positions this device for individuals frequently traveling or moving between locations. Humane AI Pin shutdown proves the hype was always fake This marks Plaud's fourth device release. The company reports sales exceeding 1.5 million units across its portfolio. Previous models emphasized notetaking during in-person meetings, addressing needs in professional and personal settings where manual note capture proves inefficient. The new desktop application extends Plaud's offerings to digital meetings. It integrates with major platforms such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Google Meet. The app automatically detects active meetings and prompts users to initiate transcript capture, streamlining the process. On macOS, the application records system audio to gather meeting content. Artificial intelligence then processes the audio, structuring the transcription into organized notes with speaker identification, key points, and action items. This approach ensures comprehensive documentation without interrupting participants. Plaud introduced multimodal inputs in its mobile app last year, permitting combination of images, typed notes, and audio transcriptions into unified records. The desktop app now incorporates this functionality, allowing users to enhance transcripts with visual elements and manual entries for richer meeting summaries. Plaud targets competitors including Granola, Fathom, and Fireflies through this desktop client, broadening its scope beyond hardware to software solutions for hybrid work environments.

This New Gadget Is an AI Wearable That Will Transcribe Your Meetings

According to Plaud, the Notepin S offers AI transcription in 112 languages, can process images and text notes through a Bluetooth-connected app, and can be worn as a necklace, wristband, clip, or pin. The device costs $179, and users get 300 free minutes of transcription per month. Additional transcription minutes can be obtained through a paid subscription. The original version of the Notepin was released in 2024, but unlike the new version, it didn't include a button, but rather had a haptic pressure sensor that could be squeezed in order to activate the device. The button ideally should prevent users from unintentionally activating the device. A long button press will instruct the device to start and stop recording, while a quick press will highlight the previous sentence recorded, making it easier to find later. Plaud also says that the new device has a larger battery, and can keep a continuous record for around 20 hours before dying. One thing the new device can't do? Record phone calls, unless of course they're on speakerphone. A new Plaud desktop app can be used to directly record calls on platforms like Zoom and Google Meet.

This Tiny Wearable AI Recorder Turns Voice Notes Into Instant Summaries - Phandroid

Another year at CES means another wave of AI wearables promising to change how we work. Following devices like the Humane AI Pin and Rabbit R1, Plaud launched the NotePin S at CES 2026. This capsule-shaped recorder weighs just 17.4 grams and clips to your clothes, wears as a necklace, or attaches to a wristband for hands-free meeting notes. Unlike those ambitious standalone AI devices, the Plaud NotePin S focuses on one thing and does it well: recording conversations and turning them into useful summaries. The Plaud NotePin S packs dual MEMS microphones that capture audio up to 9.8 feet away, transcribes in 112 languages, and uses GPT-4o or Claude 3.5 to generate summaries. What sets it apart is multimodal input, meaning you can snap photos of whiteboards or add text notes alongside voice recordings. The AI combines everything to create smarter outputs like instant mind maps from doctor appointments or lecture notes with visual references. The biggest improvement over the original NotePin is the physical button. Long-press to start recording, quick-tap to highlight important moments, and haptic feedback confirms it's actually working. That solves the original model's squeeze gesture problems that left people unsure if recording had started during interviews or brainstorming sessions. Privacy matters here too. The NotePin S is HIPAA and SOC2 compliant, plus it supports Apple Find My if you lose it. Subscription plans start with a free tier offering 300 minutes monthly, scaling up for professionals who need unlimited transcription. The device stores 64GB locally, records for 20 hours on a charge, and lasts 40 days on standby. It syncs to mobile apps, web dashboards, and the new free Plaud Desktop software for capturing online calls. At $179, the Plaud NotePin S targets journalists, students, healthcare workers, and anyone drowning in meeting notes. Unlike other AI voice recorders, the wearable form factor means you're not fumbling with your phone or a separate gadget when conversations happen spontaneously. Clip it on in the morning, and it's ready whenever you need it, whether that's capturing a client call or remembering what your kid's teacher said at pickup.

Plaud Brings a New Recording Device With a Button, Desktop App

The device also comes with multimodal input and assistant support Plaud, the San Francisco-based artificial intelligence (AI) startup, has launched NotePin S, the latest version of its wearable recording and notetaking device. The successor to the Plaud NotePin, which was launched in August 2024, comes with one major upgrade -- a physical button. Unlike the predecessor, which operated based on haptic touches, the newer model offers a more reliable way of registering input. Alongside the new device, the company has also introduced the Plaud Desktop app, which is compatible with both Windows and macOS. Plaud NotePin S Launched: Details The Plaud NotePin S price is set at $179 (roughly Rs. 16,150), and it is currently available to order from the official website. As mentioned above, the biggest upgrade is the physical button. Long-pressing the button starts recording, and a short press while it is recording adds highlight markers. Apart from this, the rest of the device is similar to the predecessor, although it comes with the full suite of accessories, including a clip, lanyard, magnetic pin and wristband inside the box. The Plaud NotePin S measures 2.01 x 0.83 x 0.43 inches and weighs about 17.2g. It features two MEMS microphones and comes with 64GB onboard storage. The AI device is backed by a 320mAh battery, which is said to take two hours to charge fully. It supports both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.2. While the device offers a monthly free quota of 300 transcription minutes, higher usage requirements will require users to purchase a monthly subscription. The Pro plan costs $8.33 (roughly Rs. 750) a month and offers 1,200 minutes of transcriptions, whereas the Unlimited plan is priced at $19.99 (roughly Rs. 1,800) and offers unlimited transcription. The AI-led audio transcription is carried out by several AI models, including GPT-5.2, Claude Sonnet 4.5, Gemini 3 Pro, and more. Separately, the company has also introduced its notetaking app for Desktop. The app joins the existing mobile apps and web cloud management platform. The desktop app is compatible with Windows and macOS, and works with all audio and video calling platforms, such as Google Meet, Teams, Slack, Zoom, and others. Notably, the app is free-to-use for those who own any of the company's devices. It is not available as a standalone app.

This AI notetaker will change your mind about auto-generated notes

The Plaud NotePin S introduces a highlight button and is designed to be worn in multiple ways Having debuted its Pro AI notetaker last year, Plaud has debuted a new version of its NotePin model at CES 2026. The $180/£160 NotePin S is designed to attach to your clothing via a detachable magnet or clip, though there's a lanyard, too. Like the Pro, there's a button to start and stop recordings, while it can also be pressed during recordings to highlight a moment. I've been using the NotePin S during the first press conferences of CES and the new button is useful, while starting and stopping recordings is a lot easier than on the predecessor NotePin. As with its sister products, the recordings are uploaded to a mobile app where they can be automatically transcribed, with AI-generated highlights and action points. 300 minutes a month of transcription are included for free, after which you'll need to pay for more minutes. Various packages are avalable, though $99.99 a year gives you 1200 minutes a month. Plaud has also launched a desktop version of its app for users who want to be able to handle recordings on their PC or Mac. While recordings can also be accessed via the web as well as in the mobile app, the real power of Plaud Desktop is that it can auto-detect and record your online meetings for later retrieval.