Physical AI notetakers push transcription into in-person meetings

Online meeting bots are now table stakes, but a growing hardware category is targeting the messier reality of hallway conversations, client site visits, and in-room workshops. These physical recorders pair dedicated microphones with AI transcription and summarization so teams can capture decisions and action items without asking everyone to join a call.

Hardware-first meeting capture for sales and ops teams

Most of the new devices optimize for “press record, forget about it.” Credit-card sized recorders are the most common form factor: Plaud’s Plaud Note (159 dollars) and Note Pro (179 dollars) aim to cover both in-person audio and call recording, with the Pro adding a small screen and four mics designed for roughly three to five meters of pickup. Both include 300 transcription minutes per month.

Mobvoi’s TicNote sits at 159 dollars and leans into live workflows: the company says it supports real-time transcription and translation across 120-plus languages, with 25 hours of continuous recording via three microphones. It also markets automated highlight extraction and the ability to turn conversations into clipped “podcast-style” summaries.

A notable pricing twist comes from Comulytic: its 159 dollar Note Pro positions “unlimited” basic transcription without an extra subscription, while reserving instant summaries, templates, action-item lists, and unlimited AI chat for a 15 dollars per month (or 119 dollars per year) plan.

Wearables and earbuds add always-on capture and translation

For teams that want hands-free capture, Plaud’s NotePin and NotePin S (159 and 179 dollars) are wearable as a pendant, clip, or magnetic pin; both offer about 20 hours of continuous recording, and the S adds a physical highlight button.

At the lower end, the Omi pendant costs 89 dollars but relies on a phone connection (no onboard storage). Its appeal is flexibility: the hardware and software are open-sourced, so teams can build custom connectors.

On the call-heavy side, Viaim’s RecDot earbuds (200 dollars) claim real-time transcription in up to 78 languages, with case-based recording and app highlights. Anker’s Soundcore Work pin (159 dollars) targets range and battery: about eight hours standalone, or up to 32 hours with its case.

The practical takeaway for marketers and e-commerce operators: these devices reduce note-taking overhead in stakeholder-heavy environments, but buyers should compare (1) included transcription minutes, (2) whether summaries/action items are paywalled, and (3) how well the form factor fits their real-world capture scenarios.