PLAUD Note AI Voice Recorder (Starlight) with Magnetic Case

Okay, this is a really cool tech device that I couldn't wait to try out. And it did not disappoint! My husband and I first tested it out in the car, and we had it transcribe our conversation as a meeting, filtering out background noise like the radio with surprising accuracy. This feature alone makes it a standout product. It broke the "meeting" down into categories, and the ability to quickly summarize everything and even get a brain map was really cool!I have also been using it as a quick note app, and I find it particularly useful for those out of the blue ideas that you want to jot down but it's cumbersome to open up an app for whatever reason. I got mine specifically for the ideas I get when I'm falling asleep or meditating, and this device allows me to say ... MoreOkay, this is a really cool tech device that I couldn't wait to try out. And it did not disappoint! My husband and I first tested it out in the car, and we had it transcribe our conversation as a meeting, filtering out background noise like the radio with surprising accuracy. This feature alone makes it a standout product. It broke the "meeting" down into categories, and the ability to quickly summarize everything and even get a brain map was really cool!I have also been using it as a quick note app, and I find it particularly useful for those out of the blue ideas that you want to jot down but it's cumbersome to open up an app for whatever reason. I got mine specifically for the ideas I get when I'm falling asleep or meditating, and this device allows me to say the ideas quickly and move on, instead of stopping my relaxation, rooting around for pen and paper or finding the right app. This is great for writers or really any kind of content creator or creative person, and I haven't covered it's more practical uses for summarizing lectures or meeting notes.The dual-mode precision recording is another highlight. It captures high-quality ambient sounds with the air conduction sensor for meetings and presentations. The Vibration Conduction Sensor (VCS) ensures clear call recordings by capturing internal phone sounds, making it versatile for various recording scenarios. And I absolutely love how sleek it is despite it's 64GB storage capacity and ability to accommodate up to 480 hours of recordings. It offers 30 hours of continuous recording on a single charge. It's a tiny package that delivers a TON of value!The package includes everything you need: the PLAUD NOTE, a black case, a magnetic ring, and a magnetic charging cable. Additionally, all users receive a complimentary 300 minutes per month for GPT-4o transcription and summarization, which adds great value. Overall, the PLAUD NOTE AI Voice Recorder is an excellent investment for anyone needing a reliable, high-quality recording device with enhanced AI features. And as a former transcriptionist, I can say the speech rec software has finally caught up! This has already been so useful in many aspects of my daily life, highly recommend!

Dictation

UPDATE**(original belllow)Nothing bad to say, but now that it has been used more you should know how great the dictation and summaries are. I had a 2-hour video conference meeting with people in China. They were speaking English and then talking to each other and Chinese and the meeting lasted almost two full hours with the large gaps of silence. I recorded the whole thing and to my surprise everything that was recorded in Chinese was translated to english. And when I saw how it broke the notes down into the different sections of the meeting the questions that were asked marked who was who and put it all together. I see use this for this thing for anybody in any field that they need to remember anything, want to look professional with meeting notes, need to go to a ... MoreUPDATE**(original belllow)Nothing bad to say, but now that it has been used more you should know how great the dictation and summaries are. I had a 2-hour video conference meeting with people in China. They were speaking English and then talking to each other and Chinese and the meeting lasted almost two full hours with the large gaps of silence. I recorded the whole thing and to my surprise everything that was recorded in Chinese was translated to english. And when I saw how it broke the notes down into the different sections of the meeting the questions that were asked marked who was who and put it all together. I see use this for this thing for anybody in any field that they need to remember anything, want to look professional with meeting notes, need to go to a doctor and have a bad memory, want to just keep a record of things, the list is endless. If you need a better reason just buy it try it out for a couple weeks, I have a hard time believing that you'll return it.You used to be able to use an app to record your conversations on your phone. It's getting harder and harder to find an app that will allow you to do that. But what's even nicer than an app is something that attaches to the back of your phone that doesn't stick out and just requires the top of a button to start. You don't have to open an app that doesn't have to be anything running on your screen and it doesn't have to be obvious. You can be in the middle of a phone call or before the phone call starts you can begin recording or if you're in a meeting you can begin recording anytime you like as well. The best part about this product is that it dictates everything and also summarizes it and breaks it down for you. So if you go to the doctor let's be honest it's hard for everybody to remember what the doctor tells you it's easy just to record your conversation it'll break down what did you talk about what are the answers what are your medications and that way you can go back and look at it. The same applies to a phone call if you're talking to somebody and they start giving you detailed information and you don't have a pen and paper handy you just tell them to hold on or even easier just tap the record button real quick and let him keep talking it'll record it all dictated and then you'll have detailed notes. I can't say enough good things about this product. I'm happy with my free trial, I'm not really looking forward to spending $10 a month to keep the dictation, but I am using it enough to make it worth the money. I do wish that for$150 that you got a Year's worth of dictation for free. Also the Aftercare support with the home company is good. I accidentally placed the metal ring on my case slightly off and I contacted them and they allowed me to get three new metal rings as well as two additional chargers for five cents plus shipping. The shipping was obviously the most expensive part. But it's nice to be able to get replacement parts and not be hassled about it.

Game-changer if you record meetings, presentations, interviews. Transcribes and summarizes.

Simply put, there’s nothing else like this.I thought it was going to be really complicated so I dragged my feet on setting it up but the reality is that this really doesn’t take much learning on your part. All of the info you need is right there when yo user it up.Essentially, this is like having a little transcriber for those meetings you wish you were able to have notes from. If I was still a student—and I was a beast of a note taker—this would have been my best friend, able to supplement the notes I’ve lost without having to literally go through an entire 2 hour lecture recording (which…I never recorded my classes anyway, but something like this makes me see the utility—assuming school policy allows for it).However, its real superpower is in the AI’s ... MoreSimply put, there’s nothing else like this.I thought it was going to be really complicated so I dragged my feet on setting it up but the reality is that this really doesn’t take much learning on your part. All of the info you need is right there when yo user it up.Essentially, this is like having a little transcriber for those meetings you wish you were able to have notes from. If I was still a student—and I was a beast of a note taker—this would have been my best friend, able to supplement the notes I’ve lost without having to literally go through an entire 2 hour lecture recording (which…I never recorded my classes anyway, but something like this makes me see the utility—assuming school policy allows for it).However, its real superpower is in the AI’s ability to then transform the transcription into notes. After recording, you choose the best style of notes for your purposes (e.g. interview, meeting, etc.) and it gets to work on creating both the summary notes with key points as well as a “mind map” which is like a visual outline.Now, there’s no getting around the fact that this requires AI which is expensive. The model they are using is a monthly based subscription that gives you a certain number of minutes. The problem is that this is only going to be worth it for those who consistently need to record exactly in the range of minutes that they offer…which means if you require a lot more because you’re a lower user, then it’s too expensive…and if you rarely use it…it’s still too expensive.Nonetheless, this is a fantastic tool that’s in a league of its own .Hope this helps!

Neat recorder that makes ChatGPT portable

I was skeptical how this would work, but this actually is a portable version of ChatGPT you can easily carry in your pocket, and its summaries are as smart as Chat is, which at the moment is pretty smart and quite time-saving. First, for the build, it's a sleek, neat design, extremely slim. It feels well-built and solid though, nothing cheap about it at all. The buttons are very simple to use, and the charging cable is magnetic, it will snap right into place when it comes near. The case is a good leather feel if you decide to use it, and has a hole for the charger so you can charge without removing it. It's a very snug fit, but should protect the recorder. You can stick this to a phone both with or without the case, though I was a little worried about how well it ... MoreI was skeptical how this would work, but this actually is a portable version of ChatGPT you can easily carry in your pocket, and its summaries are as smart as Chat is, which at the moment is pretty smart and quite time-saving. First, for the build, it's a sleek, neat design, extremely slim. It feels well-built and solid though, nothing cheap about it at all. The buttons are very simple to use, and the charging cable is magnetic, it will snap right into place when it comes near. The case is a good leather feel if you decide to use it, and has a hole for the charger so you can charge without removing it. It's a very snug fit, but should protect the recorder. You can stick this to a phone both with or without the case, though I was a little worried about how well it would hold.The app was straightforward and easy to set up, and I like 64 Gb gives you plenty of time to record separately from the phone, you can sync your recordings later. Even without the subscription, you can use this as a plain recorder. And this comes with a 3 month free trial so you can try it out and see how much the summarization features help. There are many features to explore, and it's a learning curve, you can get a plain summary, change it to a diary format, etc. Especially if you work with other people and have long meetings, I can see this saving a lot of time. Or if you have long meetings or brainstorming sessions where you can prone to forget important points. Chat already has those features, but this makes it easily portable and usable, this could be a very useful helper depending on your needs.

Really good for unique use cases

Many years ago, I was into the Livescribe pen. It was an ink pen with a little camera in the tip that took note of where you were on the page by reading the dots on the paper to align recordings with your notes. You had to buy the specific note paper for the pen and it took ink refills designed for the pen. In other words, it was a very proprietary system. It didn't transcribe, it just allowed you to play back your audio in respect to wherever you were on the page. The notes could be stored as digital files to read on your computer or phone and the recordings were available as files as well. As a person who preferred writing notes over typing them, it was great for me and I loved it. I just hated the feel of the thick pen and the hassle of the special ... MoreMany years ago, I was into the Livescribe pen. It was an ink pen with a little camera in the tip that took note of where you were on the page by reading the dots on the paper to align recordings with your notes. You had to buy the specific note paper for the pen and it took ink refills designed for the pen. In other words, it was a very proprietary system. It didn't transcribe, it just allowed you to play back your audio in respect to wherever you were on the page. The notes could be stored as digital files to read on your computer or phone and the recordings were available as files as well. As a person who preferred writing notes over typing them, it was great for me and I loved it. I just hated the feel of the thick pen and the hassle of the special paper.Zooming forward to today, I still take handwritten notes on my tablets and phones with stylii and sync them across my devices for easy access. But after I stopped using the Livescribe, I abandoned recordings for the most part. Sure, phones and tablets do excellent at recording but ultimately it was my notes I referred back to, not the recordings. And while there are plenty of apps that record audio and sync them to notes just as Livescribe did, I decided storing and syncing the recordings just wasn't all that necessary.I hadn't thought of having a separate device to which I could offload these features but I'd heard of Plaud and was intrigued to try it. And having a separate device that record, transcribe, and summarize lectures is pretty freeing. My handwritten notes focus on things that jumped out at me during a speech or sermon, but the summaries that the LLM generates are undoubtedly better than the summaries I produce even if mine are more personal to me. Its ability to take even rambly rabbit-hole sermons and summarize them into something neat and tidy is impressive. And I realized I could use it to transcribe and summarize other recordings and that was a game changer for me. I could set it down with a video or audio recording I had, play it for the recorder, and when it was done, I'd have the transcription and a lovely summary to export and save for posterity. The ability to export the notes into different formats is really useful for me as I'm more likely to go back and read a summary to remember a speech than I am to play back the recording. And in those times where I've left it recording much longer than the thing being recorded, the battery life hasn't let me down.I like that it's small and portable; it fits easily even into my "small" purse. I do wish it had a simple on/off switch rather than the button like it does for the recording/phone call feature. And I appreciate that using it means my phone or tablet isn't taking up CPU and battery trying to do this thing that the Plaud is more than capable of doing. Syncing long recordings can take a while, but I haven't had an upload fail on me yet and I've had recordings of longer than 3 hours.I rarely make phone calls, and even less often would I make a phone call that would need to be recorded, so I've not tested this feature. I think it would be useful for journalists or others that need to keep better records of calls. With capturing calls being legal in some scenarios and not in others, just be careful with this feature. As I'm writing this review, Apple has announced phone recording for iOS 18 and phone recording was already possible on Android phones, so realistically I'm not sure how important this feature would be moving forward. Almost all of my calls are work Zoom calls nowadays and this device wouldn't help me with that. BTW - also as I'm writing this review the voice identification feature is in beta and that seems like an important feature for recording calls. If this feature is key to you, maybe wait it out and see how effective it is when it's generally available.So for me the question became whether or not the useful features to me were worth paying for since there are many other ways to achieve similar results. And I decided that for me, since I'm at least trying to take notes at church on a regular basis, at the sale price, trying out a 1-year membership was worth a try. The summaries are really good, and I honestly don't even really have to write anything down anymore which is probably a blessing and a curse. But if I'd had to pay full price for the device first, I'm confident I wouldn't have done so. The hardware is lovely and well-made and the pouch is handy to keep the device with you without accidentally setting it off. The proprietary charger is annoying but understandable considering how thin the device is. But honestly, if this hadn't landed in my lap, I wouldn't have given it a second thought. I'd have gone on with my life taking handwritten notes for the most part and recording lectures and sermons only when I expected to need to refer directly back to them again in the future (which in the age of everyone live-streaming eve...

Special hardware to improve the accuracy of speech recognition

This is not just digital sound recorder. It stores audio files internally in the special ASR format. ASR stays for automatic speech recognition. While you cannot play ASR files in software audio players you can enable option in app to write WAV audio files alongside ASR files. ASR format significantly speeds up speech transcription software. The recorder is just slightly thicker than credit card and has similar length and width. Internal battery is charged via magnetic connection to the included USB-A charging cable. There are 2 small mic holes on the side and optical vibration sensor on the bottom. While recorder's aluminum case is not magnetic it comes with leather pouch that has embedded magnet lining. It can be slapped on the back of your smartphone if the phone ... MoreThis is not just digital sound recorder. It stores audio files internally in the special ASR format. ASR stays for automatic speech recognition. While you cannot play ASR files in software audio players you can enable option in app to write WAV audio files alongside ASR files. ASR format significantly speeds up speech transcription software. The recorder is just slightly thicker than credit card and has similar length and width. Internal battery is charged via magnetic connection to the included USB-A charging cable. There are 2 small mic holes on the side and optical vibration sensor on the bottom. While recorder's aluminum case is not magnetic it comes with leather pouch that has embedded magnet lining. It can be slapped on the back of your smartphone if the phone is made from steel or you can glue the included MAG-safe ring to the back of the phone and then magnetically attach pouch to it. Front has small status LED that glows red when recording or charging. When battery is charged it turns blue. Companion app connects to the recorder via bluetooth. It downloads files from the recorder and not only converts them into the text marking different speakers but also uses AI for post-processing stage to summarize the conversation and build topic trees. The transcription and AI parts are free for the first 90 days and then you need to sign up for a plan. App also allows you to enable USB transfer to copy files to PC. There many apps that will transcribe conversations for free. The benefit of the paid plan is the convenience as you don't need to transfer files to transcribe them manually and privacy as no data will be sold to third parties since you are already paying for transcription and AI post processing features and those costs don't have to be offset by selling your data to third parties. If you don't subscribe it will still transcribe speech recordings under 10 minutes for free. Control interface has just 2 buttons: on/off and switch that enables vibration sensor. It is very important to cancel ambient noise for the accuracy of speech recognition and vibration sensor along with dual mic setup handles it perfectly even if the device is placed far away from the speakers. App also allows you to change amplification gain, but you have to be careful to avoid clipping. I tested it against another recorder that samples audio signal with 32-bit resolution. ASR format easily bits even the highest quality, 32-bit sampled WAV in terms of accuracy of speech recognition. Plus it takes a lot more time to transcribe WAV than ASR. Another very cool feature that it can also transcribe conversations in languages other than English. You can basically record foreign language conversation and then pasted it into a translator to understand "what this people were actually talking about".

Uniqe, effective, and easy to use...so far

Overall, I am quite impressed with this product thus far. As someone who is highly visually disabled but not completely blind it is essential to have such tools in my tool box. The price seems reasonable for what you get but, like other reviews, I was a bit surprised that it didn't come with an A-type USB charging block, but it isn't that big of a deal. It is quite slim and fits wonderfully on the back of my phone with the included magnetic ring like a mag wallet. I use mine with the latest Samsung Galaxy phone. The transcription seems good so far and will only get better over time I imagine. I like that it comes with 300 minutes of transcriptions per month though, with heavy use, it may prove necessary to buy more miinutes as needed or go with the Pro version ... MoreOverall, I am quite impressed with this product thus far. As someone who is highly visually disabled but not completely blind it is essential to have such tools in my tool box. The price seems reasonable for what you get but, like other reviews, I was a bit surprised that it didn't come with an A-type USB charging block, but it isn't that big of a deal. It is quite slim and fits wonderfully on the back of my phone with the included magnetic ring like a mag wallet. I use mine with the latest Samsung Galaxy phone. The transcription seems good so far and will only get better over time I imagine. I like that it comes with 300 minutes of transcriptions per month though, with heavy use, it may prove necessary to buy more miinutes as needed or go with the Pro version subscription.Suggestions / Requests to PLAUD:1. Add a dark mode or program the app to resect the dark mode of your phone. My eye disorder mamkes me higly sensitive to white light so dark backgrounds on electronic devices and apps are key for me. It' s not just a style choice for me and probably others out there.2. Make it so the device can record phone conversations direclty rather than having to put the phone in speaker mode to record both ends of a conversation.3. This has a lot of potential in the visually disabled community, so hire me to help you market it better!

Very impressive and accurate audio transcription

I use this to record and transcribe interviews that I do for my research and I am super impressed. I have used it in both English and Spanish in both noisy and quiet situations and it does a really good job of transcribing everything that is said. It captures all of the conversation accurately and the only time it has missed something is when multiple people are talking over each other at once. It also seems to have a decent range, as it has picked up what was being said in a decently-sized conference room. The AI summaries of the conversation are also very accurate and super helpful for quickly creating meeting minutes, or for quickly summarizing the key themes identified during an interview. I also think this would be super helpful in a classroom to summarize ... MoreI use this to record and transcribe interviews that I do for my research and I am super impressed. I have used it in both English and Spanish in both noisy and quiet situations and it does a really good job of transcribing everything that is said. It captures all of the conversation accurately and the only time it has missed something is when multiple people are talking over each other at once. It also seems to have a decent range, as it has picked up what was being said in a decently-sized conference room. The AI summaries of the conversation are also very accurate and super helpful for quickly creating meeting minutes, or for quickly summarizing the key themes identified during an interview. I also think this would be super helpful in a classroom to summarize lectures, but I haven't used it for that purpose. I have not had issues with the audio quality that others have reported. It captures audio during interviews extremely well. It does have some issues when many people are talking or laughing over each other in a large room, but that's not an issue for my main use of the device. I love this recorder/transcriber and definitely recommend it for anyone that needs accurate audio transcription!