Latest news with #Bee
WIRED
4 days ago
- Business
- WIRED
Gear News of the Week: Amazon Buys Bee, VSCO Has a New App, and CMF Debuts a Smartwatch
Plus: Google Photos lets you convert images to videos, Microsoft has a 5G Surface, and Palmer Luckey asks if you'd buy a US-made laptop. All products featured on WIRED are independently selected by our editors. However, we may receive compensation from retailers and/or from purchases of products through these links. Amazon has acquired Bee, a relatively new AI company that debuted an always-listening wearable earlier this year. Bee cofounder Maria de Lourdes Zollo shared the news via LinkedIn. We covered Bee AI at CES 2025—it was one of many new wearables that promised to listen to everything around you. It didn't save audio recordings, but it used the power of third-party and in-house large language models to transcribe words and create a journal of sorts, offering insights into your day, crafting takeaways, actionable tasks, and summaries of conversations. Despite being one of the first on the scene with its Alexa voice assistant, Amazon has been trailing behind the likes of OpenAI and Google's Gemini in the AI space, only recently debuting the upgraded version of Alexa+, powered by LLMs. The Bee acquisition would let Amazon offer its customers a different kind of AI experience from Alexa, one that is with you wherever you are and is always listening. That raises several privacy concerns, and Amazon has historically had a poor track record on that front. We'll have to wait and see whether Bee's current privacy policies will shift under the new ownership, and what will become of the little yellow wearable. CMF Debuts the $99 Watch 3 Pro Nothing's sub-brand CMF has a new smartwatch, following up on last year's Watch Pro 2. It's called the Watch 3 Pro, which is a subtle shift in the naming convention that makes it more similar to the CMF Phone 2 Pro that debuted a few months ago. The price is also now $99. Even with the $30 price bump, it's still one of the cheapest smartwatches around, though it runs RTOS (real-time operating system), meaning you won't be able to access your favorite apps here. That trade-off lets the Watch 3 Pro purportedly last 13 days on a single charge, a slight bump over its predecessor (the new watch lasts 4.5 days if you have the always-on display enabled). There's a new dual-band GPS for more accurate route tracking, 131 sport modes with a personalized running coach, and a new heart-rate sensor that CMF claims is more accurate across workout intensities and skin tones. Naturally, there's a dose of 'AI-powered' post-workout summaries. The CMF Watch 3 Pro can now track blood oxygen levels and stress, and it offers guided breathing exercises to help you relax. It even has period tracking. That's almost all the typical health features found on more full-featured smartwatches, save the electrocardiogram and fall detection. You'll be able to see basic notifications on the watch, and there's now a ChatGPT integration that lets you talk to the chatbot and set reminders, though your phone will need to be nearby for processing. It's available in dark gray, light gray, and orange, with a metal body and soft-touch silicone straps. CMF says all of its smartwatches are now transitioning to the Nothing X app, the same app used to configure Nothing's audio products. There's support for Apple Health, Strava, and Google Health Connect, so your data will show up in those respective platforms. It officially went on sale July 22, though some regions will have to wait until later this year. 5G Laptops Make an Unexpected Return Microsoft has announced a new Surface Laptop with an integrated 5G cellular modem, which will use Verizon's 5G network. Although it looks nearly identical to the current Surface Laptop 13.8 (7th Edition), it uses a new 'custom multi-layered laminate' material on the exterior rather than aluminum, which Microsoft says 'allows radio signals to pass through without impacting performance,' according to the company's blog post. Microsoft also boasts that it has completely redesigned the Surface Laptop to 'thoughtfully' and 'strategically' integrate the antenna inside to reduce interference. The new device is targeted toward business users, but it's an interesting reversal to the severe lack of cellular laptops recently. Microsoft has been offering a 5G option of the 2-in-1 Surface Pro for a while now, but never a Surface Laptop. When 5G was first rolling out in 2019, laptops with integrated 5G cellular connections were starting to roll out, such as the Lenovo Yoga 5G in 2020. But interest died out pretty fast. Perhaps Covid killed the momentum, since people were at home with their stable Wi-Fi connections. Or maybe it was because the Qualcomm Snapdragon-powered laptops at that time really couldn't compete with Intel. Interestingly, because it's an enterprise device, the Surface Laptop 5G is actually powered by an Intel Core Ultra Series 2 rather than Qualcomm's Snapdragon X. Microsoft may also be trying to preempt Apple's move into cellular MacBooks. It was reported late last year that Apple was exploring the idea, having acquired Intel's 5G modem business back in 2019. The Surface Laptop 5G will be available starting on August 26, with a starting price of $1,800 for an Intel Core Ultra 5, 16 GB of RAM, and 256 GB of storage. — Luke Larsen Would You Buy a US-Made Laptop? That's the question posed by Palmer Luckey this week. The pro-Trump tech entrepreneur has already stamped his footprint in the worlds of virtual reality through Oculus and military tech through Anduril, but a more conventional computer would be new ground for Luckey. He raised the provocative question at the Reindustrialize 2025 Summit earlier this week. 'I actually think Anduril could build computers in the United States,' he stated. 'I've looked into it very, very deeply. I've had conversations with everyone you would need to do this. On the chip side, on the assembly side, on the manufacturing side. I know exactly how to do it, what it would cost, how long it would take.' Luckey goes on to say that the only thing holding him back is that he hopes someone else does it first. He later posted the following question on X: 'Would you buy a Made In America computer from Anduril for 20% more than Chinese-manufactured options from Apple?' At the time of writing, 64 percent of the over 77,000 responses said yes, while the rest said no. Whether or not there will be Anduril laptops in the future isn't so interesting as the larger question of how much it would cost to build technology from the ground up without relying on foreign production. The way his question is stated implies that he doesn't just mean laptops that are assembled in the US, but actually devices where every component is made in the US. If we trust Luckey in his price estimation, that would mean a MacBook Air–like device would cost an extra $200. That's less than what analysts have said in the past, including one approximation that stated iPhones would cost at least 25 percent more due to increased labor costs alone. Others have put that estimate much higher—as high as $3,500 for an iPhone, or stated that it's altogether impossible due to supply chain limitations. — Luke Larsen Google Lets You Convert Images to Videos Google Photos officially rolled out a feature this week that lets you convert static images to videos using generative artificial intelligence. We first saw this capability on an Honor smartphone, but it's now becoming more widely available. Google says the feature is powered by its Veo 2 generative AI model. All you need to do is select the image from your gallery and choose 'Subtle movements' or 'I'm feeling lucky,' and it'll get animated into a six-second clip (of something that never happened). That's not all that's new. The company is also adding a feature called Remix, which lets you convert existing photos into art styles, like anime, comics, and 3D animations (remember Prisma?). It'll be rolling out over the next few weeks. All of these effects and features might feel a little much, especially considering all the other tools at your disposal in the app, which is why Google also has a new Create tab. This is where you can go to convert photos to videos, use Remix, create collages, highlight videos, and more. The tab will be rolling out in August. Facer Is Back in Wear OS 6 Google's Wear OS 6 update started rolling out this week—it's the latest version of the smartwatch operating system, introducing a more colorful interface, widgets that are even more glanceable, alongside power efficiency improvements for better battery life. One of the oldest watch face apps, Facer—which has hundreds of themed watch face designs across various platforms—has announced an update adding compatibility with Wear OS 6. That's big news, considering that the app lost compatibility after Wear OS 5 rolled out in 2024. Facer didn't support Google's Watch Face Format (WFF) when Wear OS 5 launched, which was mandatory to access watch face complications. The company had to work with Google to bring back full functionality of its watch faces to Wear OS 6, and the it even says Facer will deliver 'significantly improved battery life' on all faces. The Facer update also adds new collaborations, like a SpongeBob SquarePants watch face, as well as a social component called 'Looks.' It's a tab in the app that lets you show off your favorite watch faces. Think of it as a new way to discover watch faces outside of the app's general explore page. If you like a look, you can find out what watch face they're using and download it, and if you like their watch strap, Facer will point you to its own strap store so you can nab it. VSCO Launches a New App Called Capture Photo filter and editing app VSCO—yes, the very same that popularized the 'VSCO girl'—has been around since 2012, but the company just launched a stand-alone mobile app after a decade. Capture is an iPhone-only camera app that has more than 50 'live presets' with real-time film effects and manual camera settings for better control over the final image. It essentially lets you preview the final look of your photo before you even hit the shutter button. These presets are non-destructive, so you can still edit the original captured image later on if you decide to change things up. It supports RAW and ProRAW formats, has real-time effects like bloom, and can instantly sync with the VSCO app for additional edits or sharing. It's free to download now, and there's no word if an Android app will be available in the future.
Canada News.Net
4 days ago
- Business
- Canada News.Net
Amazon buys startup behind wristband that transcribes conversations
SAN FRANCISCO, California: Amazon is making a fresh bet on artificial intelligence wearables by acquiring Bee, a San Francisco-based startup known for its AI-powered bracelet that records, transcribes, and summarizes conversations. The device, priced at US$50, can distill what it hears into to-do lists, summaries, and reminders. Its always-on microphone can be muted manually, offering users some control over privacy — a point Amazon emphasized in confirming the deal this week. While the acquisition has not yet closed, the e-commerce and cloud services giant said it plans to collaborate with Bee to enhance user transparency and control. Bee co-founder and CEO Maria de Lourdes Zollo revealed the deal in a LinkedIn post, writing: "We imagined a world where AI is truly personal, where your life is understood and enhanced by technology that learns with you." She did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The startup was founded in 2022 and has been part of a growing wave of companies experimenting with on-the-go AI assistants. Amazon declined to disclose financial terms of the acquisition. This move follows Amazon's earlier, less successful attempt at entering the wearables market with its Halo wristband, a health tracker that was discontinued in 2023. It also produces Echo Frames, smart glasses embedded with its voice assistant Alexa. AI wearables have become an increasingly competitive space. Earlier this year, OpenAI acquired io, a hardware startup founded by former Apple designer Jony Ive, in a deal reportedly valued at $6.5 billion. Other startups in the field have delivered mixed results, with many still navigating technical, privacy, and market adoption hurdles. In her announcement, Zollo thanked Amazon Devices chief Panos Panay, hinting that Bee will be integrated into his team after the deal's completion. Panay joined Amazon in 2023 and has been leading a revamp of the company's hardware division to focus more aggressively on AI.
Forbes
4 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
Amazon's Bold Move Into Wearable AI: The Bee Acquisition
Amazon acquires Bee, a SF-based manufacturer of AI-powered wristband. Amazon has made a bold move in the world of wearable technology by acquiring Bee, a San Francisco startup known for its affordable, AI-powered wristband. The device passively listens, learns from your day-to-day conversations, and offers helpful prompts—hands-free. Say you mumble about a meeting, and it shows up on your calendar. Mention you're low on groceries, and you get a reminder to stop at the store. Unlike Amazon's earlier attempts at wearables, Bee isn't about tracking steps—it's about bringing proactive, intelligent assistance into your daily routine. Why does this matter? Amazon has tried wearables before—with mixed results. Its Halo Band fitness tracker was discontinued in 2023, and while Echo Frames (its smart glasses with Alexa built-in) are still around, they've struggled to gain traction. With competitors like Meta's Ray-Bans offering built-in cameras and growing in popularity, Amazon may refresh the Echo Frames line to stay relevant. But the Bee acquisition signals more than just another attempt at wearables. It's a shift in strategy. With Apple, Meta, Google, and others pushing into AI-powered devices, Amazon is betting that Bee could be the missing piece that sets it apart in the race to build a more intelligent, more intuitive digital assistant. Bee's flagship product is a $49.99 wristband (plus a $19/month subscription) that continuously listens (unless muted) and turns ambient conversations and sounds into reminders, summaries, and actionable to-do lists. Its low price and broad functionality may make it a compelling option in the wearable device category. By integrating Bee's technology, Amazon can enhance Alexa, bolster its AI efforts, and further integrate its hardware, software, and cloud services under the AWS umbrella. It's a strategic move to stay competitive in the increasingly crowded AI wearables space. On the technical side, Bee offers real-time voice transcription, contextual task automation, and near-continuous voice input—all steps toward a future where digital help is available without needing to ask. The wristband already supports the Apple Watch, with Android and broader integrations on the way. With added features like water resistance, improved battery life, and multi-language support, Bee aims to become a true companion device—essentially a smart extension of your phone on your wrist. Still, there are real concerns. The biggest worry is privacy. Bee's always-on microphone brings up obvious surveillance concerns—not just for users, but for anyone around them. Even though Bee claims it doesn't retain audio files or use recordings to train its AI, Amazon's track record with data privacy (consider Ring cameras' vulnerabilities) makes many skeptical that those promises will be kept. There's also the issue of legality. In states with two-party consent laws, recording someone without their permission—whether intentionally or unintentionally—can be a legal minefield. That could open Amazon up to lawsuits, regulatory action, or public backlash. More broadly, there's the question of whether people are ready—or willing—to normalize "always listening" devices in public and private spaces. What does it mean for how we communicate and how we think about privacy if passive surveillance becomes the norm? What's most interesting about this acquisition is the opportunity it presents—if Amazon can win over consumer trust. If the company can convincingly safeguard user data, Bee could set the standard for what AI wearables look like in the near future. If successful, it positions Amazon to influence how personal assistants operate, how ambient intelligence is integrated into everyday life, and how privacy is managed in a world of continuous digital listening. However, these opportunities also come with legal, ethical, and reputational challenges that Amazon must address. Disclosure: Amazon, Google and Apple subscribe to Creative Strategies research reports along with many other high tech companies around the world.
Phone Arena
5 days ago
- Business
- Phone Arena
Amazon's latest move feels like the future tapping you on the shoulder
Video credit – Bee We've seen this future before – in sci-fi Receive the latest Accessories news Subscribe By subscribing you agree to our terms and conditions and privacy policy Amazon + Bee = mainstream AI on your wrist What makes this moment feel like a turning point is who is making the moves. Bee started as a niche startup, but now that Amazon's already gone all-in on AI. And it's not just Amazon making waves here. What makes this moment feel like a turning point is who is making the moves. Bee started as a niche startup, but now that Amazon owns it, we could be looking at a future where AI wearables like this become widely available – and way more already gone all-in on AI. Just look at the new version of Alexa , which now uses generative AI to be more helpful (and more human). So it's not hard to imagine a future where Alexa doesn't just live in a speaker – it lives on your wrist, learns from your voice and helps run your life more it's not just Amazon making waves here. Everyone wants in on AI wearables , which let you interact with your own personal Meta AI assistant. For $299, they basically look like regular sunglasses, but smarter. And honestly, considering Ray-Bans already go for that much without AI, the pricing actually makes sense. Meta, for example, has its Ray-Ban smart glasses , which let you interact with your own personal Meta AI assistant. For $299, they basically look like regular sunglasses, but smarter. And honestly, considering Ray-Bans already go for that much without AI, the pricing actually makes sense. Video credit – Meta Then there's Then there's the Rabbit R1 – a $199 standalone AI gadget that's small, portable and loaded with possibilities. It can handle tasks like playing music, ordering groceries, texting friends and planning your route – all with just your voice. It's like a personal assistant that fits in your hand and doesn't judge your snack choices. Humane AI Pin simply did not work as promised. | Video credit – Humane We scroll, swipe, snap pics, text, and yes, doomscroll until 2 a.m. Even when we say we want less screen time, we don't really mean it. At first, I was skeptical – we're pretty attached to our screens, after all. We scroll, swipe, snap pics, text, and yes, doomscroll until 2 a.m. Even when we say we want less screen time, we don't really mean it. But here's the twist: whether or not we want these devices isn't really the point. Tech moves forward – with or without us If there's one thing sci-fi has taught us – and also just, you know, history – it's that new tech doesn't always appear because people are asking for it. It appears because companies can build it, market it, and eventually make us feel like we need it. We weren't begging for smartphones in 2006, but now try going a day without one. Same story might play out here. Right now, I'm not sure I need an AI bracelet that records everything I say. Honestly, it sounds exhausting. But give it time, and we might all be wearing these things – not just because we want to, but because the tech world has already decided they're the next big thing. And once people start using them and realizing they are helpful, it's game over. They'll be everywhere. And that brings us back to Bee. I don't think Amazon randomly decided to buy a little AI wearable startup. This feels like a move made with full awareness that something bigger is coming – like that mysterious OpenAI + Jony Ive project. Amazon wants to be ready. It wants to compete. And sure, some tech giants are quiet for now (think So yeah, AI wearables might feel a bit weird right now. But if they start coming from the biggest tech names – not just small startups – they're going to hit the mainstream fast. And the moment they become truly useful (or just cool enough to flex), we'll probably stop questioning whether we need them at all. Because the future doesn't ask for permission. It just shows up. If there's one thing sci-fi has taught us – and also just, you know, history – it's that new tech doesn't always appear because people are asking for it. It appears because companies can build it, market it, and eventually make us feel like we need weren't begging for smartphones in 2006, but now try going a day without one. Same story might play out here. Right now, I'm not sure I need an AI bracelet that records everything I say. Honestly, it sounds exhausting. But give it time, and we might all be wearing these things – not just because we want to, but because the tech world has already decided they're the next big once people start using them and realizing they are helpful, it's game over. They'll be that brings us back to Bee. I don't think Amazon randomly decided to buy a little AI wearable startup. This feels like a move made with full awareness that something bigger is coming – like that mysterious OpenAI + Jony Ive project. Amazon wants to be ready. It wants to sure, some tech giants are quiet for now (think Apple ), but I wouldn't be surprised if Apple is waiting in the wings with something shiny and polished. You know, classic Apple style – show up late, but somehow still yeah, AI wearables might feel a bit weird right now. But if they start coming from the biggest tech names – not just small startups – they're going to hit the mainstream fast. And the moment they become truly useful (or just cool enough to flex), we'll probably stop questioning whether we need them at the future doesn't ask for permission. It just shows up. And yeah, I know – that's both kind of brilliant and kind of creepy. But instead of focusing on the "how bad could this go" angle (which, let's face it, is a long list), I want to look at what this means for the future of AI gadgets. Because with big tech players putting real money into AI hardware, it's clear something big is coming.A lot of the tech we now consider totally normal was once just science fiction. Take video calls – Jules Verne basically predicted them back in the 1800s with something he called the "phonotelephote." Or E.T.A. Hoffmann's story The Sandman, which gave us Olympia – a lifelike automaton that made people question what was real and what wasn't. Sound familiar?Then later there's Star Trek, the OG tech influencer. Between the communicators, tricorders and talking computers, they basically beta-tested half the gadgets we use now. Honestly, tech companies should owe that show royalties at this fast forward to today. We've got video calls in our pockets, smart assistants in our kitchens and AI that can write your emails, translate conversations or help you plan a vacation. The line between fiction and reality is already pretty blurry. And with wearables like Bee, it's about to get even blurrier.
Daily Mail
6 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Amazon's sinister new gadget makes Alexa speakers look tame
Amazon is buying AI bracelet maker Bee in a major move to dominate the next wave of personal tech. The wristbands — which cost $50 — record everything you say, even when you're talking to yourself, and sync with your phone via Bluetooth. Powered by AI models from Anthropic, Google and Meta, Bee turns your day into a searchable database, creating personalized to-do lists and even tracking how many times you swear. Unlike Amazon's Alexa devices — which are meant to listen only after a 'wake word' — Bee's bracelets are always on unless switched off, giving them access to far more user data to train AI models. Bee CEO Maria de Lourdes Zollo said she was 'excited' to be joining Amazon and to bring 'truly personal, agentic AI to even more customers.' 'When we started Bee, we imagined a world where AI is truly personal, where your life is understood and enhanced by technology that learns with you,' she wrote on LinkedIn. The deal, still pending closure, comes as wearable AI gadgets flood the market. Meta is pushing its Ray-Ban AI glasses and Google has launched Gemini-powered earbuds. Bee CEO Maria de Lourdes Zollo said she was 'excited' to be joining Amazon Amazon's latest acquisition marks a shift forward from its Echo and Alexa products Because Bee is always listening, it can collect far more data per user — feeding the constant stream of information needed to train large language models. A spokesperson for Amazon told the Daily Mail that a deal had been signed with Bee but that the agreement is yet to close. Alongside the proliferation of new gadgets the rise of AI has already led to increased automation and consequent layoffs. Microsoft will eliminate thousand of positions this month as it makes deeper investments in the tech. Amazon and Ford's CEOs have also said they're planning on slashing staff to use more generative models. Once-dominant Intel also announced plans to cut around 2,400 jobs.
