Latest news with #Plaud
Buzz Feed
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Buzz Feed
33 Must-Have Products You'll Actually Use Daily
A Baby Nessie Loose Leaf Tea Infuser you'll want to show off to everyone and anyone, but especially your roommate who doesn't "believe in silly fairytales." A Take-n-Slide medication tracker you'll pat yourself on the back for investing in on the all-too-frequent super busy days when you haven't even had a chance to sit down, let alone recall if you took your pills properly. A flower-shaped pill organizer that'll last you a whoooooole lot longer than those supermarket flowers you picked up earlier this week — for a pill organizer it is *quite* aesthetically pleasing, and each "petal" is detachable, so if you're spending a night or two away from home you can pop 'em off and take only what you need with you. 🌸 Stanley cup straw toppers to keep any dust or, yikes, critters from crawling into your beverage — the floral shapes will surely put a spring in your step and make your cup look cuter than ever in your next Instagram Story. "Plaud," an AI voice recorder and notes generator that uses the magic of ChatGPT to summarize audio — forget wasting another second handwriting a sticky note that'll only get lost in the bottom of your bag, never to see the light of day. You won't even need to manually open your Notes app to type up to-do lists! Your newfound virtual personal assistant is about to become your time-saving bestie. Sticky Stakes to trap unwanted pests trying to feed off your plants and buzz annoyingly around your home. Toss your fly swatter in the garbage, you won't be needing it anymore. A glasses lens cleaner that'll have you tossing your microfiber cloth out the window (don't actually, that's littering) it uses carbon microfiber tech to polish up your glasses beautifully and without getting even more fingerprint on the lenses. Essence Lash Princess Mascara might just leave people wondering if you recently got eyelash extensions (which it feels like everyone and anyone has been raving about). Joke's on them! A rechargeable magnetic phone charger/hand warmer set that'll make you the most popular person in town — the pieces can stick together or be broken apart to warm two hands AND charge two phones! A rechargeable lighter to light every candle in your house to create the *perfect* ambience without concern you'll run out of lighter fluid. A pet hair remover with a unique patented brush design that'll let you invite guests to sit down without fear of them being covered head-to-toe in your dog's hair. A SwitchBot Smart Switch Button Pusher you'll likely want to buy for every single switch in your home (apologies) as you'll be able to use it to transform *any* device into a smart one! Once you set it up you'll be able to use Google, Alexa, or an app on your phone to control it. Technology, man. A 64-piece iFixit kit for when your most-used gadget gives out and you'd rather try to repair it yourself than buy a new one. Reviewers love that it comes with the exact bits needed to fix their Nintendo devices (handy dandy, indeed). A color-shifting mushroom light because you're a ~fun guy~ and will totally appreciate the cozy cottagecore aesthetic these bring to any room. An activity book that has been specifically designed for the writer to destroy once they've finished it — you'll get the chance to dig deep into your past, present, and future without any pressure to commit to daily journaling. A magnetic bobby pin and hair clip holder that'll help you keep your bathroom counter organized once and for all — no more rummaging around in your drawers trying to find a bobby pin while holding your hair up at the same time. An undetectable mouse jiggler, so you can sneak away to catch your breath and grab a coffee without anyone wondering why you've been offline for so long. Oversized flower-shaped hair claws that'll help you salvage your mood — even on your worst hair day yet. How could you possibly stay grumpy when your updo looks like a spring garden? A set of cute box cutters for when the 10 packages you ordered while your *~head was in the clouds~* arrives and you need to swiftly open them before your partner sees. 😅 A set of Monkey Noodles that stretch up to 8 feet (!?!??) and will provide anyone with a non-disruptive way to scratch their fidgety itch. Perfect for anyone looking to relieve some pent up anxiety without leaving their desk. A set of heart-shaped faux leather bookmarks for anyone who agrees dog-earing the pages of a book should be a sin. (Especially one borrowed from the library!) Slip one of these cuties onto the corner of a page until you can get back to reading. A set of gel pens that'll make you even more excited to cross things off your to-do list. When all the pens are placed together on your desk it'll look like a gorgeous spring bouquet — the tulips even change color in the sun! A Click & Carry Grocery Bag Carrier you likely saw on Shark Tank and thought "Wow, that's exactly what is missing from my life." Clip it onto your bags (it can lift up to 80 pounds!) sling 'em over your shoulder and be on your merry way. A set of LED lightsaber chopsticks you'll probably misplace in your utensil drawer but then have the opportunity to exclaim "THESE are the ones I've been looking for!" once you finally find them. A "Liquipen" for anyone who grew up with a lava lamp but knows setting one up at their desk probably isn't *ideal*. Watching the little blobs float up and down will ease your mind and give you a chance to regroup before diving back into a project. Retro-inspired notepads that aren't sticky, so you can quickly write down a reminder to pick up milk on the way home and throw it into your bag without fear of it coming out covered in crumbs and debris. Gross. Or a pack of transparent sticky notes, so when you write yourself lil' reminders you can place them anywhere and everywhere without taking away from the aesthetic you've created for your workspace. A limited edition Eos 24H Moisture Super Balm in a delectable marshmallow fluff flavor to hold you over until you can actually sit 'round a campfire and make s'mores with your pals. Oh, and it keeps lips feeling hydrated all day and night! Holographic push pins that'll add a little *~razzle dazzle~* to the cork board you mounted in your kitchen to keep your endless invites to showers and weddings under control. A wireless endoscope gadget you'll absolutely want in your toolbox if you're a homeowner — it has a teeny tiny camera on the end you can send behind walls or into drains to see what's going on before calling in a professional. A wireless remote kit that'll make turning on lights a snap — no fumbling with a bunch of light strands every evening. This gadget is a homeowner's dream come true. A classic handheld Oxo can opener with cushioned handles that'll make popping open your favorite soup a cinch. You'll be pleased you added this to your cart the next time your power goes out and you can't use the fancy electric one you typically reach for. And a critter catcher you can use to safely trap and remove any unwanted creature that wanders into your home. Added bonus? You MIGHT stop screaming bloody murder and running for higher ground when you see a spider.
Entrepreneur
09-07-2025
- Business
- Entrepreneur
Why Surcharging Is a Bad Move For Small Businesses — and What to Do Instead
Before you add credit card surcharges, learn what the big players know — and how to protect your business from costly mistakes. Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. I belong to a CEO peer group, and I love connecting with leaders who are further along in their journey. I work hard to keep my mouth shut and my ears open — because let's be honest, they have way more to teach me than I have to teach them. I also love it when they let me record our conversations on Plaud so I can revisit the gold later. I used to think that most CEOs and business owners approached their growth the same way: by learning from those ahead of them. But lately, I'm starting to wonder. Why? Because right now, I'm watching a surcharging frenzy unfold. Small and midsize merchants are racing to add extra fees to customers' bills to cover credit card processing costs. Yet not one major player is doing it. Not Apple. Not Walmart. Not Amazon. Not Target. Not Costco. None of them. So, what do they know that others don't? Related: Is Your Credit Card Processor Secretly Costing You a Fortune? Watch for These 5 Red Flags What is surcharging (and why should you care)? Surcharging means adding a fee at checkout to cover the cost of customers paying with a credit card. It sounds simple. But staying compliant with some of the states and card-brand rules is anything but. Each card network (e.g. Visa, Mastercard) has its own set of rules, and some states ban surcharges altogether. The result? A regulatory mess where one slip-up can lead to fines, customer backlash or both. Why the big players avoid it Big companies have armies of lawyers and compliance experts. They also utilize firms to help them reduce their fees without ticking off customers. Most importantly — they understand the hidden dangers of surcharging: Legal risks: Missteps can trigger fines from card networks or regulators. Fines can exceed $10,000 per violation. Processor traps: Many merchant agreements let processors pass their own fines onto you if you're caught surcharging incorrectly. That means you could get hit twice. Customer friction: Surcharges annoy customers. Studies show surprise fees lead to higher cart abandonment rates and fewer return visits. In short: Big companies know that surcharging often costs more in lost business and legal headaches than it saves on fees. What's really driving up your fees? Here's the kicker: If your merchant fees are climbing, it's probably not because the networks are hiking their rates. Interchange fees — the core cost of processing — have barely budged in the last 15 years. So where's the extra cost coming from? Inflated fees: This is when a processor inflates the actual cost of the fees, i.e. charging you 2.95% when the exact fee is only 2.25%. Made up hidden fees Charging high discount rates, your discount rate should be fully disclosed, broken out, and only between 2 and 7 basis points at most, and if you are processing over $10 million a year, more than 4-5 basis points, over $100 million a year, 2-3 basis points. Keeping rebates: Most businesses are unaware that they should receive their processing fees back on returned or voided sales, and the credit card processor pockets those refunds. For merchants with a high volume of returns, this can add up significantly. What smart business owners do instead If you want to reduce credit card processing costs without the risks of surcharging, here's the playbook: Get a merchant processing audit: An independent audit can reveal hidden fees, excessive markups, and junk charges. At my firm, we see clients reduce their fees as much as 40%. To be fully transparent, several firms offer this service, so be sure to do your research and find the one that best suits your needs. Ask about interchange optimization: This ensures your transactions qualify for the lowest possible rates under the existing rules — no customer friction required. Make sure they show you that your transactions are clearing at the lowest interchange. Don't just take their word for it. If you must surcharge, get expert help: Work with a firm that understands all state laws and card-brand rules. Ensure you're registered properly and following the strict requirements — because one mistake can cost you dearly. Also, there are firms that will take ownership of the compliance and cover your fines should you get fined. Related: How to Choose a Credit Card for Your Startup My final thoughts How do you feel when you get surcharged? Business becomes increasingly competitive every day, and I believe most people will do business where they feel wanted and valued, which is a lost art, but not everywhere. Ready to break through your revenue ceiling? Join us at Level Up, a conference for ambitious business leaders to unlock new growth opportunities.
Digital Trends
08-07-2025
- Business
- Digital Trends
Plaud Note, the professional-tier AI notetaker, is 20% off for Prime Day
Lately, as I've been working through stressful hospital visits with family, I've encountered something I haven't in quite awhile. As I hear doctors, nurses, and family say things, I'll be completely unable to remember them moments later. There's just too much going on all at once. Early in my career I encountered the same issue. There were just so many new facets of what I was doing entering my head all at once, from many sources, that it was impossible to keep track of it all. If only there were AI notetaking tools that have helped me through this. AI notetaking tools like Plaud Note and Plaud NotePin, which are both 20% off for Prime Day (from $159 to $127 for either device, saving you $32) and available by tapping the button below. How Plaud's notetakers can help The Plaud system has a ton of features, but there are a few that stand out heavily in solving my issues, and yours. First, let's take a look at how Plaud handles precision and privacy. We're (rightfully) skeptical of blindly accepting what an AI tool tells us for important decisions, but Plaud is an advanced tool that will help you get all of the information you need. After a one-press record, you can later view a voice-to-text transcription of the entire meeting, complete with speaker identification. You can even label the speakers with a role such as 'boss' or 'mother' and your conversations will like a script. This means that, when you're running through the meeting the next day, and work up a desperate panic trying to figure out if it was your intern or boss that said it'd be a good idea to have everything done by noon on Monday you can search, find the quote, see who said it, and listen to it for complete peace of mind in minutes. And, all of this meeting information is end-to-end encrypted, so the details of your meeting (and the special sauce that makes your business idea a venture capital dream) are secure. Then, there are the AI features that you know and love, personalized to your meeting data. You can ask Plaud, and it will help jog your memory. What was that thing that Tim wanted to do on Tuesday? What was the funny idea we had for a product launch title? These questions that you want quick answers to and want some intelligent AI insight into are there for the taking. Plus, as your number of meetings, solo monologues, and business chats build up, you'll want to take advantage of Plaud's AI smart summaries to keep yourself organized — there are even intelligent template choices for these summaries, quickly switching from lecture format to a consultation. Finally, if you're on an international team, you should know that Plaud is thinking about you, too. It's adept in over 100 languages, with a 97%+ transcription accuracy, from a 'Ciao' with your team in Rome to a 'Nihao!' in Beijing, Plaud is ready to serve your global team. A quick look at Plaud Note Plaud Note is a credit card shaped device with 64GB of on-device storage and unlimited cloud storage. It's battery life gives you the ability to do 30-hours of continuous recording and 60 days on standby. You can hold it out for a meeting or use its magnet to attach to your phone and do call recordings. What differentiates Plaud NotePin The Plaud NotePin is a thumb-sized device that you can carry with you, put in the middle of your meeting roundtable, wear on your wrist like a smartwatch, clip to your shirt pocket, or even wear as a necklace. It's a device made for high usability in the real world and is especially good for those us that already have AI notetaking solutions for our digital meetings and aren't doing many traditional phone calls. It also has 64GB of on-device storage and unlimited cloud storage. It has battery life for 20 hours of continuous recording and 45 days on standby mode. The The Plaud NotePin comes with a free AI starter plan for 300 minutes per month of recordings.
CNET
08-07-2025
- Business
- CNET
Prime Day Deal: Save 20% on Plaud's Automatic Note Taking Pin
If you go to a lot of meetings, then you know how important transcription and good note-taking can be. It's also incredibly time-consuming, but it doesn't have to be. In fact, thanks to a great Prime Day deal going on right now, you can actually save yourself a bit of money on some help. Right now, you can get your hands on the immensely useful Plaud NotePin Voice Recorder, which is an AI-enhanced note taker, for $127. That's a 20% discount on the normal price, and a great way to treat yourself to some easier admin going forwards. The Plaud NotePin can easily take notes from everything you and anyone else is saying, and can even offer summaries thanks to feeding off of other AI models. The transcription is going to be a huge help for a lot of people, and it can understand a massive 112 languages, just in case you're the most gifted linguist in existence. You can easily attack either using a magnetic pin or a clip too, so it's flexible to fit your needs. Hey, did you know? CNET Deals texts are free, easy and save you money. It's worth noting that this deal is available from Plaud directly, and you can also save money on the subscription plan for your phone as is, if you'd rather not pick up a new device. Why this deal matters Note taking is an arduous experience, so being able to simply let something else do all of the work is great. This deal knocks 20% off a really useful bit of kit for those that need it, but it won't be around for long.
Tom's Guide
08-07-2025
- Business
- Tom's Guide
The Plaud NotePin was a winner in our AI awards 2025 — and its hit its lowest price in Prime Day
After scoring a four-star review and sneaking a win in the Tom's Guide AI awards earlier this year, the Plaud NotePin has quickly become one of our favorite gadgets that has emerged in the AI hardware category. In fact, the company's entire range of note-taking devices has really impressed us, and now is a great time to get your hands on one yourself. This year's Prime Day event has brought about big discounts on the whole family of devices from Plaud, hitting their lowest prices ever across the board. Right now, you can get a discount of up to 20% on both the Plaude Note and Plaude NotePin. Better yet, this discount is available at Amazon in both the U.S. and U.K. The NotePin device is currently seeing its biggest ever discount. This brings the device of the subtle recording device all the way down to $127. To get the most out of the tool, you do need to add a subscription on top of this, but it isn't completely necessary. It has a great battery life, and is perfect for those who want to keep track of all the meetings, conversations and interviews they go through each day. The Note Voice recorder from Plaud has seen exactly the same discount, coming down to the same $127 price tag. This can't be worn like the NotePin and is a lot more obvious. However, its larger size means it offers a longer battery life, can upload files via USB, and it is even MagSafe compatible to attach to your smartphone. Both devices are also on sale in the U.K. The same 20% discount applies here which brings both the NotePin and Note voice recorder down to their lowest prices of £119. Both of these devices from Plaud do very similar things. The big difference comes in how you plan to interact with it. At their core, these are notetakers. They record conversations, meetings, and personal voice-notes, just like your phone or any other recorder would. It's the use of AI that helps make them stand out. In our review of the NotePin, we noted that "It can transcribe complex, meandering brainstorming sessions while adding intelligent segues, and make light work of understanding specific prompts." In fact, our biggest critique of the NotePin was its price... which this deal can help you with! The Plaud NotePin is designed to be a discrete notetaker. Wear it on your clothes, around your neck, or place it on a table. The Voice recorder, on the other hand, is bigger and more obvious. Which one to choose comes to what you need it for. If you want to record your daily life or subtly keep track of information at a conference, the NotePin is the choice for you. For meetings, conversations, and interviews, the voice recorder is a better option, where subtly is traded for a more robust and thought-through design.
