This tiny device could be the answer to my ad-hoc meeting woes. There are loads of AI-assisted ways of recording and transcribing meetings, not least Microsoft Copilot should you be a Microsoft 365 user. But what if you’re having a lot of ad hoc conversations you need to recall, transcribe and summarise when you’re not at your computer?
Perhaps it’s breakout sessions in the office, interviews off-site or maybe a business meeting in a coffee shop. Enter Plaud’s latest – the credit card-sized $179/£169 Plaud Note Pro.
Note Pro’s party trick is that it not only has a physical button to start recording, but that you can highlight particularly interesting passages during the recording process. And it’s small, so you can slot it into a bag, pocket or everyday carry pouch really easily.
The tiny 3mm thick device is under 30g in weight and has four mics to pick up voices within a radius of 5m or so, so it’s fine for the vast majority of scenarios, the exception probably being larger rooms where the speaker doesn’t have amplification and is struggling to be heard. We’ve all been in those meetings!
Note Pro provides a different option to Plaud’s NotePin, which is a wearable product you can magnetically attach to a jacket, for example. And it’s an upgrade on the previous Plaud Note device with longer battery life and the new highlight feature. There’s also smart recording this time around so it can automatically detect phone calls and in-person conversations. And it even works with Apple FindMy, too.
One drawback with Plaud is that you need to take out a subscription to make the device useful on a regular basis. a $99 a year sub gets you 1200 minutes of transcription a month (unlimited costs a whopping $239 a year) but that package will be more than enough for most. Plaud Intelligence is really rather good though, and uses various large language models (LLMs) from OpenAI, Anthropic and Google depending on what is required.
Once you have a sub, you can make the most of what you’ve recorded such as exporting summaries, complete transcriptions or even mind maps of the points made. You can also apply various templates should you wish. The software prioritises the highlights you identify using the physical button.
The main drawback of our online meeting culture is that you’re not able to be as present in conversations. Auto-transcription enables this. Note Pro also has a 50 hour battery life, so you can keep track of plenty of meetings or other events.
Plaud Note Pro is available across the US, UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain and other select European countries. Shipping begins in October when the Plaud 3.0 app will also appear on an app store near you.
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