Amazon’s Bee launches two new personal AI devices, starting at $75

Amazon-owned Bee, the personal AI wearable maker Amazon acquired last year, is shipping its first new products since that deal. On Thursday the company introduced the Bee Frontier, worn on the wrist or pinned to clothes, and the Bee Eclipse, a credit-card-sized recorder that magnetically attaches to the back of a smartphone, according to TechCrunch's report. The Frontier is $74.99 and the Eclipse is $99.99. Both are built to turn everyday conversations into to-dos, summaries, and insights, with connections to Alexa and Amazon.com.

This piece is for readers choosing a wearable note-taker or a phone-mounted recorder, including people who already use Alexa, Amazon.com, Gmail, Google Calendar, or Microsoft Outlook. It covers the Frontier and the Eclipse, free summaries with 14 days of memory, and Bee Pro at $11.99 per month, plus colors, the Frontier battery and water rating, and which device is on sale now.

The deal behind Amazon’s Bee

Bee is the personal AI wearable maker Amazon acquired last year, and the Frontier and Eclipse are its first new products since that acquisition. The Frontier, at $74.99, is the next generation worn on the wrist or pinned to clothes, in Onyx, Lavender, and Sage. The Eclipse, at $99.99, is credit-card-sized, attaches magnetically to the back of a smartphone, and comes in Silver, Midnight, Honey, and Blush. Like the original Bee, they are meant to remember what was said and turn that into to-dos, summaries, and insights.

When friends set a plan, Bee is meant to remember the date and time they agreed on and create a calendar invite. The announcement uses the same capture for lecture notes in class and for a care plan discussed with a doctor. Every Bee device includes a companion mobile app that has been newly redesigned, plus a new desktop app. The Bee Frontier is available now on Amazon. The Bee Eclipse follows soon thereafter, and no calendar day is given for that second release.

Why Amazon’s Bee raised now

Thursday's launch is the first new Bee hardware since Amazon acquired the company last year. The Frontier refreshes the wearable for a wrist or a pin on clothes. The Eclipse is the new credit-card device that magnetically attaches to a smartphone. Both came in one introduction: the Frontier at $74.99 in Onyx, Lavender, and Sage, and the Eclipse at $99.99 in Silver, Midnight, Honey, and Blush. The Frontier is available now on Amazon. The Eclipse is listed only as coming soon after it.

Users can make purchases on Amazon, or ask Alexa hands-free for Bee insights, summaries, or to-dos. Connecting Bee to Alexa is optional. An Echo can then use Voice ID, the feature that identifies a person's voice, to recognize when that person is speaking and record the conversation for Bee's insights. Amazon says those transcripts and summaries can be deleted at any time. Bee Pro, at $11.99 per month, is the plan that includes Alexa+ together with Amazon.com and third-party applications.

What the Amazon’s Bee money

Bee Frontier hardware is $74.99 and Bee Eclipse hardware is $99.99, set next to the Plaud Note at $159, the Note Pro at $189, and the Pocket AI device at $129. All Bee devices create conversation summaries and recaps for free and keep 14 days of memory. Bee Pro costs $11.99 per month and supplies unlimited conversation summaries plus integrations with Amazon.com, Alexa+, and third-party applications. Pro also includes suggested to-dos, daily memories, a personal chat assistant, and conversation templates.

Bee works with Gmail, Google Calendar, and Microsoft Outlook to draft emails, set up meetings, and surface action items. Users can upload photos to Bee or connect Apple's HealthKit so a picture of overall wellness is included in the insights. Frontier and Eclipse each have one button that turns the device off and on, and an indicator light while a conversation is summarized. Only the Frontier lists IP67 water resistance, up to seven days of battery life, USB-C charging, and dual microphones with advanced noise filtering.

Competitive context for Amazon’s Bee

The Eclipse puts Bee into more direct competition with AI devices like the Plaud Note or the Pocket, at a lower price. The Frontier is $74.99, against $159 for the Plaud Note, $189 for the Note Pro, and $129 for the Pocket AI device. The Eclipse at $99.99 is still under those three. The Frontier stays a wearable for the wrist or a pin on clothes, in Onyx, Lavender, and Sage. The Eclipse attaches magnetically to the back of a smartphone and comes in Silver, Midnight, Honey, and Blush.

Specs Bee does publish are on the Frontier: IP67 water resistance, up to seven days of battery life, USB-C charging, and dual microphones with advanced noise filtering. The Bee Frontier and the Bee Eclipse each have one power button and an indicator light that shows when the device is summarizing a conversation. All Bee devices include the redesigned companion mobile app and the new desktop app. The $74.99 Frontier is available now on Amazon. The $99.99 Eclipse is marked available soon thereafter.

Open questions on Amazon’s Bee

Bee devices use a private computing security architecture that does not store raw audio from conversations. Audio is processed in real time and then deleted. Transcripts are encrypted with keys the device creates and controls, so no one else, including Amazon employees, can access those files unless the user manually and intentionally shares them. Summaries and recaps stay free, with 14 days of memory. Bee Pro at $11.99 per month makes summaries unlimited. The announcement does not say whether the 14 days hold the transcript, the summary, or both.

Linking Bee to Alexa is optional. An Echo can use Voice ID to recognize when the user is speaking and then record that conversation for Bee's insights. Amazon says transcripts and summaries can be deleted at any time, and it gives no retention period for audio the Echo captured. The Eclipse, at $99.99 in Silver, Midnight, Honey, and Blush, is described only as available soon thereafter. Last year's acquisition price is not stated. The Eclipse is not assigned the Frontier's IP67 rating, seven-day battery, USB-C charging, or dual microphones.