There's no shortage of device formats designed for taking meeting notes, available as pendants, pins, and credit-card-sized devices.
But that hasn't stopped "Fuchsia" from launching a new device that does the same job in the form of a ring, a comfortable design, though one that may raise some privacy concerns.
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The ring is one of the simplest formats for someone who wants to press a button and start recording right away. The new "Index 01" ring from "Bee," which I'm currently testing, lets you long-press the button to record a note or reminder. The "Stream" ring made by "Sandbar" works similarly, through a control panel on top. The "Fuchsia" ring, meanwhile, takes a different path, making meeting note-taking its primary function.
The ring has a button that can be double-pressed to start recording, then double-pressed again to stop it. The button can also be long-pressed to ask questions of Fuchsia's AI-powered assistant, though this feature only works when the app is open.
The ring includes a light indicating recording status, alongside a vibration motor that alerts the user when recording. It's notable for its light weight of under 6 grams, and uses titanium on both its inner and outer surfaces, likely as a coating.
The company says the Fuchsia ring can record notes for up to 8 hours on a single charge. The device also comes with a relatively large plastic case that can recharge the ring up to three times.
The device does an efficient job of recording meetings, including conversations lasting over an hour in noisy cafés, with the ring managing to convert most of the speech into written text with good accuracy.
But this method of note-taking isn't ideal for someone who wants to record short notes.
The disappointing side of the Fuchsia ring is the software. The app itself is somewhat confusing. Every time I recorded short notes, I found AI-generated analyses longer than the notes themselves.
Each recording includes three main sections: "Chat," which contains the full transcript of the conversation; "Highlights," short excerpts that can be saved by pressing the button while recording the conversation; and "Notes," which provides a summary and analysis of the full conversation.
The app also includes a tab called "Base," through which you can find transcripts, recordings, and everything generated from them, but I found it excessive and unnecessary. I also didn't find a way to start a direct conversation with the AI about the transcripts recorded in a particular session.
Rings equipped with a voice-command feature are very well-suited for recording short notes or reminders. But the Fuchsia app doesn't offer direct integration with reminder apps, which is disappointing.
The rollout of software features is also moving slowly. The company told me users can take advantage of Fuchsia's "Model Context Protocol" to connect to other assistants, but the option to do so only appeared in the app a few weeks ago.
Meanwhile, other meeting-note-taking devices are developing their platforms to let users automate information extraction and workflows using AI, while the Fuchsia platform remains, for now, incomplete in this regard.
The device also raises some privacy concerns because of its design. The Fuchsia ring looks like an ordinary piece of jewelry, until someone notices the button on it.
The ring includes an indicator showing that recording is in progress, but this indicator faces the person wearing it, not the people around them.
Best practice is to inform others that a conversation is being recorded, and the law requires this in some countries and regions. But with a device like this, some people could easily avoid disclosing the recording and record the conversation without others noticing.
The company said it encourages users to inform the people around them when recording, but that may not be enough.
The ring is priced at $249, a high price compared to other note-taking devices like "Bee" or "Pocket." Part of this price comes from the device's lightweight, small design.
The ring targets people who don't want to attach a device to the back of their phone, wear a wristband, or use a pendant.
In terms of components, most of these devices are essentially made up of a set of microphones, a battery, and a way to connect to the phone.
We'll likely see, over the coming years, greater diversity in the formats of devices designed for recording meetings and taking notes, until users settle on the patterns and designs that best suit their needs.
