Friend re-launches its AI pendant with a speaker that talks to you, for twice the price
TL;DR
Friend, the startup that spent $1.8 million of its $2.5 million funding on the friend. com domain and covered the NYC subway with ads for artificial companionship, has relaunched its AI pendant. The new version adds a speaker, so the device talks back instead of only messaging you. It costs twice as much as the original.
Nauti's Take
Adding a speaker turns the pendant from a texting gadget into something users can actually talk to, which is the genuinely interesting bet on companion hardware. Doubling the price for a product whose largest line item so far was a domain name raises a fair question about substance.
Early adopters may enjoy it, everyone else should wait for real usage data.
Summary
Friend, the startup that spent $1.8 million of its $2.5 million funding on the friend. com domain and covered the NYC subway with ads for artificial companionship, has relaunched its AI pendant.
The new version adds a speaker, so the device talks back instead of only messaging you. It costs twice as much as the original.
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