I use Google Keep to (try) keep my life organized. Every day I access notes with general to-do lists, work stuff, book and movie recommendations, random ideas etc. Each time I have to refer or update one of these, I need to pull my phone out, enter the passcode, open the app, find the relevant list, and then do whatever I need to.
The process didn’t seem like such a drag until SenStone popped up on Kickstarter (and Indiegogo). The wearable lets you record voice notes anywhere, and transcribes the audio into text that you can access via an app or a Cloud storage option. It saves a bunch of time and makes sure you don’t get distracted by your phone’s notification list when you should be concentrating on recording a thought accurately.
According to its makers, SenStone is five times faster than smartphone note-taking apps. Although they don’t explain how they quantified its efficiency, it’s evident from the way the device works that it makes things a lot simpler than usual. To record a note, you tap the wearable and begin talking into it. It makes sense to wear it around your neck or clipped to your collar to ensure audio clarity. Tap it once more, and it recognizes that the note is complete.
The next step is where the magic really happens. Once the audio is recorded, the process of converting it into text begins. This is done with the help of an app, which transcribes the voice note and sends it up to Cloud storage. That doesn’t mean you need to be connected to the Internet in order to have your notes stored. SenStone itself can hold about 2.5 hours of audio locally, which is synced with the Cloud once you regain connectivity.
There’s also some cool technology working behind the scenes to organize the notes. At its simplest, it lets you use a hashtag to group notes. You simply say what the hashtag is, and the device files that particular note under that hashtag. Further, SenStone uses AI to group notes by time, location, content, and other parameters, which should come in handy in case you haven’t already organized notes by hashtag. The makers promise additional features such as noise analysis and automatic addition of punctuations to text through a premium tier of the app.
Senstone raised $302,000 on Kickstarter. The pre-order button on Kickstarter takes you to Indiegogo, where you can claim a unit of the device for the early bird price of $100 (not inclusive of shipping). Shipping is expected to commence August 2017.
