Amazon announced the Bee Frontier wristband and the Bee Eclipse phone attachment on Oct. 15, adding a Bee Pro subscription and links to Alexa+ and Amazon.com. Engadget says they are the first new Bee products since Amazon bought the startup. Both devices record conversations and produce summaries and to-dos.
Prices and availability
Amazon's release lists the Bee Frontier at $74.99 in Onyx, Lavender and Sage, available now at Amazon.com. It lists the Bee Eclipse as "available soon," from $99.99 in Silver, Midnight, Honey and Blush, and Bee Pro at $11.99 a month, with 30 days free for new customers.
Amazon's Frontier listing showed the Frontier in stock, sold by Amazon.com, with delivery on Tue., Oct. 20, when checked for a New Hampshire delivery address on Oct. 15. Amazon's Eclipse listing showed "Coming Soon" at $99.99 with a notify button on the same check.
What each device is
Amazon describes the Frontier as "the next generation of our AI wearable." It sits in a silicone wristband or clips to clothing. Amazon says the Eclipse is about the size of a credit card and attaches magnetically to the back of a phone.
Amazon lists the Frontier with IP67 water resistance, up to seven days of battery, USB-C charging and dual microphones. It lists the Eclipse with more than 21 days of battery per charge. Bee's Eclipse page says the Eclipse is 4.6 mm thin and MagSafe-compatible.
How it differs from the original Bee
Engadget calls the Frontier a follow-up to, and replacement of, the Pioneer, which is no longer sold. It says the Frontier is smaller, lighter and available in more colors, and is IP67 rated where the Pioneer was not. The two share the same 7-day battery estimate, a USB-C port and similar functionality.
The Verge says the original cost $50 and the Frontier's recording button is more prominent. It describes the Eclipse as a non-wearable option aimed at more professional use.
Bee Pro and the Amazon link
Amazon says every Bee user gets summaries, recaps and 14-day memory at no extra cost. Bee Pro adds unlimited recent summaries, suggested to-dos, daily memories, a chat assistant, templates, third-party integrations, a desktop app, and Alexa+ and Amazon.com connections.
Bee Pro costs $99 a year, per the fine print of Amazon's Frontier listing. Engadget quotes Bee founder Maria Zollo saying early customers keep the full feature set free.
Amazon says connecting Bee to Amazon.com lets a device surface items you mention, with recommendations on the Amazon homepage and in the Bee apps. The Verge reports the link is opt-in, and Engadget says Amazon stressed that.
What Amazon says about recordings
Amazon says audio is "processed into insights in real time and deleted after processing," transcripts are encrypted with keys only your device creates and controls, and you can delete transcripts and summaries at any time. Amazon's Private Compute page says no one, including Amazon and Bee, can access the processing environment.
Amazon also says users "are prompted to gain permission from call participants each time a recording is started." Each device has one button to turn it on or off and an indicator light. Bee's Eclipse page says the microphones turn off after silence, with a setting from 5 minutes to 24 hours.
The Verge reports Bee is trained on the owner's voice and does not identify other speakers unless they allow it. Engadget notes the Eclipse resembles a portable battery charger, so someone nearby could mistake its light for a charging light.
Recording calls: consent
Amazon's Eclipse listing says the Eclipse records both sides of phone calls. Its notice says recording laws vary by state, some states require all-party consent, and the user is responsible for obtaining it.
Why it matters
Our assessment: we have not used either device. The hardware is cheap and the recurring cost is the $11.99 subscription, where the Amazon shopping link lives. A buyer who connects Amazon.com chooses to let conversations shape what Amazon shows them. The Eclipse adds the call-recording question, which Amazon's own notice puts on the buyer.
What is not known
Amazon's release says the Eclipse is "available soon," and Engadget says nothing more specific was shared on Oct. 15. Neither that release nor the two US listings checked on Oct. 15 (Frontier, Eclipse) specified availability outside the US. None of these sources describes how the indicator light and consent prompts work in daily use.
