Amazon Bee Frontier and Bee Eclipse: new AI wearables, from $74.99

What is Amazon Bee?

Bee is a personal AI that takes note of what you say and turns it into conversation summaries, to-dos, reminders and insights, according to Amazon's announcement. It works through a small device and the Bee mobile app, and a new desktop app for Bee Pro users.

Amazon says the first Bee device was Bee Pioneer.

What are Bee Frontier and Bee Eclipse?

Bee Frontier is a wristband with a soft silicone strap that can also clip onto clothes. It has IP67 water resistance, up to seven days of battery life, USB-C charging and two microphones. It comes in Lavender, Sage and Onyx.

Bee Eclipse is a slim device about the size of a credit card that attaches magnetically to the back of a phone. Amazon says it has more than 21 days of battery life, and it comes in Silver, Midnight, Honey and Blush.

How much do Bee Frontier and Bee Eclipse cost?

Bee Frontier costs $74.99 and is available now on Amazon.com. Bee Eclipse will be available soon, starting at $99.99.

Every Bee gets conversation summaries, recaps and 14-day memory at no extra cost. Bee Pro costs $11.99 a month and adds unlimited recent summaries, links to Amazon.com, Alexa+ and other apps, suggested to-dos, daily memories, a chat assistant, templates and the desktop app. New customers get 30 days of Bee Pro free.

How does Bee handle privacy?

Amazon says both devices use Bee Private Compute, which processes conversations in an isolated environment that no one, including Amazon, can access. Audio is processed live and deleted, never stored. Transcripts are encrypted with keys that only your device controls, and you can delete them at any time.

One press turns the devices on or off, and a light shows when they are on. Amazon says Bee Eclipse prompts you to get permission from call participants each time a recording starts. Recording rules differ by place, so check the law where you live.

What do the Alexa+ and Amazon.com links do?

With Bee Pro, you can ask Alexa+ for a meeting summary or your to-dos hands-free. Connecting Bee to Amazon.com lets items you mention appear as product recommendations on the Amazon homepage and in the Bee apps.

Why does it matter?

Amazon is putting an AI memory aid on sale for $74.99, and linking it to its shopping and Alexa+. That means conversations can feed shopping suggestions if you turn the link on.

What's next?

Bee Eclipse is coming soon, and Amazon has not given a date.