Pocket AI: One Month with a Physical AI Assistant That Actually Fits in My Pocket

I've been using Pocket AI for about a month now, and it's replaced something I didn't think could be replaced: my trusty pen and paper.

For context, I'm someone who loves AI assistants (hi Claude 👋), works in product management and UX design, and is constantly juggling ideas for projects—whether that's worldbuilding for the Catermelon story I'm developing with my niece, taking notes for Book Bros Book Club, or capturing thoughts while reading. I saw an ad for Pocket and thought: this could actually be useful.

At $79 for the device and $20/month for the subscription, it was affordable enough to try without breaking the bank. A month in, here's what I've learned.

What Is Pocket AI, Exactly?

Pocket is a small physical device—about the size of a stack of credit cards—that magnetically attaches to the back of your phone (magsafe). It has one button. That's it. Press it to start recording your voice, press it again to stop. The device captures everything you say (or everything said in a conversation or phone call), transcribes it using AI, summarizes it, and even extracts action items and calendar events.

It's designed to be a physical AI assistant that lives in your pocket and replaces note-taking, whether you're brainstorming alone, having a conversation with someone, or on a phone call.

The device works with an Android app (iOS support exists too), and there's also a web platform I haven't explored yet. Interestingly, they offer an API, which I'm planning to research and possibly integrate into this here personal website where I post these blogs and reviews. It seems like it can help a lot as I write.

Why I Wanted It

I've always been a pen-and-paper person. I carry a notebook everywhere—meeting notes, book thoughts, random ideas that pop into my head while walking the dog. I've upgraded from thousands of stickies to composition notebooks to moleskins, but paper has limitations:

• It's not searchable

• I can't access it unless I physically have the notebook with me

• Handwriting is slower than speaking ( but very cathartic)

• I lose notebooks (don't judge me)

Pocket promised to solve all of that while keeping the physicality I like about carrying something tangible. I can still do something to capture a thought—press a button—but now that thought gets transcribed, summarized, and made searchable.

Plus, I wanted it for specific use cases:

• Worldbuilding and creative projects: Brainstorming ideas for Catermelon (Catermelons.com is coming soon!).

• Book Bros notes: Recording thoughts while reading, which I could later turn into book reports or discussion points.

• Phone call transcriptions: Capturing important calls with summaries and action items like "Remember to mail your parents a postcard from the Jersey Shore!"

• General ideation: Those random shower thoughts or ideas that hit while I'm doing something else.

What I Actually Use It For

A month in, I've been using Pocket for all of the above, but here's how it's actually played out:

1. Brainstorming Creative Projects

This has been fantastic. I'll be walking the dog or driving, and I'll think of a plot point or character detail for Catermelon. I pull out my phone, hit the Pocket button, and ramble for 30 seconds. Later, I open the app and there's a clean summary of what I said, with any action items automatically flagged.

It's like having a co-writer who never interrupts and always remembers what you said.

2. Book Notes

I've been recording quick thoughts while reading—reactions to a chapter, themes I notice, quotes I want to remember. Later, when I go to write a book report or discuss it with the Book Bros, I have a searchable archive of my thoughts instead of trying to remember what I thought three weeks ago.

3. Phone Calls

The phone call transcription feature is really cool. Flip the switch from conversations to calls and Pocket starts recording (with permission, obviously). Afterward, it creates a summary, pulls out to-dos, and can even suggest calendar events based on what was discussed.

Example: I had a call about scheduling an upcoming trip to Mallorca, Pocket transcribed the whole thing, summarized the key points, and flagged "Book flights by April 15" as an action item. That's genuinely useful.

4. General Ideation

This is where I've been using it the most. Random ideas—blog post topics, features for Book Bros, things I want to research—get captured instantly. Instead of fumbling for my notebook or typing into my phone's Notes app, I just talk.

What Works Really Well

The Hardware

The device itself is great. It's small, attaches magnetically to my phone, even with the (magsafe) case on (Pixel user here), and the single-button interface is perfect. There's no learning curve. Press to start, press to stop. That's it.

The build quality feels solid, and it's lightweight enough that I forget it's there most of the time.

Phone Call Transcription

The seamless flip to phone call mode is easy to use. You don't have to do anything—it just detects that you're on a call and starts recording. Afterward, you get a clean transcript with speaker labels, a summary, and extracted to-dos.

I would use it for work calls if the tech were approved by security-more on that later-, family planning calls, and even just calls with friends where we're brainstorming ideas. Having a searchable record of those conversations is incredibly helpful.

Summarization Quality

The AI summaries are solid. Not Claude-level nuanced, but more like ChatGPT 3.5—good enough to get the gist without losing important details. For most use cases (notes, calls, brainstorming), that's perfectly fine.

Ease of Use

This might be the device's biggest strength. There's no complexity. You press a button and talk. That's the entire user experience. My dad who's in his 70s and self professed as not tech savvy (though he impresses me with his ability to figure things out, so I think he needs to give himself more credit) could use this, and I'm genuinely considering getting him one if he seems interested after I show it to him.

What Doesn't Work (Yet)

Speaker Identification

This is the biggest quirk. I've recorded my voice multiple times to "train" the system to recognize me by name, but it still labels me as "Speaker 1" in transcripts instead of "Andy." When I'm talking to someone else, they're "Speaker 2."

It's not a deal breaker, but it feels like a basic feature that should work by now. I know they're actively developing the product, so I'm hopeful this gets fixed soon, and their history of patches and improvements gives credence to this.

Remembering to Stop Recording

This is 100% a user discipline issue, not a product flaw, but it's worth mentioning: you have to remember to press the button again to stop recording. If you forget, you could end up with a 20-minute transcript that includes you chatting with your wife about god knows what.

Ask me how I know.

(It's actually kind of funny to read later, but it does mean you need to stay aware and develop the habit of hitting stop.)

In fairness, it has omitted unintended parts of conversations as well and kept the notes within context, especially if it's just a couple minutes of forgetting to hit stop, so that's pretty neat too.

The Subscription Price

At $20/month, the subscription feels a little steep for a product that's still being actively developed and has quirks like the speaker identification issue. I don't mind paying it because I wanted to support the founders and the development process—this is clearly an early-stage product with a lot of potential—but I could see that price being a barrier for some people.

For context, the device itself is $79 (which is very reasonable), and you don't need the subscription to use it. If you go with the free version, you just have to export the conversations before you lose access to them (though they can be maintained and re-accessible if you do subscribe). Not a biggie. I believe there are some other limitations, but honestly, I went straight to the subscription once I started using it so I'm not one to advise on the use without one.

I hope they either keep the price where it is or—even better—introduce a loyalty discount where the longer you subscribe, the cheaper it gets. That would reward early adopters and make the value proposition stronger over time.

Not Work-Approved (For Me)

This is specific to my situation, but it's worth mentioning: I work in healthcare tech at CVS, and the security protocols are strict. Pocket isn't an approved device, so I can't use it for work-related calls or meetings. That's a bummer because I think it would be incredibly useful for PMs and UX designers who spend their days in meetings, calls, and ideation sessions. Thankfully, we have approved tools that are similar in nature, at our disposal, and approved by security, so in a way it's a non-issue. As Monica once said "Rules help to control the fun".

If you work in a less-regulated industry, this might not be an issue. But if you're in healthcare, finance, or another field with tight data security requirements, check your policies before relying on this for work.

How It Compares to Other AI Tools

I've used ChatGPT since it launched (I'm in the top 1% of early adopters), Claude (obviously love Claude), and various other AIs like Perplexity and even Meta (I'll review my time with the Meta Raybans soon). Pocket is different because it's physical. It's not an app on my phone or a tab in my browser—it's a tangible device I carry with me, with an app companion.

That physicality matters. When I want to capture a thought, I pull out my phone and press a button. There's a ritual to it that feels similar to pulling out a notebook and pen, but with all the advantages of digital transcription and AI summarization.

In terms of AI performance, Pocket is solid but not groundbreaking. The transcription is accurate (even in noisy environments like a bar with a loud jukebox, based on reviews I've seen), and the summaries are good enough for most use cases. It's not going to write a graduate-level analysis of your conversation, but it'll give you a clean, readable summary with key points and action items extracted.

For what it's designed to do—capture and organize your thoughts—it works well.

Who Should Get One?

I'd recommend Pocket to:

1. Early Adopters of Tech

If you like being on the cutting edge and don't mind a few quirks while a product is being actively developed, Pocket is fun and useful.

2. People with Active Creative Projects

Writers, podcasters, bloggers, researchers—anyone who needs to capture ideas quickly and organize them later will love this. It's like having a co-pilot for your brain.

3. PMs, UX Designers, and Meeting-Heavy Professionals

If you spend your days in calls, meetings, and brainstorming sessions, Pocket can save you hours of manual note-taking. Just be sure it's approved by your company's security policies first.

4. People Who Want to Stay Present in Conversations

One of the unexpected benefits: when I'm in a conversation or on a call, I don't have to frantically take notes. I just hit record and stay engaged. Pocket handles the rest.

5. Adults Who Want AI Assistance

I genuinely think this would be great for my dad. With a little guidance to get him set up and familiar with it, I think he'd find it intuitive and useful. The single-button interface is as simple as it gets.

Who Shouldn't Get One (Yet)?

• If you need perfect speaker identification: Wait for updates.
• If $20/month feels too steep for an early-stage product: Wait for the price to stabilize or for more features to roll out.
• If you work in a highly regulated industry: Check with your IT/security team first—you might not be able to use it for work.

What I'm Excited About

Pocket is still early in its lifecycle, and that's honestly part of the appeal. The founders are actively developing it, patching bugs, and rolling out new features. I like being part of that process.

I'm also excited about the API. If I can integrate Pocket with my personal website or other tools I use, that opens up a lot of possibilities. Imagine automatically pulling in my book notes to populate drafts for blog posts, or syncing brainstorming sessions directly into a project management tool. That kind of integration could make this device even more powerful.

The Verdict

After a month with Pocket AI, I'm keeping it. It's replaced my pen and paper for most use cases, and I'm genuinely more organized and productive because of it. The hardware is solid, the transcription is accurate, and the summaries are useful.

Yes, there are quirks—speaker identification needs work, the subscription price is a bit high for an early-stage product, and you need to remember to hit stop. But none of those are dealbreakers for me.

If you're someone who:

• Likes capturing ideas quickly
• Wants to stay present in conversations without frantic note-taking
• Appreciates physical devices over purely digital tools
• Doesn't mind being an early adopter

...then Pocket is worth checking out.

Just maybe don't accidentally record yourself arguing with your spouse about whose turn it is to walk the dog (always me of course).

---

Get Pocket AI: heypocket.com

Disclaimer: I purchased Pocket with my own money and am not affiliated with the company in any way shape or form. Just a guy who likes cool tech.