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Avi Schiffmann's Friend Ships a $249 Talking AI Pendant With $10/Month Subscription

By Alexis Dufresne Published July 30, 2026 at 16:56 UTC

ai assistants voice ai generative ai ai-business

Summary

Friend announced a second-generation AI pendant with a built-in speaker for spoken replies, priced at $249 (up from the original necklace's $129) with an optional $10/month subscription. The rev unwinds Friend's original 'listens but doesn't answer' pitch and moves the device toward always-on voice-assistant territory that Humane's AI Pin and Rabbit R1 already tried and failed to sell.

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Hypervisible @hypervisible.blacksky.app: Today in luxury surveillance. →
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@brbarrett.bsky.social

Thrilled to report that most inexplicable and annoying AI gadget so far has now become even more inexplicable and annoying. from @boone.bsky.social
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Originally reported by wired.com

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Original headline: Avi Schiffmann's Friend Ships a $249 Talking AI Pendant With $10/Month Subscription