Technology and Science30 July, 20262 min read
Avi Schiffmann Launches Friend 2.0 Wearable AI Necklace With Built-In Speaker for $249
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Friend 2.0 adds a built-in speaker for voice interaction. Price rises to $249, up from the original $99 price.
Friend 2.0 gets voice
Friend 2.0, a wearable AI necklace created by Avi Schiffmann, adds a built-in speaker so the device can talk to users instead of only sending text messages. TechCrunch says Schiffmann launched Friend two years ago as an AI wearable you could talk to, with the new overhaul introducing a noticeable upgrade: a voice.
In the new commercial, the necklace tells a woman talking about her ex-girlfriend, "It’s not bad to be gay." TechCrunch also reports that the new retail price for the enhanced version of Friend is $249, substantially higher than the $99 price tag when it initially launched two years ago.
Schiffmann defines the bond
Schiffmann described what he wants the relationship to be in a post on X, saying, "some kind of confidant, friend, God, not really sure what it is." In the same explanation, he drew a boundary around the device’s role, adding, "But it is not an assistant, and it is not a lover."
The TechCrunch account ties the voice upgrade to that framing by noting that what users can do beyond chitchat about their day is still unclear. WeRSM similarly says Friend 2.0 adds a built-in speaker so the necklace can now talk to users instead of only texting them, while keeping the product framed around loneliness.
Market test for AI wearables
TechCrunch links Friend’s return with a broader pattern in AI wearables, saying most AI wearables have failed to catch on with the mainstream so far. It points to Humane Inc., which sought to replace the iPhone with its AI pin, and says Humane had to shut down its business in less than a year after poor sales.
BigGo Finance adds that Friend 2.0 is priced at $249 and that an optional $10 monthly subscription is available for users who want the AI to retain memories of their conversations for longer than 30 days. BigGo Finance also says the company sold through its initial production run of 5,000 pendants and is now targeting sales of 50,000 units for the