You won’t believe what the Pebble watch creator’s new product is
Pebble is coming back, and its latest release is a notetaking ring powered by AI – but in a blend-into-the-background, useful way.
Gadgets are back. I’m calling it. On what authority, I’m not quite sure; but consider this the official announcement. Not just tech for the sake of it, something exciting that you want to use. In case you missed it, Pebble – the makers of the first smartwatch – are back, bringing back the smartwatch equivalent of dumbphones. They’re scaled back on flagship features, but look cool and keep you more present in the real world.
And the brand’s latest release is a smart ring called Index 01. Only this isn’t a health tracker, it’s an AI-powered note-taker – like a more basic version of Plaud. It’s powered by AI but in a blend-into-the-background, useful way rather than anything dystopian.
The premise is simple: when you get a thought – “pick up oat milk,” “text Mum back,” you know the sort – instead of scrambling for your phone or hoping your memory is up to scratch, you tap a button on your finger and whisper it into your ring. The Index 01 is essentially an external hard drive for your notes or to-dos, disguised as a minimalist bit of jewellery.
It’s got one physical button, no screen, and you don’t need to pull it out of your pocket. Just press, speak, and the thing does its job. This ring doesn’t try to be your friend, therapist, or all-knowing omnipotent being like other AI devices – thank goodness. It’s not “always listening,” you’ve got to hold the button down to record.
The ring syncs the audio, transcribes it with a local model (so everything stays on your device), and files it where it needs to go in the Pebble app. It stores up to five minutes of audio on the ring itself, so even if your phone’s not nearby, you’re sorted. It knows if you’re adding a reminder, calendar entry, or just a general note. You’ll be able to view them in the Pebble app or export them to your calendar, to-do list, or Notion. It even syncs with your contacts, so it knows who you’re referencing.
One of the best features? It never needs charging. Pebble squeezed all this into something the size of a wedding band, and powered it with a hearing-aid battery that’ll last you at least a couple of years. You won’t have to deal with a cursed proprietary charging puck that vanishes the moment you need it.
You can even set custom button actions to do things like control your music or send preset messages. And because it’s Pebble, it’s hackable to bits. Want to run your own AI model or pipe raw audio into your own system? Go wild.
The Index 01 is available to pre-order now for $75. That goes up to $99 (roughly £78) when shipping starts in March 2026. It comes in three colours: matte black, polished gold, and polished silver. You can nab it in eight US ring sizes, so it’ll fit your finger.
Connor Jewiss
