Pebble founder Eric Migicovsky just unveiled his latest gadget obsession - a $75 smart ring called the Index 01 that does exactly one thing: records voice memos when you press its button. The ultra-minimalist wearable represents a sharp departure from feature-packed competitors, betting that simplicity trumps complexity in the emerging smart ring market.
Pebble founder Eric Migicovsky has been spotted wearing prototypes for over a year, and now the Index 01 is ready for primetime. The $75 ring deliberately strips away everything you'd expect from a smart ring - no heart rate monitoring, no sleep tracking, no fancy sensors. Just a microphone, a button, and Migicovsky's conviction that sometimes less really is more.
The device works exactly how you'd imagine: press and hold the button with your thumb, speak your thoughts, release. Your audio gets transmitted via Bluetooth to the Pebble app where it's transcribed and organized. But here's where things get interesting - the ring packs five minutes of local storage and on-device transcription, so it keeps working even when your phone's out of range.
"You could take the internet connection out and the whole thing still works," Migicovsky told The Verge. That reliability obsession runs deep - the Index doesn't even need charging. Its battery should last two years with typical use, though apparently recording 15 straight hours will kill it (don't try that at home).
Migicovsky calls it "external memory for your brain," and he's clearly drinking his own Kool-Aid. He uses his Index up to 20 times daily for the holy trinity of productivity: taking notes, setting reminders, and creating alarms. His setup automatically pipes notes to Notion, sets Android alarms directly, and pairs with his Pebble smartwatch for a phone-free workflow.
The timing couldn't be more interesting. Smart rings are having a moment, with players like Oura and Samsung pushing health-focused devices packed with sensors. Meanwhile, AI-powered competitors like the Wizpr and Stream Ring are betting on voice-first interactions for AI assistants.
Migicovsky sees the AI potential but isn't rushing there. He's considering features like double-clicking to send recordings to and integrating the Model Context Protocol for broader AI connectivity. But he's adamant this isn't trying to be - that controversial AI companion that sparked debate about always-listening devices.
