AI wearables are becoming more common, with voice-based gadgets like the Friend, Bee, Pocket, and many more coming out. Now, a new smart ring is coming out from a new company called Sandbar, which is a startup founded by a former Meta and CTRL-Labs employee. Their first product will be the Stream Ring, which is described as being a “mouse for voice.” It is meant for capturing ideas, taking notes, and controlling AI assistants.

The Stream Ring is designed for the index finger with some internal features like built-in microphones and a touchpad for activation. The mic is said to stay off by default and turns on only when it is pressed. It can pick up whispers and transcribe notes into the companion app on iOS. The app has an AI chatbot that helps you expand or organize your notes, and an Inner Voice that is an AI voice that sounds like your own. It also lets users zoom out to review past discussions or notes that they had.

The ring’s design is: an aluminum body with a black resin band that makes it look sleek and minimalist. It is water-resistant for daily wear and has haptic feedback that confirms actions like saving notes or completing tasks. The device has touch controls because you can control music by tapping once to play/pause, double-tapping to skip, and swiping to adjust volume. Isn’t it different how much we don’t use buttons anymore, and have more haptic feedback and touch controls?

The ring charges on a small disc dock and is said to have all-day battery life. Many companies say all-day, but what is all-day actually? It also works with headphones via Bluetooth. The Sandbar emphasizes privacy with encrypted data and a mic that is not always listening. This should be a pretty secure device if it does what it says.

It will be hard for Sandbar to compete in a voice-heavy hardware market that is crowded with gadgets like the Rabbit and Friend, which still have to grow more. There is also the OpenAI AI pendant or something like that coming, so we will have to see if the Sandbar is better or if we will have to evolve like the others. Snadbar’s goal is to focus on usability and quiet thought capture, not companionship like other gadgets, like the Friend. The company wants the Stream to feel more like an extension of thinking, not to be another gadget. The challenge is convincing people to wear a ring daily for AI note-taking.

The Sandbar Stream is available for Preorder right now with a price of $249 for the silver version and $299 for the gold version. It is expected to ship in Summer 2026 in the U.S., and their app will be available in two versions: a Free version with unlimited notes and chats, and a Pro Plan that will cost $10 every month after a 3-month trial that will allow for unlimited interactions and access to early features. They have funding of $13 million from True Ventures, Upfront Ventures, and Betaworks. Their data policy is that users have full control of data encrypted in transit and at rest. There is also an option to export data to Notion or other tools, which avoids the wall-to-wall approach that many companies take.

Would you trust an AI ring that listens when you press it? Do you think that voice-driven wearables will be the next big tech trend? Would you wear something like the Stream Ring to take notes or control music? What do you think of an AI that sounds like its user? Let us know in the comments!

Sources: TechCrunch and The Verge Images: Sandbar

Wisper Into This Ring to Organize Your Thoughts and Ideas

Gemini’s Deep Research Can Now Read Your Gmail and Docs