SpeakOn’s dictation device is a good idea marred by platform limitations

I constantly use dictation apps such as Wispr Flow, Willow, or Typeless to reply to messages and emails on both my Mac and my phone. But to do so, I have to use my phone’s mic or AirPods to dictate my messages, and they often don’t pick up what I am saying. That’s why when Notta-owned SpeakOn pitched me to test a dedicated device for dictation, I was intrigued by its potential. Unfortunately, I had mixed experiences with the product because of its form factor and platform limitations. Still, I think there is space for dictation devices like this in the future. SpeakOn is a small pebble-like device that can stick on the back of your iPhone via MagSafe, just like Plaud’s AI meeting notetaker. The device is very light at 25 grams, so you won’t feel its weight, even if you put it in your pocket separately. Image Credits: Ivan Mehta Image Credits: Ivan Mehta The device comes with a companion app on iOS, which is in the form of a keyboard, like other dictation apps. You can also use the app without connecting the device, if needed. To get started, you press the button on the device to start dictating and release the button when you are done. The device has one mic and claims to capture audio within 2 feet of distance. The dictation works in any app as long as the software keyboard is active. The speech is automatically filtered as the app removes filler words and can format the text output as a list if needed. …