Former Meta interface designers have founded Sandbar, a startup introducing Stream, a smart ring that records voice notes, interacts with AI, and controls music playback.
Sandbar’s CEO Mina Fahmi and CTO Kirak Hong bring experience from projects at Kernel, Magic Leap, Google, and CTRL-Labs, the latter acquired by Meta in 2019. Drawing on this background, they developed Stream to capture thoughts effortlessly without relying on phones or loud voice commands.
The ring, worn on the dominant hand’s index finger, features microphones and a touchpad. Users activate the microphone only by pressing the pad, enabling discreet voice recording, which the companion iOS app transcribes even from whispers. The app also includes an AI chatbot for organizing and editing notes and offers a personalized voice assistant that resembles the user’s voice.
Stream supports private interactions through headphones or provides haptic feedback when notes are recorded in public. Its flat surface doubles as a media controller for play, pause, skip, and volume adjustments, useful when hands are busy or on the move.
Preorders for Stream open Wednesday, priced at $249 (silver) and $299 (gold), with shipping expected next summer. A Pro subscription, free for three months with preorder and then $10 monthly, offers unlimited chats, notes, and early feature access.
Sandbar prioritizes data privacy with encryption and data export options to apps like Notion, avoiding walled gardens. The company has raised $13 million from True Ventures, Upfront Ventures, and Betaworks.
Toni Schneider of True Ventures praised Stream’s demo for effectively combining voice and AI in a convenient form factor, unlike previous devices.
The voice-AI hardware market is competitive, with various companies exploring rings and other wearables. Sandbar positions Stream not as a companion but as an interface focused on helping users express ideas with control. Success will depend on proving the ring’s convenience over alternative devices such as pendants or wristbands.