AI note taker that won’t become useless if the vendor shuts down?
I’m looking at HeyPocket, PLAUD and similar AI note-taking devices.
I really like Pocket’s simplicity, but I’ve been burned before by companies changing strategy, killing products, or locking features behind new subscriptions. As long as support exists I am happy to use vendor app/native tools but want to have plan B and have something usable rather than expensive paper weight.
Are there any devices with similar functionality that would still work if the vendor disappeared?
Ideally I want:
- local recording
- direct access to raw audio via USB or standard file transfer
- no vendor app/cloud required just to retrieve recordings
ability to process files myself with Whisper/local AI if needed
I’m fine losing the vendor’s AI summaries/cloud features. I just don’t want the hardware to become a brick.
Anyone compared Pocket, PLAUD or others specifically for vendor lock-in / long-term usability?