SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jul 16, 2026--
Plaud, the company building the real-world AI interface for professionals, today announced its first major U.S. retail expansion through a strategic partnership with Best Buy. Plaud’s award-winning AI note-takers are now available in select Best Buy stores nationwide, giving more customers the opportunity to experience Plaud’s wearable AI products in person.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260716746745/en/
This expansion marks a new phase for Plaud as it expands beyond a primarily online shopping experience into physical retail, bringing its AI work companions to the largest and most trusted electronics retailer in the country. All current product lines are available in stores, on BestBuy.com, and on the Best Buy app.
“Plaud was designed for the real world, so it makes sense for people to discover and experience it in the real world,” said Nathan Xu, CEO and Co-Founder of Plaud. “By teaming up with Best Buy, we’re making wearable AI more accessible across the U.S. and giving people a hands-on way to see how Plaud can help them stay present while capturing the details that matter.”
Plaud’s in-store presence features an immersive four-foot display designed to introduce Best Buy shoppers to the future of AI-powered productivity. The display gives customers a hands-on way to explore Plaud’s devices, understand key features, and see how the products help people organize conversations, meetings, ideas, and follow-ups without interrupting the moment.
Plaud’s expansion at Best Buy comes on the heels of significant company momentum. The company recently hit $100 million in software annual recurring revenue, expanded its AI productivity suite with the launch of its MCP connector and Team suite, introduced Plaud NotePin S at CES 2026, and earned a Red Dot Design Award for Plaud Note Pro.
Unlike other AI note-takers, Plaud is designed for the conversations that happen across real life and work — from in-person meetings to calls, lectures, and everyday moments of insight. Plaud’s product line combines sleek, purpose-built hardware with AI software that transforms spoken information into structured context users can search, summarize, and act on.
The Best Buy rollout began in late June, with displays live in select stores nationwide later this summer. Plaud will continue updating the in-store experience throughout the year with refreshed product content and seasonal display updates.
With this partnership, Plaud expands from an e-commerce-led brand into a national retail presence, giving customers a way to hold, try, and experience how AI work companions can fit into their daily lives.
To find more information on store locations that carry Plaud, visit BestBuy store locator.
About Plaud
Plaud is building the real-world AI interface for professionals to amplify intelligence, elevate productivity and performance, loved by over 2 million users worldwide since 2023. With a mission to amplify human intelligence, Plaud captures, structures, and compounds the intelligence generated in conversations — so humans can think better, decide faster, and execute with clarity.
Plaud Inc. is a Delaware-incorporated, San Francisco-based company. With ISO 27001, ISO 27701, GDPR, SOC 2, HIPAA, and EN 18031 compliance, Plaud is committed to the highest standards of data security and privacy protection.
To learn more about Plaud, please visit plaud.ai and follow along on Instagram, X, Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube.
Plaud is now available at select Best Buy stores and online.
When wildfires burn, smoke can travel long distances and degrade air quality far away, posing risks to those breathing it.
Fires burning in one state can make the air worse several states away, and wildfires in Canada can send smoke into U.S. cities.
Here’s what to know about taking precautions against poor air quality due to wildfires.
The Environmental Protection Agency's Air Quality Index converts all pollutant levels into a single number. The lower the number, the better.
Anything below 50 is classified as “healthy.” Fifty to 100 is “moderate,” while 100 to 150 is unhealthy for “sensitive groups,” and anything above 150 is bad for everyone.
Sensitive groups include people with asthma, lung disease or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, said Dr. Sanjay Sethi, chief of the division of pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine at the University at Buffalo medical school.
“If you have heart or lung problems, then you’ve got to be definitely more careful,” Sethi said. “I would either avoid going outside or wear an N95 or at least a dust mask.”
Sometimes the air is bad enough to see or smell the smoke. Even if you don't see the pollution, it can be unhealthy to breathe.
The EPA maintains a website with up-to-date, regional air quality information. PurpleAir, a company that sells air quality sensors and publishes real-time air quality data, has a citizen scientist air quality monitoring network with a more granular map of street-by-street air quality readings.
The best way to get indoor air quality readings is to buy a monitor, said Joseph Allen, director of Harvard University's Healthy Buildings Program.
“You can find these low-cost, indoor air quality monitors just about everywhere online now. They don’t cost all that much anymore,” he said.
For most people, going outside for just a short time won't have a negative long-term impact, said Sethi.
Wearing an N95 mask, which became common during the coronavirus pandemic, will help filter out the pollution.
“N95 is going to get rid of 90-95% of the particles,” said Jennifer Stowell, a research scientist at Boston University’s Center for Climate and Health. “If you have access to a mask that has a respirator-type attachment to it, then that’s the very best.”
If you must be outside and you experience symptoms, experts say you should head indoors or elsewhere with better air quality. Even if you are healthy, it’s good to take precautions.
“If you start wheezing, which is like this whistling sound of the chest, or if you’re feeling short of breath, that’s definitely more concerning,” Sethi said.
Close the windows and turn on the air conditioner, if you have one, setting it to circulate the indoor air. Use blankets to cover cracks that allow outside air into your home, such as under doors.
Finally, swapping the air conditioner's filter for a MERV 13 filter can help, but ensure it's installed correctly.
“If you happen to have access to an air purifier, even if it’s just a room air purifier, try to keep it running and in the room that you’re doing most of your activities in,” said Stowell.
Wells is a former reporter for The Associated Press.
The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.
Boats maneuver the East River near the Brooklyn Bridge as smoke from wildfires blankets the sky Thursday, July 16, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Alyssa Goodman)
A plumes of smoke from the Camp Fire hang in the air over Moose Lake as multiple wildfires burn in Minnesota's Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, Tuesday, July 14, 2026. (Anthony Souffle/Minnesota Star Tribune via AP)
Willy Vosburgh, owner of Vosburgh's Custom Cabin Rentals on Moose Lake, uses a tow boat to evacuate canoeists from the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness after multiple wildfires burning there prompted its closure and evacuation Tuesday, July 14, 2026 in Ely, Minn. (Anthony Souffle/Minnesota Star Tribune via AP)
A woman wearing a mask crosses the street in Toronto as wildfire smoke fills the city, on Wednesday, July 15, 2026. (Laura Proctor/The Canadian Press via AP)
