Does anyone here use the desktop app from Fello AI and have a view on it? I was looking for a Mac client for Gemini (which does not exist currently) and was recommended to use Fello.
Any feedback appreciated.
I don’t know that one, but if you’re considering other options, too, a few I’ve liked are Bolt AI (which is on Setapp) and OpenCat, which can be used with their plan or your own API keys, which is how I use each. I’m not too familiar with the built-in plans, such as if you can set each to only use Gemini. I’ve gravitated toward OpenCat because it syncs between Mac/iPad/iPhone, and I like the interface.
For Mac only, though, my favorite right now, is Alter (alterhq.com). It has a bit of a learning curve, but I’ve enjoyed this more than any app in a long time. It lives in your notch/menu bar, and you call it with a keystroke. You can use it as a normal chat window, or add files, emails, etc. to its “context” with a keystroke, and talk to it about them. I subscribe, but if you bring your own API key, I think it is either really cheap or free (there’s a $29 per year plan but I don’t know the details of that vs the free plan offhand).
(I don’t know how tech-savvy you are, but don’t be scared off by the idea of providing your own API key if your use-case allows it. Getting a key typically involves going to a page, signing in and putting in payment details, and clicking a button. It then generates a key which you can use anywhere. It will be much cheaper, too. I put $10 on my OpenAI account a couple months ago, use it anywhere from a couple to several chats a day, and my balance is still $6.62.)
2 Likes
I’m equally fascinated and wary of these AI-do-things-for-me approaches. What kind of workflows are you using Alter for?
Using Enconvo for quite a bit of time now, it’s definitely a learning curve, but worth it imo. The developer is active and keeps on delivering great updates and fixes things rather quickly (discord community is available).
I’ve just started dipping my toe into it, so much of my approach is aspirational. I use it as a general chat bot, but also at times I’ll have a non-confidential document open in front of me, and I’ll just start asking Alter questions about it. If you hold the push to talk button, you can just talk, and when you let it go, it opens and answers your questions. You can also bind keyboard shortcuts to predefined actions. I have one that will summarize a web page, for example (I just tried it on this conversation, and it did pretty well).
There are some other features I need to give some thought to. For example, I could have it (with proper consent of the other party) summarize phone calls and meetings. I have used it a couple of times to summarize YouTube videos I watched, and for which I wanted some notes. I typically watch on the treadmill, so if I’m not dictating into my phone, I’m not taking notes otherwise.
There are also several native actions, typically tied to the default Mac apps, and they have a host of third-party integrations, although I don’t know how well they work. My use case so far has been to ask it to give me a list of my coming reminders or to tell me what is on my calendar for the day.
I did consider EnConvo and one or two others, and probably should have tried out more, but after paying for a year of Alter, I’m probably firmly in that camp for the foreseeable future.
1 Like