from unbox to chat · local vs boost
How it works
Three minutes of setup. Everyday chatter on the box. Cloud only when you escalate — with a meter you can actually understand.
1. Unbox and power
Flip mute to armed. Hold the rear button two seconds. Coral ring breathes once. The NPU loads Chatter-Local 1.8B from flash — no account required for local mode.
2. Pair once
Companion app → scan base QR / Bluetooth. Name the box. Defaults:
- Wake word on-device
- Continuous listen off
- Cloud policy Local only (Founding units default to “Boost when needed” after you accept terms)
- History retention 7 days local
Hardware mute always wins.
3. Everyday mode = local
You talk. ChatterCore runs speech + Chatter-Local. Short answers, personality packs, “park that,” quiet hour — all free, unlimited, and offline-capable.
Typical loop:
“Box, catch me up on what I parked yesterday.”
“Three bullets.”
“Remind me at 2 if I’m free.”
No boost turn used.
4. When you need a bigger brain
Escalate deliberately:
- Voice: “Boost this.” / “Think hard.”
- App: set policy to Ask each time or Boost when needed
- Or leave Local only forever
Escalated turns hit ChatterCloud (US or EU region). That’s what the Boost meter counts — see Pricing for Lite (300) / Pro (1,500) / Unlimited ($8 / $18 / $29).
Routing diagram (simple)
- Hear → on-device wake
- Understand + reply → Chatter-Local on NPU
- If escalated → encrypted session to ChatterCloud → reply spoken back
- If offline → step 3 skips; box stays local
5. Travel / airplane
Local packs still work. Boost queues a polite “cloud unavailable” if you escalate offline. History syncs when you’re back, per your retention settings.
6. What we measure (so you’re not guessing)
In the app Usage tab:
- Local turns today (unlimited)
- Boost turns used / remaining
- Last 10 escalations (why they boosted)
- One-tap “force local for 1 hour”