The Rabbit R1 is not meant to switch your smartphone. Slightly, it is an AI-powered digital assistant that desires to do sure issues higher than your telephone.
That is the promise behind the tiny, orange handheld gadget, which I simply obtained my arms on following its splashy launch at CES in January. The primary batch of gadgets simply arrived, and now it is time to see if it lives as much as the hype.
However first, here is a take a look at what comes within the field. After I’ve had time to set it up and tinker with this $199 AI machine, I will have extra ideas to share.
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The Rabbit R1 is available in a cardboard field that is designed to appear like a rabbit’s face when opened (the ears are on the highest, whereas the eyes and nostril are on the again). There are solely two issues of be aware inside: the R1 itself and the protecting case that comes with it.
Here is what the Rabbit R1 appears to be like like in its case.
The case is supposed to appear like a cassette tape holder, and it bends backwards to function a kickstand. It is a part of the Rabbit R1’s retro-inspired design. For example, the hallway main into the Rabbit R1’s launch social gathering was lined with classic devices and toys — such because the Tiger Electronics Pokedex toy and a clear Sport Boy Shade.
The R1’s case resembles a cassette tape case.
What I did not see in my Rabbit R1 field, nevertheless, was a charging cable. The Rabbit R1 is powered by a lithium-ion battery like most electronics, so you should utilize any USB-C cable and energy adapter to gasoline it up. Nonetheless, most gadgets — even smartphones, which are available a lot slimmer packaging than they did in years previous — embody a cable within the field, even when there is not an influence adapter anymore.
The Rabbit R1 is about half the scale of a smartphone.
The Rabbit R1 is a part of a brand new wave of AI devices that began to emerge this yr following the success of chatbots like ChatGPT. In contrast to the software program that powers your smartphone, the R1 runs on an working system fueled by what the corporate calls a “massive motion mannequin,” a nod to the massive language fashions of text-based AIs. Meaning the software program is educated to discover ways to use apps and companies the best way people can, so that you should not must manually function apps to get issues executed, in keeping with the corporate’s claims.
The Rabbit R1’s launch comes after the discharge of one other buzzy AI-powered machine, the $699 Humane AI Pin, which additionally goals to lower our reliance on telephones. The high-tech wearable was usually poorly obtained, nevertheless. Reviewers had been skeptical of those unfamiliar AI gadgets, which search to complement — or in some methods exchange — your telephone.
I will be documenting my expertise with the Rabbit R1 over the approaching days, so I will have extra to say about it as soon as I’ve spent extra time with it.
The Rabbit R1 AI Assistant Appears Downright Retro in Orange
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