While the Human AI pin is a major failure, 2024 is poised for another AI gadget. Can the Rabbit R1 live up to expectations?
The Rabbit R1 was one of the big surprises at CES 2024. The AI gadget costs $199 and, according to its creator, is supposed to be the simplest computer ever, a companion you can consult anywhere.
Like the Humane AI Pin, the Rabbit R1 should make your smartphone obsolete. But will it succeed? We take a tour of the reviewers who have already had the opportunity to test the device.
This is the Rabbit R1 with AI
The Rabbit R1 is a small 7.8-inch by 7.8-inch square device with a retro look. On it is a 2.88-inch touchscreen, a push-to-talk button, an analog scrolling wheel and a camera that can rotate 360 degrees. Inside is a MediaTek MT6765 octa-core chip that reaches 2.3 GHz, 4 GB of memory and 128 GB of storage.
The makers’ intention is that you no longer need a dedicated app for everything. Instead, the AI should be able to perform all your tasks simply. It does this through rabbitOS, a special operating system.
The Rabbit R1. (Image: Rabbit)
That sounds appealing, because to keep swiping through tig apps on our smartphone we sometimes can’t see the forest for the trees. Rabbit wants to prevent that by means of a new language model based on AI. The inventors call it a “real-world Pokedex.
So the theory behind the Rabbit R1 sounds good, but whether it actually works in practice, you will only know by testing the product. Several foreign media outlets have already taken the device for a spin and reactions are mixed.
This is what the tech media think of the Rabbit R1
CNET, for example, gives the device a six. Although the Rabbit R1 understands what you’re saying well, it has some trouble with execution. Many services do not yet work or do not work well on the gadget. For example, apps from Uber and Doordash on your smartphone are much more comprehensive.
In addition, the device also had trouble recognizing monuments and the Internet connection was not stable, according to CNET. Battery life was also limited, but the company is working on an update. The Rabbit R1 cannot yet meet its ambition, according to the medium.
An Android app instead of AI gadget
Android Authority makes it just a little bit worse. The medium says the device should really just be an Android app. It suspects it runs on Android rather than its own operating system rabbitOS. As such, it cannot do anything that an Android phone cannot do.
The editors could even easily get the operating system working on an old Google Pixel smartphone. It therefore wonders why you would lay down $199 for a device that is nothing more than an ordinary app.
Also according to The Verge, it’s better to stick with your smartphone. In a test it conducted, Google Assistant was found to be more distinguishable than Rabbit’s AI. There doesn’t seem to be any real added value to the device other than having a cool retro look.
More bad than good
Marques Brownlee is also unapologetic about the gadget. According to him, it does more bad than good. It has an awkward design (there is no back button, for example) and in addition, it cannot perform basic tasks.
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Despite the camera, you cannot take pictures and it is impossible for the device to even set a timer or alarm clock. In addition, the device has a touchscreen, but you can’t use that touchscreen for many things.
Buy it or leave it?
You can simply order the Rabbit R1 in the Netherlands, after which it will be delivered sometime in June. Still, the question is whether you really should, because according to the media it has no added value compared to your smartphone.
This makes it the second AI gadget in a short time that does not live up to expectations. The Human AI pin, which is even more expensive, also could not prove its added value compared to a smartphone. So AI gadget makers still have a lot of work to do if they can compete with the AI features on the “good old” smartphone.
