Jesse Lyu, founder and CEO of Rabbit Inc., compares his company’s first product — the $199 Rabbit R1 — to a Pokedex. After one day with the device, I’m beginning to understand why.
Just as the fictional Pokedex can identify Pokemon (creatures from the popular cartoon, video game and card game franchise of the same name), the Rabbit R1 can identify items in its environment. Point it at a plant, and it can tell you what kind it is. Aim it at your lunch, and it can tell you what’s in it.Â
Like the Pokedex, it also feels a bit like a novelty so far. The Rabbit R1, despite its tiny size and simple design, claims to do a lot of things. It can call an Uber, order dinner from Doordash, translate conversations, record voice memos, play songs from Spotify and more. Your phone can already do all of those things, but Lyu is promoting the Rabbit R1 as a faster and more natural way to do so.Â
Rabbit is far from being the only company trying to change the way we interact with devices. There’s the Humane AI Pin, another mini-gadget that uses artificial intelligence and a camera to answer questions and help you get things done. That device was criticized by reviewers for its high price, limited functionality and tendency to overheat. The Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses also have multimodal AI, meaning the eyewear can “see” what you see and tell you about it.Â
So far, the Rabbit R1 feels fun, fresh and interesting, but also frustrating at times. It intrigues me, but it also hasn’t convinced me yet that there’s room for another gadget in my life.
Here’s how I used the Rabbit R1 on my first day using it. I’ll have more to say in my full review after I’ve spent more time with it.Â
Read more: AI Is Changing Our Phones, and It’s Just Getting Started
Watch this: First Look at Rabbit R1 Mobile AI Device
First, what is the Rabbit R1?
The Rabbit R1 is a handheld device about half the size of a phone….
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