Rabbit R1 unboxing: My first impressions of the $199 AI gadget

The Rabbit R1 first generated consideration at CES 2024 in January as a kitschy little AI assistant that is not meant to outright substitute your telephone however that can assist you use it extra effectively. As a substitute of apps, the R1 makes use of its “Giant Motion Mannequin” to coach “rabbits” the way you work together with internet experiences, after which replicates them.

The outcome, Rabbit says, permits you to get off your display screen, and let the R1 carry out duties for you together with your permission, all with out storing any delicate knowledge. Most notably, Rabbit claims to do all this with a $200 product with no subscription charges.

Simply yesterday, Rabbit hosted a stay demo and product launch social gathering for its first batch of publicly accessible gadgets, and I used to be fortunate sufficient to get my arms on one of many vibrant orange little devices myself. I am unable to wait to see what the R1 can really do, however for now, here is a primary take a look at what comes within the field, and a few first impressions of the bodily {hardware} of the machine itself.

The Rabbit R1 is available in a small cardboard field protected by a foam insert on the highest. The machine is firmly match into the field and guarded by a plastic shell. There’s nothing within the field besides this foam insert and the machine itself. Notably, there is no such thing as a charging cable or any form of paper directions.

The shortage of a cable is not an enormous difficulty, because the R1 expenses through USB-C, one thing you undoubtedly have mendacity round for different gadgets, however it’s one thing to notice.

The R1 is powered by a 1,000mAh lithium ion battery, and it stays to be seen how lengthy it lasts or how the battery life interacts with usability. That is undoubtedly one thing we’ll be maintaining a tally of as we take a look at the machine.

The R1 itself is firmly housed inside its plastic case, which is strong sufficient to make it greater than a little bit bit exhausting to get open. The highest hinges down and the machine could be faraway from the highest.

The left aspect of the machine has a USB-C port and a SIM slot for cellular knowledge. On the appropriate is the only real clickable button, the scroll wheel, which is used to navigate the UI, and the digicam, (or “rabbit eye”… get into the theme right here) which auto-rotates to the entrance or again, relying on the duty at hand.

The R1’s mic is positioned on the highest of the machine and solely prompts whenever you activate the push-to-talk button on the aspect. The two.88-inch show is a touchscreen and my first impression utilizing the keyboard (typing in a Wi-Fi password) was combined. The buttons are, as you’ll think about on a three-inch display screen, fairly small.

The scroll wheel may be very tactile and responsive, nevertheless, and does not really feel low-cost. Actually, I am unable to assist however evaluate it to the bodily scroll wheel on a BlackBerry, a design alternative that I do not assume is a coincidence.

The again of the machine is clear and featureless, housing solely the speaker. The general bodily make of the R1 feels strong sufficient, though it must for its functions. This can be a machine that may doubtless be thrown round, dropped, and tossed into backpacks, so I like that it does not really feel fragile or like you may crush it with one hand, like some smartphones do.

Time will inform how the R1 holds as much as basic testing, because it comes at a time when different AI assistant merchandise — such because the Humane Ai Pin — have had a tough time convincing shoppers that they’ve a goal past being a novelty tech gadget.

The R1, nevertheless, has a singular place with its modest $200 worth level and lack of any subscription price, which may definitely assist adoption.