The Rabbit R1 is a small, undeniable mobile device with an ambitious project: to replace the way we are with apps and devices.
Available for pre-order for $199, it’s the first product from a startup called Rabbit, it’s a pocket-sized device with a 2.88 inch touchscreen display, a camera that rotates to face the front or back, and a scroll wheel for navigation, as well as far-field mics and a push-to-talk button with support for voice input. What does the Rabbit R1 actually do though? A lot… and not much, depending on how you look at it.
So here’s the challenge with the Rabbit R1: it’s smaller than a phone, it has a SIM card slot and a USB-C port, and. . . It’s rarely designed to be a phone.
Instead of Android, iOS, or even a mobile GNU/Linux distro, it runs a new operating system called rabbit OS that places an emphasis on a type of AI that the company calls “Large Action Models,” or LAM.
In a way, you may think of MAMA running the same way as the “skills” in voice assistants like Amazon Alexa. You don’t want to go to an app store and then download and install an app before you can start streaming music. . Just ask Alexa to do it for you.
Similarly, Rabbit claims to have trained it to run apps on the company’s “secure cloud,” so you can do things like stream music from Spotify, request a ride on Uber or Lyft, order food on GrubHub or DoorDash, and so on. .
This works because Rabbit has necessarily trained its AI on how users interact with those apps, allowing anything to be in the cloud when you simply ask it to perform an action.
Want to do something that Rabbit OS doesn’t know how to do yet?You can log in to an internet portal and unlock a virtual device to exercise the software and perform new actions. The portal is also the place to log in to Spotify, Uber, DoorDash, and more, to make sure your requests are connected to your own account. For privacy reasons, the Internet portal will redirect you to the login pages of each of those applications; It doesn’t store your passwords on its own servers.
I was quite skeptical about the general concept until I found out that the internet portal is called Rabbit Hole, and now I must say that I helped the company discover it just because of that fact.
But honestly, the Rabbit R1 and Rabbit OS do seem to be trying to solve a problem that may or may not really exist. It’s a new way to interact with existing apps and services that you may already be using as well as a virtual assistant (accessible by asking questions with your voice or by shaking the R1 to reveal an on-screen virtual keyboard).
And while a simple, usually voice-activated user interface is nice, I’m not sure about the need for a simplified way to interact with existing apps.
That said, it might be of interest to other people who are less tech-savvy, who don’t yet own a smartphone or tablet, and/or who struggle to navigate an endless sea of apps to get things done. And maybe one day, Rabbit may simply enable a new bureaucracy of reporting that is unimaginable today.
Since most of the work is done in the cloud, the Rabbit R1 doesn’t need much processing power inside. According to The Verge, it has an unspecified 2. 3 GHz MediaTek processor, 4 GB of RAM, and 128 GB of storage. And the $199 isn’t worth it for a cellular device designed with the help of Teenage Engineering (which is precisely known for its wallet-friendly products).
But I’m a little hesitant about Rabbit’s claim that no subscription is required to use the device. Because, unless Rabbit plans to start running classified ads to users, it’s hard to see how they can grow their user base and maintain their cloud. long-term online installations by promoting reasonable cellular devices.
The Rabbit’s R1 is now available for pre-order and is expected to start shipping in March 2024.
Liliputing’s primary sources of revenue are advertising and affiliate links (if you click the “Shop” button at the top of the page and buy something on Amazon, for example, we’ll get a small commission).
But there are several tactics to get directly to the site, even if you use an ad blocker* and hate online shopping.
Contribute to our Patreon campaign
or. . .
Contribute PayPal
Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new articles via email.
Email Address
Subscribe
4 comments
Your email address will be published. Required fields are indicated *
Comment*
Name*
Email*
Website
Save my name, email address, and in this browser for the next time I comment.
Notify me of follow-up comments by email.
Notify me of new items via email.
Δdocument.getElementById( “ak_js_1” ).setAttribute( “value”, ( new Date() ).getTime() );
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Brad said: “But I’m a little hesitant about Rabbit’s claim that no subscription is required to use the device. Because, unless Rabbit plans to start running classified ads to users, it’s hard to see how they can grow their user base. “and keeping your cloud installations online for the long term by promoting reasonable cellular devices.
They continue to tout the “subscription-free” and “privacy” style, but they never make it clear how they’re going to monetize what turns out to be a service with a lot of underpainting. So unless each and every item you buy through “Rabbit Hole” has a significant markup, and/or they get paid to spy on you 24/7, I don’t see how they get paid.
$199 – no subscription required
https://www. rabbit. tech/
$199, subscription.
https://www. youtube. com/watch?v=vp52L6UlmJY
25-minute video presentation: Mention the device’s one-time purchase value of $199:
https://player. vimeo. com/video/901031775
@liliputing_
This triggers my BS detector. They now charge $200 to ship during Easter, however, their FAQ states that sales are final and non-refundable 14 days after purchase.
Watching Teenage Engineering is insurance, but hardware is challenging. Look at how long it took Panic to ship Playdate, with the same pricing and design partner, and a much better explained product.
I don’t think it’s a general scam, but I suspect. I’m not a fan of AI in general, but there’s something compelling about a tool that can disable obscure models and poor user interface.
If they allow you to download the server and simply qualify you for an opposing proxy service, I would accept as true a lot more with them. But even then, I still wouldn’t use it, because yelling orders at anyone in public would get a lot of unwanted attention. As it stands, it’s essentially the logical excess of how big knowledge approaches services. Anything that doesn’t require an Nvidia Tesla card (because it’s expensive BUT NOTHING ELSE WORKS) happens on the server, and all the heavy neural processing that would take place on the device, and both ends are proprietary and presumed. It’s not that, you know, it’s socially appropriate to worry about things like that, monster, WE SEE YOUR FAULT. In any case, they would sell more games if they could make them compatible on a device the length of their screen.
Its purpose is to make it seem like everyone has Tourette’s syndrome.
Lilbits: Laptops, Mini PCs & Gaming Headsets CES 2024
Asus ZenScreen Fold is a 17. 3-inch that folds in half and works vertically or horizontally
Rabbit R1 is a $199 mobile wife with an undeniable user interface and for any app (thanks to AI)
Daily Deals (1-09-2024)