The startup Rabbit presented its first device at CES 2024 in January. The R1 is a charming, bright orange AI machine with a camera, scroll wheel and sophisticated demos. Now the device is shipping to early users (and technical reviewers), and we’ve gotten some hands-on experience to tide you over until we complete a full test.
It’s definitely cute, designed by Teenage Engineering, which has applied its design talents to both the Playdate and Nothing’s latest phones and music devices. Like all these things, it combines a retro-futuristic aesthetic with solid build quality, glossy finishes, glass and metal accents.
On the other hand, the Humane AI Pin was also a nice piece of technology, but it was also… nonsense. The Rabbit R1 is a different device. First, it costs $199 – less than a third of the AI Pin’s $700 price tag. Humane also charges a monthly subscription fee of $24 to use the thing – the R1 doesn’t require a subscription at all. This is immediately much better.
However, the category of AI assistant-focused devices is very new. Rabbit’s device differs from Humane’s device in both hardware and features, but we know that the R1 isn’t launching with full features yet. It’s missing a few oddly basic tools like alarms and calendar support.
Be sure to check out our first impressions here. Review in depth!
– Mat Smith
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