Rabbit Inc has now officially presented the Rabbit R1: the company's first product that aims to be a totally disruptive product in how people relate to the Internet and the environment that surrounds us.
So if you are curious to know what the Rabbit R1 is and what this little guy can do for you “smart tamagochi”, we advise you to continue reading this article.
What is the Rabbit R1?
The Rabbit R1 is a small AI-based device that It is designed to complement the mobile phone through voice commandsbasically.
That is, we have a small device that can connect to the mobile network through the SIM card, or that needs to be in an area where there is Wi-Fi to be connected to the Internet and be able to operate the assistant itself.
The hardware of the Rabbit R1, paradoxically, is the simplest in the world:
- Processor: MediaTek Helio P35 2,3GHz
- RAM: 4 GB
- Internal storage: 128 GB
- Display: 2,88 inch touch
- Camera: 360 degree sensor built into the device
- Battery: Lasts all day
- Connectivity: SIM card slot and WiFi
- Port USB-C to charge
- Button: To activate voice recognition
- Wheel: To adjust the volume and other functions
As you can see, we are dealing with relatively modest hardware, what we could expect in a low-end mobile phone, for example, but with the advantage that we do not need more to be able to give it the intended use.
It would be foolish to have a cutting-edge processor like the Apple M3, for example, when the processing power required by the device is minimal. This helps enormously to reduce the cost, which as far as we know, will be very cheap: for less than 180 euros it is expected to be launched in Europe.
What are the strengths of Rabbit R1?
I think comparing it to mobile phones is still somewhat unfair, since with them you can do a lot of things that you can't with the Rabbit R1, such as playing video games.
I think it would be fair to compare it to a voice assistant like Siri, which is more similar. And above all, it offers some non-negligible advantages:
- Allows us interact directly with our environment using voice, the touch screen or the rotary button.
- Su 360 degree camera It allows us to take photos of what we see, make video recordings and even give more inputs to the Rabbit R1, since it will be able to “see” the reality around us just like we do to process it by the AI.
- Es Easy to use: Anyone is capable of learning to give voice commands and obtain results with it, without further difficulty.
- It comes with a very interesting AI layer, with a extensive learning capacity about the user and the environment that surrounds you that can be differentiating compared to a traditional voice assistant (even if Apple is already up to something about this…)
- It is psmall and compact, so we could wear it as a shirt clip, for example.
- Es CHEAP, as a low-end mobile phone, so it will be affordable for a large part of the population.
How does the Rabbit R1 work?
This curious assistant, as we have said, works through artificial intelligence, so On first use you will have to connect it to a Wi-Fi network and then insert your SIM card to collect mobile data.
Once you have done this, you will have to follow the configuration steps of the wizard until the end, where it will leave your Rabbit R1 operational.
And from there, the sky is the limit: you can give him orders of all kinds, such as:
- Find the flight cheaper to go to Japan
- Book a Table in the best restaurant in town
- Prepare one food recipe based on the ingredients you mention
- Connect to certain compatible apps: like Amazon, Spotify, Uber or Doordash, to use them via voice commands.
How can I get a Rabbit R1?
You can reserve the Rabbit R1 on the website, checking Pre-Order
Currently the Rabbit R1 They are only available through the manufacturer's website and in pre-reservation status: that is, until it officially goes on the market you will not be able to have those units.
As with all products created from scratch, generally at the beginning there will be a consumer base that will tend to cover all possible stock, so you will probably have to wait a little longer.
But, in any case, don't despair: by carrying such common hardware, you will surely be able to get your Rabbit R1 soon without any major problems.
Are these types of assistants going to be a substitute for telephones?
Lots of websites are echoing that these gadgets are a “phone killer” that are coming to replace mobile phones as we know them, but I think that at this moment nothing could be further from reality.
In fact, Jesse Lyu, CEO of Rabbit Inc, commented that for him the desirable thing is that they were a complement that makes the phone itself less used, but don't replace it.
When asked why invest in making custom hardware such as the device itself and not a mobile app, the answer he gave is surprising: making an app based on the policies of Apple's App Store is the would force you to share your source code with them, and could make use of these innovations.
Lyu knows what he wants: take advantage of all the know-how of development in making quality products, that move away from the trend of the market and that above all, give a new meaning to what interaction with technology is so that it is more “human” and less oriented towards using apps.
But will they have applications?
Regarding the availability of its own apps, the company says that in the future developers will design “rabbits", which would be Built-in features for R1 similar to Alexa Skills, For example.
Will this type of assistant be the future of human interaction with the Internet and AI? It is still too early to know, but what we are sure of is that without a doubt, the future of gadgets is becoming more and more exciting and we still have a lot to discover.