There have been occasions I wasn’t positive the Rabbit R1 was even an actual factor. The AI-powered, Teenage Engineering-designed system got here out of nowhere to grow to be one of many greatest tales at CES, promising a stage of enjoyable and whimsy that felt a lot better than a few of the extra self-serious AI firms on the market. CEO Jesse Lyu virtually promised the world on this $199 system.

Effectively, say this for Rabbit: it’s actual. Final evening, I went to the swanky TWA Lodge in New York Metropolis, together with just a few hundred reporters, creators, and significantly enthusiastic R1 consumers. After a few hours of photograph cubicles, specialty cocktails, and a rousing keynote and demo from Lyu — through which he made near-constant reference to and enjoyable of the Humane AI Pin — all of us obtained our R1s to take residence. I’ve been utilizing mine ever since, and I’ve some ideas. And a few questions.

From a {hardware} perspective, the R1 screams “kinda meh Android cellphone.” Listed below are the salient specs: it’s about three inches tall and huge and a half-inch thick. It weighs 115 grams, which is about two-thirds as a lot because the iPhone 15. It has a 2.88-inch display, runs on a 2.3GHz MediaTek MT6765 processor, and has 128 gigs of storage and 4 gigs of RAM. It has a speaker on the again, two mics on the highest, and a SIM card slot on the aspect proper subsequent to the USB-C charging port. It solely is available in one colour, a hue Rabbit calls “leuchtorange” however is commonly often known as “good orange” or “luminous orange.” It’s undoubtedly orange, and it’s undoubtedly luminous.

At this level, one of the best ways I can describe the R1 is sort of a Picasso portray of a smartphone: it has many of the identical elements, simply laid out actually in another way. As an alternative of sitting on high or within the again, the R1’s digicam sits in a cutout area on the correct aspect of the system, the place it will possibly spin its lens to face each towards and away from you. 

After spending just a few hours enjoying with the system, I’ve to say: it’s fairly good. Not luxurious, and even significantly high-end, simply foolish and enjoyable. The place Humane’s AI Pin looks like a rigorously sculpted metallic gem, the R1 looks like an old-school MP3 participant crossed with a fidget spinner. The wheel spins a bit of stiffly for my style however easily sufficient, the display is a bit of fuzzy however nice, and the primary motion button feels satisfying to thump on. 

After I first obtained the system and related it to Wi-Fi, it then instantly requested me to join an account at Rabbithole, the R1’s net portal. I did that, scanned a QR code with the R1 to get it synced up, and instantly did a software program replace. I spent that point logging in to the one 4 exterior providers the R1 presently connects to: Spotify, Uber, DoorDash, and Midjourney. 

As soon as I used to be finally up and working, I began chatting with the R1. Thus far, it does a strong job with fundamental AI questions: it gave me numerous good details about this week’s NFL draft, discovered just a few eating places close to me, and knew when Herbert Hoover was president. That is all pretty fundamental ChatGPT stuff, and there’s some particular lag because it fetches solutions, however I a lot favor the interface to the Humane AI Pin — as a result of there’s a display, and you’ll see the factor working so the AI delays don’t really feel fairly so interminable. 

Nearly instantly, although, I began working into stuff the R1 simply can’t do. It may well’t ship emails or make spreadsheets, although Lyu has been demoing each for months. Rabbithole is woefully unfinished, too, to the purpose I used to be making an attempt to faucet round on my cellphone and it was as a substitute shifting a cursor round a half-second after each faucet. That’s a superb reminder that the entire thing is working on a digital machine storing all of your apps and credentials, which nonetheless offers me security-related pause.

Oh, and right here’s my favourite factor that has occurred on the R1 to date: I obtained it related to my Spotify account, which is a function I’m significantly enthusiastic about. I requested for “Beyoncé’s new album,” and the system excitedly went and located me “Loopy in Love” — a lullaby model, from an artist referred to as “Rockabye Child!” So shut and but to date. It doesn’t appear to have the ability to discover my playlists, both, or skip tracks. After I stated, “Play The 1975,” although, that labored nice and shortly. (The speaker, by the best way, could be very a lot crappy Android cellphone high quality. You’re going to wish to use that Bluetooth connection.)

The R1’s Imaginative and prescient function, which makes use of the digicam to establish issues within the scene round you, appears to work nice so long as all you need is an inventory of objects within the scene. The system can’t take a photograph or video and doesn’t appear to have the ability to do a lot else with what it will possibly see.

Whenever you’re not doing something, the display reveals the time and that bouncing rabbit-head emblem. Whenever you press and maintain the aspect button to concern a command, the time and battery fade away, and the rabbit’s ears perk up prefer it’s listening. It’s very charming! The general interface is straightforward and text-based, however it’s odd in spots: it’s not at all times apparent how to return, for example, and also you solely get to see a line or two of textual content at a time on the very backside of the display, even when there’s a complete paragraph of reply to learn.

Rabbit’s roadmap is formidable: Lyu has spent the previous couple of months speaking about all of the issues the R1’s so-called “Giant Motion Mannequin” can do, together with studying apps and utilizing them for you. Throughout final evening’s occasion, he talked about opening up the USB-C port on the system to permit equipment, keyboards, and extra. That’s all coming… finally. Supposedly. For now, the R1’s function set is rather more easy. You should utilize the system to play music, get solutions to questions, translate speech, take notes, summon an Uber, and some different issues. 

Meaning there’s nonetheless an terrible lot the R1 can’t do and quite a bit I’ve left to check. (Something you wish to learn about, by the best way, let me know!) I’m significantly inquisitive about its battery life, its capability to work with a nasty connection, whether or not it heats up over time, and the way it handles extra complicated duties than simply trying up data and ordering hen nuggets. However to date, this factor looks like it’s making an attempt to be much less like a smartphone killer and extra just like the beginnings of a helpful companion. That’s in all probability as formidable because it is sensible to be proper now — although Lyu and the Rabbit of us have plenty of large guarantees to finally stay as much as and never plenty of time to take action.

Pictures by David Pierce / The Verge