The Rabbit R1, created collectively by Rabbit Inc. and design firm Teenage Engineering, with its bright orange look, was dubbed as the "future of human-machine interface" when it was showcased at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2024. The company recently started shipping pre-orders, and the first set of reviews is out. The early reviews seem to be pointing out more issues than their strengths. A majority of the reviews pointed out how Rabbit R1 has issues related to latency and hallucinations. Similarly, many have also stated that despite R1 being a touch device, it is limited to just keyboard inputs. This could be to differentiate the device from a smartphone. Reviewers are also pointing out that the battery on the Rabbit R1 doesn't last all day long and requires a couple of recharges a day to keep it going. Despite having a smaller battery, it also takes a lot of time to charge. According to Mashable, "Something's Iffy About It." While it is being described as a beautiful gadget, the review calls out issues such as not being able to browse the web, despite having internet access, and not being able to make calls or send text messages directly from the Rabbit R1. The Verge calls R1 "a fun, funky, unfinished AI gadget," highlighting its bright yellow finish. The review even describes it as a Picasso painting of a smartphone. While it has a camera, it is said to be not particularly useful, and the speakers are said to be of "very much crappy Android phone quality." As per CNET, Rabbit R1 claims to do a lot of things that a smartphone can already do, but using it could be "also frustrating at times" due to several shortcomings, such as limited touch input access, and "absurdly fast" battery drain issues. Almost every other review of the Rabbit R1 seems to highlight what is broken in the future of the human-machine interface more than what new it brings to the table. Compared to the reviews of Humane AI Pin, reviewers also seem to have spared Rabbit R1 a bit, especially due to its lower price tag and how it works with any cellular network. Popular tech YouTuber MKBHD names Rabbit R1 "another AI in a box" and points out that, it's "barely reviewable," and another YouTuber named Dave 2D states that, the product is currently missing many features that would have made it a better product, and even states that "it's currently not in a reviewable state." Rabbit R1 vs Human AI Pin Perhaps, the most noticeable difference between the two is while R1 comes with a 2.88-inch screen, the AI Pin is screenless. Humane's AI device is priced at $699 plus a $24 monthly subscription, the R1 comes at just $199. When it comes to features, the Rabbit R1 comes with a voice command interface, compact touchscreen, rotating camera, Rabbit OS, Advanced AI - Large action model, and cloud-based processing. On the other hand, Ai pin has a wearable design, supports AI-powered interactions, built-in camera, gesture, and voice control. Both devices, however, differ in aspects such as design and hardware, user experience, pricing, and availability. However, they both work as intelligent assistants that perform a range of tasks. Rabbit R1 was created by Jesse Lyu, CEO and founder of Rabbit, an AI startup. AI Pin has been created by Humane Inc., an American consumer electronics company founded in 2018 by former Apple executives Imran Chaudhri and Bethany Bongiorno.
