The Rabbit R1, with its catchy name, nice animated bunny head and promises of cutting-edge technology, has stirred quite a buzz in the market. But amidst the hype, questions arise:
Is it truly a revolutionary device, or is it just another gimmick preying on consumer curiosity?
Understanding the hype and promises of the Rabbit R1
The Rabbit R1 is marketed as a multifunctional device designed to simplify various tasks, from household chores to entertainment. Supposedly equipped with state-of-the-art technology, a new in house developed operating system – Rabbit OS – it boasts an array of features that promise convenience and efficiency. From its sleek design to its user-friendly interface, the Rabbit R1 aims to cater to the modern consumer’s needs.
Well, let me introduce an statement at this point. AI is everywhere and people really needs this new technology to accomplish simple tasks. The market and clever actors inside it try to convince you – the user – to buy new devices and pay extra fees for a slightly better version of a remote control.
An even the most fanatical influencers and reviewers have been unanimous, this device is on the verge of being a pure Scam.
Rabbit R1: A Closer Look at the Company
Apparently the background of the founders of the project / company behind Rabbit R1 are well know in the industry for generating hype, raise money and left the project behind with lot of people losing money, time and energy behind them.
Check this article Rabbit Holed where Cheng Lyu (Rabbit CEO) former NFT wanna be tycoon explained how a new device will be released.
While I’ll go into further detail about the Rabbit R1 in a future article, here’s the essentials: it’s an Android-based device that, purportedly, allows users to control their various apps and subscriptions — which, at this point, includes Uber, Doordash, Midjourney, and Spotify — using spoken instructions. Its ultumate goal is, purportedly, to do everything a phone can do, but with Star Trek-style human-computer natural language interactions. The device — which costs $200 — has already started shipping and the reviews are not good.
Cheng Lyu (also known as Jesse Lyu)
Behind the Rabbit R1 lies a company dedicated to innovation and consumer satisfaction. With a commitment to quality and excellence, they strive to deliver products that exceed expectations and redefine industry standards.
Pure Bullshit Bingo
Rabbir R1: Using, and paying for, a piece of hardware to accomplish what any App can (cloud) do.
Most of the criticism from media started when they realized that the game was putting you back in the 90’s where you needed remote controls for your TV, your VCR, your Cable box… real state to place them on top of your table and batteries for them.
There’s also been a lot of blowback on social spaces about Rabbit’s approach, the privacy issues it creates, along with characterizations of Lyu as a “grifter.” Are so-called LAMs actually using artificial intelligence? Rabbit’s system runs Android, but the company claims all of the AI computing happens on the cloud. So why can’t this be an app?
The Wired
Rabbit R1 is not an Android App, I swear it.
Many said that you don’t need a device, with a very nice design if you like rabbits like we do, but with a hefty 199 dollars tag price and low quality battery that only last a few hours. Some took the challenge to reverse engineering the device (surprise, surprise it was extremely easy) and to demonstrate that inside the box you only get an android App running in a low spec android device.
…Rabbit R1 seems to run Android under the hood and the entire interface users interact with is powered by a single Android app. A tipster shared the Rabbit R1’s launcher APK with us, and with a bit of tinkering, we managed to install it on an Android phone, specifically a Pixel 6a.
Android Authority
Conclusion: Do i need to buy a R1 Rabbit AI device?
As an animated Rabbit Head Logo we consider it a little bit expensive. And while we watched the product presentation and immediately wanted to buy one for our Dad whe have changed our mind.
Any grown up human can perform the task the device promised with little or no cost and there’re a lot of privacy issues about this kind of devices.
But many people like us like expensive paperweights, we bought two revolutionary rabbits – Nabaztag – quite a few years ago, they were also expensive and quite useless.
But probably the company who was behind the project was not as greedy as the one behind R1. Or at least 15 years ago Internet and IoT was a nicer / safer place.
