When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Heres how it works.
When I first tried the iPhone 17 years ago, I described it as a “think-do” rig.
There is something compelling about the 3-in x 3-in x 0.5-in, 115g, pocket-friendly gadget.
(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
The bold, orange paint job signals Rabbit’s intention to deliver a simple, yet quirky experience.
But all I get are the quirks.
Rabbit did not set out to make an iPhone and Android replacement.
(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
It’s kind of a crafty way of keeping your credentials off-rig.
Rabbit OS and the Large Action Model (LAM) handle the rest.
All you oughta do is ask Rabbit R1 for what you want and it tries to deliver.
(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
That’s the vision.
Getting started
Things start off smoothly enough.
Rabbit R1’s packaging is sparse; there isn’t even a USB-C cable in the box.
(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
The update went slowly and it wasn’t the only one during my first day of use.
It’s voice-enabled, but only if you push the gray push-to-talk / select button on the side.
you’ve got the option to navigate hidden menus but only if you use the large scroll wheel.
(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
There’s a camera, but you might only access it if you double-press the side button.
Rabbit smartly covered the 360-degree camera housing with plastic to protect the workings from dust and grit.
That scroll wheel, by the way, is shiny and smooth like the rest of the R1.
(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
It looks great, but it’s also awful to use.
Remember the original Blackberry?
That phone had a nice, knurled wheel that was easy to flick and spin.
(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
My digits keep slipping on R1’s beefy wheel.
It’s also counterintuitive.
When I scroll down, the page scrolls up.
It starts with an update or two.
Oh, did I mention how you access parameters?
By pressing the side button (to wake up Rabbit R1) and shaking the gear.
What kind of insanity is this?
The 360 camera and scroll wheel are unusual choices.
Such idiosyncratic features are guaranteed to turn off everyone except the most intrepid technologist.
Smart AI
Rabbit R1’s platform and AI are the highlights of the gadget.
It even read the text on it.
You access this menu by shaking the device.(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
It did equally well identifying me as a man in glasses.
Much of what Rabbit 11 does happens in the cloud.
Even though I connected my Spotify account to Rabbit R1, I couldn’t get it to play music.
The “hold"is so you know to press the button to adjust the settings.(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
Battery life ticks down even when I’m not using it.
It’s not replacing or augmenting my phone.
It’s not intuitive enough that I find comfort and satisfaction in using it.
Hold the button and scroll the wheel to raise and lower the volume.(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
Which is a shame.
You might also like
This AI image was created on Midjourney’s cloud servers
