With artificial intelligence being so prevalent across, well, just about everything these days, its no small feat for AI developers to make their products stand out among the deluge. Very few have managed to capture as much attention as Rabbit, the AI startup thats managed to sell 40,000 units of its standalone $199 R1 gadget within eight days of launching the device at CES in January this year.The AI-powered Rabbit OS behind the Rabbit R1 is essentially a dedicated virtual assistant thats designed to interact with your favorite apps like a kind of universal controller. The OS is built upon a Large Action Model trained to interact with common apps like Spotify and Uber to get things done; from sending messages, controlling music, making online purchases, and more.At around half the size of an iPhone, the orange Rabbit R1 gadget was designed in collaboration with Teenage Engineering, and features a 2.88-inch touchscreen, a scrolling navigation wheel, and a rotating camera. Its a little reminiscent of the Playdate handheld game console.Were keeping track of all the latest updates surrounding the Rabbit R1 so that nothing gets buried in the hype providing the device lives up to its sizable expectations.HighlightsNov 21, 2024Emma RothRabbit now lets you teach the R1 to perform tasks for youPhoto: David Pierce / The VergeRabbit is rolling out teach mode to its R1 devices, allowing you to create an AI agent that can perform tasks for you. The feature works by learning a task you demonstrate, such as retrieving updates from a content creator you follow, or helping you draft a post on social media.You can access the feature by logging into the Rabbithole, the web interface for managing an R1 device. From there, youll create a lesson by describing a task and then recording yourself performing it. Once you show the AI agent what you want it to do, you can then ask it to recall what its learned and have it complete the task. It seems straightforward, but Rabbit acknowledges that teach mode is experimental and results may not always be what you expect.Read Article >Nov 15, 2024Emma RothThe Rabbit R1 now lets you remake its whole interfacePhoto: David Pierce / The VergeThe Rabbit R1 can now use AI to redesign the devices entire interface based on a prompt. Some examples shared by Rabbit CEO Jesse Lyu show a Legend of Zelda-inspired interface, another made in the style of Windows XP, and one using a dark green scanline background.Though this seems like a fun way to customize the R1, Rabbit says responses on the AI-generated interfaces are slower than the default UI on R1 and can take over 30 seconds to appear. It suggests disabling this feature if you want the fastest responses possible.Read Article >Oct 7, 2024Nilay PatelCorrection: Only 5,000 people are using the Rabbit R1 at any given time, not in a day.Thats straight from Rabbit CEO Jesse Lyu, who took great exception to our story from September 25th, which was sourced to a Fast Company article about his comments at one of their events. Jesse told me the actual daily user number was around 20,000, spiking up to 34,000 the day the companys new LAM Playgrounds were launched, and that his actual comment was that 5,000 of those people were using the Rabbit at any given time. For context, Jesse also told me Rabbit has sold 100,000 R1s so far.Fast Company has corrected its story, and weve updated our story as well. You can hear the whole conversation on Decoder.Oct 7, 2024Nilay PatelRabbit CEO Jesse Lyu isnt thinking too far aheadPhoto illustration by The Verge / Photo: RabbitToday, Im talking with Jesse Lyu, the founder and CEO of Rabbit. The startup company makes the adorable r1 AI gadget a little handheld designed by superstar design firm Teenage Engineering. Its meant to be how you talk to an AI agent, which then goes off onto the internet and does things for you, from playing music on Spotify and ordering an Uber to even buying things on Amazon.Rabbit launched with a lot of hype at CES and a big party in New York, but early reviews of the device were universally bad. Our own David Pierce gave it a 3 out of 10 in May, saying that most of the features dont work or dont even exist. And the core feature that didnt seem to exist was the most important of all: Rabbits large action model, or LAM, which is meant to allow the system to open a web browser in the cloud and browse for you. The LAM is supposed to intelligently understand what its looking at on a website and literally click around to accomplish tasks on your behalf.Read Article >Sep 25, 2024Wes DavisOnly 5,000 people are using the Rabbit R1 at any given timePhoto: David Pierce / The VergeAround 5,000 people of the 100,000 who bought the Rabbit R1 are using the device at any given moment, five months after the device launched. Thats straight from the mouth of Rabbit founder Jesse Lyu, who gave the number to Fast Company while explaining that the device had to launch before it was ready in order to beat big tech companies to the punch.Thats a big fall from the moment AI gadgets were having earlier this year. There was tremendous hype around the R1 after its CES debut, and an air of mystery surrounded Humanes AI Pin before its reveal. Both shipped without any of the futuristic grandeur that was promised. As The Verges David Pierce wrote in his review of the R1, the whole thing just feels broken. Maybe thats why almost nobody is using the R1 or why, last month, Humane was taking back more AI Pins than it was selling.Read Article >May 4, 2024Wes DavisThe object you are holding appears to be a tomato, not something intended for consumption.You know, I think Im coming around on the Rabbit R1.May 4, 2024Wes DavisYoure holding a taco!If youve already read our review of the Rabbit R1 but havent gotten around to watching the video version of it, what better time than now?May 3, 2024Emma RothBattle of the AI gadgets.The WSJs Joanna Stern put the Rabbit R1, Humane AI Pin, and the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses to the test. Can you guess which one came out on top?May 3, 2024Richard LawlerAn OpenAI outage briefly broke push-to-talk requests on all Rabbit R1 devices.As pointed out on Threads by @zebulon.vance, it looks like the problem was an OpenAI outage Thursday evening that was addressed about 45 minutes later.The only remaining issue is that even after paying $200, your ability to even try to get responses from your Rabbit R1 AI hardware depends on other AI companies keeping things running 24/7.Screenshot: Discord (rabbit)May 2, 2024David PierceTake a look inside the Rabbit R1 and the Humane AI Pin.I love a good iFixit teardown, and this one is super instructive. You can really see how much more polished and complex the AI Pin is, but both have a lot of tech and design even inside their cases. And if youre thinking, gosh, theres a lot of phone-like stuff in here... youre getting it.May 2, 2024David PierceRabbit R1 review: nothing to see hereYoure holding a taco.My Rabbit R1 told me that the other day. I was sitting at a table at a cafe on the National Mall in Washington, DC, and I had just picked up this $199 orange rectangle of a gadget and pointed it at the food in my hand. With unwavering, absolute confidence, the R1 told me it was a taco. Read Article >May 1, 2024Allison JohnsonTurns out the Rabbit R1 was just an Android app all alongI mean, at least its just $200? Image: David Pierce / The VergeSince it launched last week, Rabbits R1 AI gadget has inspired a lot of questions, starting with Why isnt this just an app? Well, friends, thats because it is just an app.Over at Android Authority, Mishaal Rahman managed to download Rabbits launcher APK on a Google Pixel 6A. With a little tweaking, he was able to run the app as if it were on Rabbits own device. Using the volume-up key in place of the R1s single hardware button, he was able to set up an account and start asking it questions, just as if he was using the $199 R1.Read Article >Apr 30, 2024Allison JohnsonThe Rabbit R1s first software update addresses its dismal battery lifeWith a dead battery, this is just a nice-looking paperweight. Image: David Pierce / The VergeJust a week after its initial launch, the Rabbit R1s first software update is here and not a moment too soon. Right on top of the list of improvements in the OTA update is up to 5x improved idle battery performance, addressing a major pain point for early R1 adopters. Its also great news for me, specifically, because my R1 is constantly out of power.Todays update consists of two parts: an OTA update pushed directly to R1 devices and a cloud update to Rabbit OS. Battery life is far from the only issue addressed other highlights include an improved music playback UI, improved Bluetooth reliability, and a fix for a compatibility issue when the device is plugged into a car that seems to have bricked at least one R1.Read Article >Apr 30, 2024Wes DavisWhat are we doing here?Marques Brownlee asks, incredulously, about 14 minutes into his brutal review of the Rabbit R1, after going over the devices features (or lack thereof).The question segues into a rant about the miserable trend of new hardware, games, cars, and now borderline non-functional AI gadgets that release half-broken, with promises of something better down the line.Apr 29, 2024Allison JohnsonCan Rabbits R1 outsmart the smartphone assistants? Lets find out!Are any of them smarter than just googling the answer? Photo: Allison Johnson / The VergeWelcome to another episode of the fantastic new game show where we quiz virtual assistants! Say it with me, folks: Are you smarter than just googling it? Lets welcome our contestants.You probably know our first two contestants from such hits as Set a timer for me and How much time is left on my timer?: Siri and Google Assistant! Big round of applause for these hard-working smartphone assistants. Next up is a newcomer its sleek, its orange, its the Rabbit R1!Read Article >Apr 29, 2024Wes DavisThis should be an app.Dave2D aims directly at the heart of the existential problem of AI gadgets with his casual redesign of the Rabbit R1. That is, anything meaningful they do can be boiled down to an app on the smartphone thats already in your pocket.Apr 26, 2024Alex CranzThe Rabbit R1 was faster than expected at one thing.One owner apparently plugged his into his car after recieving it at the swanky NYC event a few days back and it promptly bricked itself.They said that Rabbit was quick to replace it, but not before they snapped a pic of what looks like an Android debugging UI.Apr 24, 2024David PierceA morning with the Rabbit R1: a fun, funky, unfinished AI gadgetThere were times I wasnt sure the Rabbit R1 was even a real thing. The AI-powered, Teenage Engineering-designed device came out of nowhere to become one of the biggest stories at CES, promising a level of fun and whimsy that felt much better than some of the more self-serious AI companies out there. CEO Jesse Lyu practically promised the world in this $199 device.Well, say this for Rabbit: its real. Last night, I went to the swanky TWA Hotel in New York City, along with a few hundred reporters, creators, and particularly enthusiastic R1 buyers. After a couple of hours of photo booths, specialty cocktails, and a rousing keynote and demo from Lyu in which he made near-constant reference to and fun of the Humane AI Pin we all got our R1s to take home. Ive been using mine ever since, and I have some thoughts. And some questions.Read Article >Apr 24, 2024David PierceI got my Rabbit R1.And I have so many questions (SO many questions) and so much setup and testing to do. Ill write some initial thoughts tomorrow, but Im definitely enjoying the way this thing feels. More a Fun Toy than a Smartphone Killer, you know?Let me know if theres anything you want to know about the Rabbit R1 or have ideas for tests I should do! More soon.Apr 23, 2024David PierceHello from the Rabbit R1 launch party!I havent been to a gadget launch like this in a long time. Were at the swanky TWA Hotel in NYC, where a bunch of early Rabbit adopters will get their AI gadgets. Theres a 360 Photo Booth! And a speakeasy! And a whole installation of scroll wheels! AI!Apr 7, 2024Wes DavisThe Rabbit R1 comes with a vintage cassette style travel case.The case will double as a kickstand, according to CEO Jesse Lyu. The first batch of Rabbits fast-selling AI gadget is supposed to reach customers around April 24th, Rabbit announced previously.In the meantime, heres what owners can expect to see when opening their Rabbit shipment.Apr 3, 2024David PierceWelcome to the AI gadget eraImage: Cath Virginia / The VergeIm just going to call it: well look back on April 2024 as the beginning of a new technological era. That sounds grandiose, I know, but in the next few weeks, a whole new generation of gadgets is poised to hit the market. Humane will launch its voice-controlled AI Pin. Rabbits AI-powered R1 will start to ship. Brilliant Labs AI-enabled smart glasses are coming out. And Meta is rolling out a new feature to its smart glasses that allow Metas AI to see and help you navigate the real world.There are many more AI gadgets to come, but the AI hardware revolution is officially beginning. What all these gadgets have in common is that they put artificial intelligence at the front of the experience. When you tap your AI Pin to ask a question, play music, or take a photo, Humane runs your query through a series of language models to figure out what youre asking for and how best to accomplish it. When you ask your Rabbit R1 or your Meta smart glasses who makes that cool mug youre looking at, it pings through a series of image recognition and data processing models in order to tell you thats a Yeti Rambler. AI is not an app or a feature; its the whole thing.Read Article >Mar 23, 2024Wes DavisThe Rabbit R1 will start shipping on Easter Sunday (March 31st).Get it? Rabbit? Easter? Customers will get it beginning April 24th, or a day earlier at Rabbits NYC pickup party. The company posted the update last night after announcing it had sold 100,000 units.Rabbit had previously said its little Teenage Engineering-designed AI doohickey would start shipping in March, and so it will! It just... needs to go through some things on its way to owners. Like customs.Mar 11, 2024Wes DavisChecking in on the Rabbit R1s note-taking prowess.This quick demo from Rabbit CEO Jesse Lyu certainly helps make the case for the Rabbit R1 as a little AI helper gadget as it records audio and transcribes and summarizes it for you.Yes, there are already smartphones with on-device AI capabilities like this. But look at the little reel-to-reel animation! So charming!Jan 21, 2024Wes DavisThe Rabbit R1s built-in audio is the worst way to listen to The Gorillaz.Rabbits founder, Jesse Lyu, showed off the buzzy AI gadgets vision capability in a video that kicks off with it playing Feel Good Inc by The Gorillaz.Pointing your R1 at your computer isnt a particularly great way to keep up with your friends on Discord, but the video is clearly just meant to demo its real-time interpretation of what it sees, which Lyu said in the post will get faster.More Stories