Renowned tech reviewer Marques Brownlee, popularly known as MKBHD, has posted a review of a new AI device, the Rabbit R1, which he describes as “barely reviewable.” This comes after his controversial review of the Humane AI Pin, the brainchild of former Apple managers.
What Happened: On Tuesday, Brownlee posted a video on YouTube expressing his skepticism about the Rabbit R1’s capabilities.
The Rabbit R1, designed by Teenage Engineering, is a portable AI assistant with a built-in screen, a SIM card tray, and a USB type-C port for charging. It also features a scroll wheel and a swiveling camera for multimodal AI assistance.
Despite its unique features, Brownlee criticized the device for its slow response times due to the company lowering the sensitivity of the sensor situated in the back, inconsistent battery life, and lack of basic features such as setting alarms, recording videos, and sending emails.
“You have to charge it multiple times per day and it’s still dead when you wake up in the morning. It’s just exhausting,” he said about the battery.
The YouTuber also pointed out the device’s tendency to provide inaccurate answers. “Being an AI assistant it also does still hallucinate and confidently answer questions wrong.”
Brownlee then questioned the Rabbit R1’s touch screen, which is only enabled for typing in terminal mode, and its price tag of $200, which he believes is reflective of the device’s quality.
“Humane pin was so easy for everyone to dunk on because it costs as much as a phone. It was $700 with a $ 24-a-month subscription to not turn into a brick. It’s just insane. So, this one right here costs $200 and no subscription,” he said, adding, “But also, you can tell it’s $200.”
He mentioned that the device requires a separate SIM card, so although users don’t need to pay for a subscription, they will have to pay for getting “data outside of Wi-Fi.” Moreover, it doesn’t come with any charging brick, USBC cable, stickers, or instruction manual. He further said the camera integrated into the Rabbit R1 is “very basic,” while the speaker is “very cheap.”
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Why It Matters: Brownlee’s review of the Rabbit R1 comes after his controversial critique of the Humane AI Pin, which sparked a debate about the impact of his influence on emerging companies.
In his review of the AI Pin, Brownlee praised its design and concept but criticized its performance, leading to questions about the potential impact of his opinion on the company. Following the release of his Humane AI Pin review, Brownlee’s opinion went viral on social media, with users debating whether his critique was justified or could potentially harm the company.
It remains to be seen how Brownlee’s review of the Rabbit R1 will impact the device’s reception and the company behind it.
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Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of Benzinga Neuro and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
Photo Courtesy: Rabbit Inc
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