We’ve previously discussed the Rabbit R1 on Technovatica: an ambitious small pocket-sized device with an AI-powered personal assistant capable of everything from crafting a music playlist to booking a last-minute airfare to Rome. The pint-sized companion tool is now shown exhibiting its note-taking capabilities.
The most recent demo comes from Jesse Lyu on X, the creator and CEO of Rabbit Inc., and demonstrates how the R1 can be used for note-taking and transcribing using basic voice controls. The video (see tweet below) demonstrates that note-taking can begin with a short voice command and terminate with a single button touch.
It’s a rather early tech demo, with Lyu noting that it “still needs a bit of touch” [sic], but it’s a solid representation of Rabbit Inc.’s goals in terms of user ease. The R1 has very little in the way of a physical interface, and it doubles down by having as simple a software interface as possible: no Android-style app grid here, just an AI capable of connecting to online apps to perform tasks.
After recording your notes, you can examine a full transcription, an AI-generated summary, or replay the audio recording (the latter requires access to a web portal). The Rabbit R1 is mostly powered by cloud computing, so you’ll need a continual internet connection to get the full experience.
Opinion: A nifty gizmo that may not stand up to criticism
As someone who spent a lot of time interviewing people and hastily taking down notes in my early journalism career, I understand the usefulness of a tool like the Rabbit R1. I’m also a sucker for purpose-built hardware, thus, despite my regular worries about AI, I really dig the idea of the R1 as a ‘one-stop shop’ for all your AI chatbot needs.
My primary issue is that this latest tech demo does nothing that my phone cannot do. I have a Google Pixel 8, and I currently use the Otter.ai app for interview transcriptions and voice notes. It isn’t a flawless tool, but it currently performs as well as the R1.
As much as I adore the Rabbit R1’s adorable analog style, it will still cost $199 (£159 / approximately AU$300) – and I simply don’t see the sense in investing that money when the phone I’ve already paid for can perform all of the same functions. An AI-powered pocket companion sounds like a great idea on paper, but with the present ubiquitous use of AI tools like Windows Copilot and Google Gemini in our existing tech devices, it seems a little redundant.
The big giants, such as Google and Microsoft, aren’t going to stop pushing AI features into our everyday technology anytime soon, so dedicated AI gadgets like Rabbit Inc.’s dinky pocket companion will have to work hard to stand out. The A voice control interface that eliminates apps entirely is a fantastic starting point, but that’s something my Pixel 8 may potentially achieve in the future. Lance Ulanoff, our Editor-in-Chief, suggests that I may still enjoy the R1….
