Rabbit R1 becomes a vibe coding handheld with rabbitOS 2 update

The Rabbit R1 is a $199 handheld with a distinctive orange plastic design featuring a 2.88 inch touchscreen display, a push-to-talk button, and a scroll wheel. When it was first unveiled last year the company made big promises that it’d be an AI gadget that could perform all sorts of actions on your behalf.

But once it began shipping, it became clear that the Rabbit R1 was just a cheap, sluggish device with an Android-based operating system and software that didn’t come close to delivering on those promises. Now Rabbit wants you to give it another chance: the company has introduced a rabbitOS 2 software update that’s designed to make the handheld easier to use, while also leveraging AI in a different way.

At its most basic, the new software update gives the Rabbit R1 a user interface that’s easier to navigate using the touchscreen display. Previously you needed to use your voice to access most features, but now there’s a quick settings panel that you can pull down from the top of the screen and a card-based system that lets you navigate through different apps and functions like translation, timers, camera, image galleries, or settings menus.

Rabbit is still pitching the R1 as an AI gadget. But now instead of hyping a “large action module” feature that’s supposed to learn to interact with apps and services for you, Rabbit is introducing a “creations” feature that will let you vibe code apps and games and then share them with other rabbit users in a creations gallery.

Some early apps are already available, including clock, calculator news, and post it apps, plus a bunch of simple games including Tetris, Pong, and Breakout/Arkanoid clones.

As pivots go, it’s not the worst idea I’ve ever heard. Instead of positioning the Rabbit R1 as a revolutionary device that will change the way you interact with digital apps and services, now it’s more of an AI-powered toy that you can speak to on the go and which you can theoretically use to code simple (and hopefully not super buggy or insecure) apps and games without learning to code.

But the Rabbit R1 still suffers from an overarching problem: it could have been an app. It’s unclear why anyone would spend $199 to buy one unless they’re really a fan of the color orange, scroll wheels or small screens. I doubt the software update will be enough to help the company sell many more units. But hopefully it’ll breathe a little more life into the handful of devices that have already been sold.

via 9to5Google