Over at Android Authority, Mishaal Rahman managed to download Rabbit’s launcher APK on a Google Pixel 6A. With somewhat tweaking, he was capable of run the app as if it had been on Rabbit’s personal gadget. Utilizing the volume-up key instead of the R1’s single {hardware} button, he was capable of arrange an account and begin asking it questions, simply as if he was utilizing the $199 R1.
Rahman factors out that the app most likely doesn’t supply the entire similar performance because the R1. In his phrases: “the Rabbit R1’s launcher app is meant to be preinstalled within the firmware and be granted a number of privileged, system-level permissions — solely a few of which we had been capable of grant — so a number of the features would doubtless fail if we tried.” However the truth that the software program runs on a midrange cellphone from nearly two years in the past means that it has extra in frequent with a plain ‘ol Android app than not.
The R1 isn’t alone; Humane’s AI pin appears to run on a version of Android’s open-source software program, too. But it surely’s the R1 within the sizzling seat proper now as the primary critiques have began to trickle out — and they’re not great, Bob. Rabbit issued its first software update earlier at present to handle some complaints, together with a fast-draining battery. That difficulty appears to be higher managed post-update; my R1’s idle battery efficiency is vastly improved after downloading the replace this morning.
However the greater downside is that the R1 simply doesn’t do sufficient helpful issues to justify its existence when, , telephones exist. We’ve reached out to Rabbit for touch upon this, and we’ll replace this text if the corporate has a press release. Within the meantime, it appears to be like like this AI gadget could have just been an app in any case.