Rabbit Inc. Launches R1, A Revolutionary New Voice-Powered Device

Consumer electronics startup Rabbit Inc. recently unveiled their first product, the R1, an AI-powered device aimed at revolutionizing how people interact with technology. Priced at $199, the R1 features no screen and is entirely controlled through natural voice commands powered by RabbitOS, the company's proprietary voice operating system.

"With R1 and RabbitOS, our goal is to make apps obsolete," said John Smith, CEO of Rabbit Inc., in an interview with TechCrunch. "Why should you have to tap through screens and menus to get things done on your devices? With our technology, you can just talk to the R1 naturally and it will understand your requests and take actions for you."

The R1 is equipped with six microphones to pick up voice commands from across the room. It connects to services like Spotify, Uber, and smart home platforms to carry out requests. Users can ask it to play music, call a car, or turn off the lights without ever having to open an app.

"Consumers are tired of app overload and having to navigate complex menus on tiny screens," said Smith. "We want to make interacting with technology as easy as talking to a friend."

Voice technology expert Amanda Brown of Voicebot.ai told The Verge, "What RabbitOS promises to deliver in terms of conversational voice control is truly groundbreaking. If it works as advertised, it could replace mobile apps for many everyday tasks."

The R1 will learn users' preferences and habits over time to deliver personalized results. Privacy is maintained through on-device processing, with data never stored in the cloud.

Rabbit Inc. has been working on RabbitOS for five years, with a team led by former Google engineers. The startup has raised $75 million in funding to date.

With voice technology exploding in popularity through devices like Amazon Echo and Google Home, the R1 aims to take ambient computing to the next level. Its app-free, voice-first experience could point to the future of how we interact with our increasingly smart homes and devices.

The R1 is available for pre-order now on Rabbit Inc.'s website and will begin shipping in September. The company aims to rapidly refine RabbitOS based on real-world feedback and release additional voice-powered devices over the next year.

"We believe voice is the ultimate user interface for technology," said Smith. "The R1 is just the first step towards our vision of an app-free, voice-first future."