Testing the Rabbit R1's AI assistant

[The Morning After]( It's Thursday, April 25, 2024. Back in January, startup Rabbit revealed its first device at CES 2024. The R1 is an adorable, vibrant orange AI machine with a camera, scroll wheel, and ambitious demos. Now, the device is being sent out to early adopters (and tech reviewers), and we’ve got some proper hands-on experience to tide you over until we’ve wrapped up a full review. It’s definitely cute, designed by Teenage Engineering, which has put its design talents to use on the [Playdate]( as well as Nothing’s [most recent phones]( as well as [music gadgets](. Like all those things, it combines a retro-futuristic aesthetic with solid build quality, shiny surfaces, glass and metal accents. [[TMA] Engadget]( Then again, the Humane AI Pin was a beautiful piece of tech too, but it was also… rubbish. The Rabbit R1 is a different device. First, it costs $199 — less than a third of the AI Pin’s $700. Humane also requires a monthly $24 subscription fee to use the thing — you don’t need a sub for the R1 at all. Immediately, that’s much better. The category of AI assistant-centric devices is very new, however. Rabbit’s device is different to Humane’s in both hardware and features, but we know the R1 isn’t launching with all its features just yet. There are a few curiously simple tools missing, like alarms and calendar support. Make sure you check out our first impressions [here](. Review incoming! — Mat Smith ​​You can get these reports delivered daily direct to your inbox. [Subscribe right here!]( The biggest stories you might have missed [Mercedes-Benz quad-motor G-Class could be the ultimate EV off-roader]( [TikTok Lite axes ‘addictive as cigarettes’ reward-to-watch feature]( [The best ereaders for 2024]( [JetBlue’s in-flight entertainment system just got a watch party feature]( [Joe Biden signs the bill that could ban TikTok]( The company has called the law ‘unconstitutional.’ That thing that’s been happening since Saturday is still happening. But, well, TikTok still isn’t banned. In[a statement]( the company said it would challenge the law in court, which could delay an eventual sale or ban. [Continue reading.]( [Threads has 150 million monthly users]( Mark Zuckerberg has speculated it could be Meta’s next billion-user app. Threads is still growing. During the company's first-quarter earnings call, Mark Zuckerberg shared the latest user numbers of Meta’s latest spin-off social network, saying the app “continues to be on the trajectory that I hope to see.” Notably — but perhaps not surprisingly — Threads seems to outperform X (formerly Twitter), with analytics firm Apptopia indicating Threads has more daily users than X in the United States. [Continue reading.]( [Windows 11 now comes with its own adware]( App promotions in the startup menu are enabled by default. [[TMA] Microsoft]( The latest update to Windows 11 comes out this week and includes ads for apps in the recommended section of the Start Menu. “The Recommended section of the Start menu will show some Microsoft Store apps,” says the release notes. Apps are apparently from a “small set of curated developers.” Thankfully, you can restore your previously ad-free Windows experience by going into Settings and selecting Personalization > Start and toggling off Show recommendations for tips, app promotions and more. [Continue reading.]( The Morning After is a daily newsletter from Engadget designed to help you fight off FOMO. Who knows what you'll miss if you don't [subscribe](. Craving even more? [Like us on Facebook]( or [follow us on Twitter](. Have a suggestion on how we can improve The Morning After? [Send us a note.]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Youtube]( [Instagram]( You are receiving this email because you opted in at [engadget.com](. Not interested anymore? [Unsubscribe from this newsletter.]( Copyright © 2024 Yahoo. All rights reserved.