this post was submitted on 04 May 2024
533 points (95.1% liked)

Technology

55701 readers
3653 users here now

This is a most excellent place for technology news and articles.

Our Rules

  1. Follow the lemmy.world rules.
  2. Only tech related content.
  3. Be excellent to each another!
  4. Mod approved content bots can post up to 10 articles per day.
  5. Threads asking for personal tech support may be deleted.
  6. Politics threads may be removed.
  7. No memes allowed as posts, OK to post as comments.
  8. Only approved bots from the list below, to ask if your bot can be added please contact us.
  9. Check for duplicates before posting, duplicates may be removed

Approved Bots

founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
L3s
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
enu
[email protected]
L4s
533
Rabbit was once an NFT company that it wants you to forget about (www.xda-developers.com)
submitted 2 months ago by FlyingSquid to c/technology
87 comments fedilink hide all child comments
top 50 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] dojan 199 points 2 months ago (6 children)

I mean these kinds of "AI companions" are grifts anyway. They won't take off because they are a solution looking for a problem. They aren't as affordable as the entry level HomePod/Amazon Pod/Google Home units, so they can't be bought as a "why not, and it's a speaker anyway" type thing. They don't have any secondary functionality you don't already have in your phone.

And if that's not enough, you can bet your cute arse on that Apple and Google are both working on bringing LLM functions into their assistants, basically making these units obsolete.

The moment that these companies decide that they can't afford to pay for servers and API subscriptions anymore, the service will die and you'll end up with a colourful brick. Don't buy these things, they're unfinished and will die within a year or two.

[–] PseudorandomNoise 62 points 2 months ago (5 children)

The ultimate issue is exactly what you said; phones exist. I’m not carrying another voice assistant around when both Siri and Google Assistant can be installed on my phone.

Based on MKBHD’s review this whole product category definitely screams “solution in search of a problem”

[–] GamingChairModel 21 points 2 months ago

Like, I can imagine a world where a smart watch replaces my phone for day to day stuff, but that's because I'm in that weird space where I prefer a laptop for almost anything serious, but still appreciate the convenience and functionality of remaining connected wherever I am, even if I'm on the move.

But another device I need to keep in my pocket? What's the point?

[–] AIhasUse 11 points 2 months ago (3 children)

Rabbit has a SIM slot. I think the idea is that once its software gets better, it will be able to be a replacement for a phone for people who just want to quickly do simple things. Its battery seems to be pretty rubbish, though, and for now, the software is not nearly good enough.

[–] Thatuserguy 23 points 2 months ago (3 children)

But you can literally buy a cheap android phone for less than this device that does everything it does (and might do some day), maybe even better. Why buy a strange and unfamiliar form factor, when most people are comfortable with a smartphone already? They can just choose not to interact with anything other than the assistant if they really want to, and still be better off.

load more comments (3 replies)
[–] [email protected] 11 points 2 months ago (1 children)

The rabbit is also just an android apk. You could literally install the rabbit on a cheap phone if you'd like. It's beyond useless.

What someone needs to do is put something similar into something all cutesy like a Furby, and sell it for kids. Just a $100 wifi only PG rated thing that can do some fun stuff. It wouldn't change the world, but it could run a few years of actual profiting and not feel like a rip-off.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] [email protected] 8 points 2 months ago (1 children)

But it's just an Android app in a dedicated device that reviews say has a shit interface and battery.

Run it on a cheap phone that does more for less.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 months ago (3 children)

The battery part is fixed now 😂 they were able to give that thing 5x battery lifetime trough a software update

Makes me wonder what they where doing in the background prior this update

load more comments (3 replies)
[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 months ago

Yeah, build this into a watch or Earbud that I already have on person for other reasons but gives me hands free access to a decent AI when I don't have my phone on me, and I might have some interest.

load more comments (2 replies)
[–] Potatos_are_not_friends 34 points 2 months ago (2 children)

Absolutely a grift.

The CEO is a fucking joke. This is their bio on linkedin.

Serial Entrepreneur, semi - Pro Lamborghini Super Trofeo racer, music producer, car and vintage synth collector.

[–] [email protected] 39 points 2 months ago

The resume of someome who had never done an honest day's work in their life.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] Reddfugee42 11 points 2 months ago (3 children)

Solutions looking for problems is a mainstay in multiple industries from material science to chemistry. It's not necessarily a bad idea.

load more comments (3 replies)
[–] helpImTrappedOnline 7 points 2 months ago

They're a solution looking to solve a problem that already has a well established better solution. The modern smart phone and voice assistats have been around for 14+ years....

For all these Ai devices can currently accomplish, our budget $200 phones can do an unmeasurable amount more.

If anyrhing, they should be focusing on the voice assistant aspect - "Hey google, add nearest gas station to my trip" "Here's a list of gas stations (I know you're driving but please review this list and select one using the tiny select button)" {presses button} "Please enable location data analytics to continue"

[–] cley_faye 5 points 2 months ago (3 children)

In addition to being able to run the exact same thing on that phone you already have, too.

Their device does not have any specific hardware for their usage. Even if Google and Apple don't bring any improvement to their own solution, soon enough someone is bound to just provide an "assistant AI app" with a subscription, proxying openai requests and using the touchscreen, camera, micro and speaker that are already there instead of making you buy a new set of those.

[–] FlyingSquid 6 points 2 months ago (3 children)

The "AI" in the R1 is utter shit. Wired eviscerated it in a review.

https://www.wired.com/review/rabbit-r1/

load more comments (3 replies)
load more comments (2 replies)
[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (1 children)

I think there's already a way to forward Google Home requests directly to ChatGPT, I might be wrong though.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] [email protected] 83 points 2 months ago (1 children)

All they had to do was swap NFT with AI and their deck was ready to go

[–] Reddfugee42 15 points 2 months ago

Which is hilarious because they are actually marketing jokes where this is the punchline

[–] [email protected] 71 points 2 months ago (1 children)

From NFT to AI, no surprise there.

[–] FlyingSquid 18 points 2 months ago (1 children)

That was exactly what I was thinking when I read the article. I didn't know that's what they were doing before this, but after reading multiple reviews saying what a piece of shit the Rabbit is, I was not at all surprised they used to hawk NFTs.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 2 months ago (1 children)

It would make me laugh so hard if the thing subtly tried to sell you crypto in its answers

[–] PoliticalAgitator 5 points 2 months ago

Unfortunately, that nightmare is absolutely on its way. The moment companies work out how to secure their initial prompts, they'll start selling product placement. As the technology continues to become more accessible, it will be used for astroturfing and manipulating financial markets.

A decade from now, social media is just going to be an endless flood of secret AI sales reps trying to convince other secret AI sales reps to buy their shit products, vote for their shit candidates or follow their shit investment advice.

[–] [email protected] 43 points 2 months ago (4 children)

damn I forgot about NFTs. That shit was funny

[–] [email protected] 26 points 2 months ago (1 children)

You just don't get it bro, owning jpegs is the future

[–] FlyingSquid 22 points 2 months ago (5 children)

You didn't even own the jpeg. You owned a link to a jpeg which could be switched out with another jpeg at any time.

load more comments (5 replies)
[–] [email protected] 19 points 2 months ago

Scamming people that missed the Bitcoin boom

load more comments (2 replies)
[–] [email protected] 41 points 2 months ago (1 children)

1000004305

[–] AtariDump 5 points 2 months ago

[–] platypus_plumba 33 points 2 months ago (3 children)

Did they forget smartphones exist? Why would I want another device for something my smartphone could do?

[–] [email protected] 9 points 2 months ago

Segmentation

load more comments (2 replies)
[–] MargotRobbie 27 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Plenty of companies pivot when their initial business plan doesn't work out or if the market changes.

For example, did you know that American Express used to be a shipping company like FedEx and UPS? Or Mattel used to sell picture frames before they started making toys? Or Nintendo started out as a playing card company and still sells them today?

[–] [email protected] 36 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Yeah but the people running this seem to only be interested in pivoting between whatever the current grift is. We should come up with a word for people who do that, maybe something like "grifters".

[–] MargotRobbie 10 points 2 months ago

That's a good point. Cryptocurrency and NFTs are not good things to be involved in.

[–] [email protected] 25 points 2 months ago (4 children)

How are they still in business?

[–] FlyingSquid 12 points 2 months ago (1 children)

I'm guessing they won't be for long.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] ZILtoid1991 8 points 2 months ago

Luck. The one that was formed by former English Nijisanji managers went immediately bankrupt, and also had dire consequences to Nijisanji itself (which also tried to step into NFTs at one point if it wasn't for the talents) as those managers were now missing from the company.

Basically if you were lucky and able to sell your NFTs for a hyperinflated price to be used in money-laundering schemes while you also profiting off of them on every transaction. If not, then your life savings were wasted on some crappy commissions.

load more comments (2 replies)
[–] [email protected] 18 points 2 months ago

Why do people care so much that it’s an app? If it was not an app would everyone have been buying it in droves?

At least part of this is due to a direct quote from the CEO mentioning how they need a VERY bespoke Android version for it to run, which is clearly bullshit because you can run the APK on other devices other than the Rabbit R1 hardware.

Since Rabbit was at least partially funded by the "Cyber Manufacture Co" rug-pull and they suffered NO penalty the CEO has taken this as a sign the market will tolerate his scams. You should view the Rabbit R1 through the lens of it being a former "web3" company and I'm sure the shady legacy remains inside that company.

Since Rabbit sells at $199 and then NO monthly charge, there is basically no viable funding model for this company. Every single request you send the Rabbit costs them money. So, it's only a matter of time before the R1 itself is "rugged", whether that's suddenly requiring a monthly fee OR just shutting down entirely.

My guess would be, like the Humane Pin, they wanted to do a monthly fee, but if they did the R1 would sell even worse (since it's basically entirely broken out of the box). If these guys make it 3 years I'll be surprised. And, since the R1 does nothing locally, it turns into a nice paperweight when these guys eventually pull THIS rug.

[–] sebinspace 16 points 2 months ago (2 children)

Then why not just make a new company?

[–] Wispy2891 14 points 2 months ago

Save a few thousands for incorporation fees also some bs experience that you can use to boast to vc investors

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] [email protected] 14 points 2 months ago (1 children)

The enshittification of enshittification.

Yes, I know that is not the correct use of this word given the context, but I think it gets the point across regarding what has happened to tech overall.

[–] Joelk111 11 points 2 months ago

Enshittification is used plenty often enough, we don't need to be using it incorrectly imo.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Where does Teenage Engineering fit into this? Besides being overpriced toys?

[–] FlyingSquid 8 points 2 months ago (2 children)
[–] [email protected] 15 points 2 months ago (1 children)

I think it's cute, but haven't heard a single good thing about it. I also thought the "cyber truck" was beautiful so obviously I have some wires crossed compared to most folks

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] barsquid 4 points 2 months ago (1 children)

I love it. If it weren't overpriced as hell I'd want to buy one to root and install my own apps. The AI portion of it is dumb.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (1 children)

The processor is rather bad. I think that any advantage of the form factor you see will be outweighed by the frustratingly sluggish experience. You'll wan to turn it into a single-purpose device and not handle it often, defeating the purpose of its physical feel.

Anyway, you'll see them all over Ebay when the service inevitably shuts down. If it had volume buttons and a headphone jack, there could be some audio-based use such as a podcast player.

load more comments (1 replies)
load more comments
view more: next ›