TheRabbit R1isn’t a very good merchandise at all , but hidden inside this disappointing AI appliance is a killer television camera mode that almost makes it deserving buy . It ’s called Magic Camera , and at its core , it ’s very standardised toGoogle ’s productive AI photo modes , where AI reimagines the vista it ’s presented with .
What make the R1 different is not only its own unique expressive style , but also how the equipment ’s shortcoming get turn around to become a fun part of the experience . It ’s the most use I ’ve had with the R1 and with AI photography yet . Here ’s why .
What is the Magic Camera?
Do n’t worry if you have n’t hear of the Magic Camera feature film on the R1 before . It was added in a software update many weeks after the initial reviews were published , so if you dismissed the R1 at that time and have n’t paid any attention since , it wo n’t be familiar for that reason . The Magic Camera is n’t a mode on the Rabbit R1 either ; it ’s an AI mental image generator in the swarm , quick and waiting to give photos aim with the R1 a all new smell .
The good news isthat using the Magic Camera could n’t be easier . You simply level the Rabbit R1 ’s camera at your subject and double - press the side button to take the image . From this point , you do n’t have to do anything at all , but it ’s here where we come across the first — let ’s call it anidiosyncrasy — of the R1 and its Magic Camera . You ca n’t view the original or the Magic Camera - generated trope on the gadget at all .
Instead , you have to go down the Rabbithole — and I ’m not just being cute with my choice of words . The Rabbithole is the name for the Rabbit R1 ’s online portal , where all the content captured and generated by the R1 is stored and display . You ’ll necessitate to snap up your phone or head to your computer to see the photos from the R1 , but rather than being a downside ( and going against the whole “ phone replacement ” matter with the R1 ) , it somehow adds to the hullabaloo for me . It ’s almost like waiting for movie to be developed after take photos on holiday .
Turning bad photos into something special
I love the Magic Camera because it make the most mundane , ordinary , and badly composed photos and makes something merriment and heart - catching from them . It ’s also wonderfully unconcerned with the subject issue at times , which allows it to make something new from the original rather than plainly conform it . But when it is aware of details in a photo , it then build its reimagined picture around some of those look . It ’s creative in the best way .
What do I signify ? I ’ll show you . The first picture of my MacBook next to a muffin is poorly framed , taken without any care at all , and would be one I ’d delete from my sound at any other time . But the Magic Camera ignores all this and makes a wizard image from it . Everything is there , from the phone to the flowers , in what you ’ll presently see is the R1 ’s trademark pixel art - flair tone .
The second photo was an accident . I was testing the R1 ’s ocular lookup to see if it could tell me the name of the person on the calendar ( the R1 did n’t know , but it ’s Korean actress and singerKang Hye - won ) , only to find the photo had been given the Magic Camera treatment when I visited the Rabbithole . It take all the element from the photo and even maintains the gay , early - morning ambience in its recreation . See the rabbit on the couch ? That ’s the Magic Camera ’s mascot , and there ’s almost always a hare hidden somewhere in its images .
The final photo here designate the R1 agnize the Porsche allegory on the direction bicycle and then keep it in the Magic Camera image , but then dwell the man beyond the windshield with Porsche - like vehicles . divertingly , it decided to make my right - deal drive car left - hand drive — and a manual of arms to bring up — all at the same time . It often gets even more creative , too , coming up with completely new interpretations of earphone and watches and transmute you into someone solely different for selfies .
Is the camera good?
I love how much fun the Magic Camera can be , and it does a very good job of hiding how horrific the R1 ’s camera in reality is . The quality is very piteous , with no detail , washed - out colors , and a measly 1080 x 1080 pixel settlement , mean the photos it takes are never one you ’ll want to keep . The Magic Camera photos have an even blue resolution , just 1024 x 1024 pixels , but the pixel art dash and digitally provide detail make the most out of it .
Perhaps even worse than the quality of the exposure is the existent experience of taking them with the R1 . The screen , even at maximal luminosity , is almost impossible to see outdoors in the daylight . you could squint and just about make out what ’s in the frame , but there ’s no opportunity to compile a photo . You just point it in the counselling of something when you ’re outdoors and hope for the best . But it does n’t matter because Magic Camera is n’t disturbed about any of this .
The Rabbit R1 takes bad photos , the camera is entirely bare - ivory , and the screen is practically useless unless you ’re indoors . The tv camera shutter is slow to react , and it take prison term to process the exposure before you’re able to fill up the television camera after you ’ve taken it . It rivalsthe Nokia 3210 as one of the least solid photographic camera I ’ve usedover the past yr . Yet here I am , make a point to take photos with it , and it ’s all due to the Magic Camera exclusively ignore the fact that it ’s a severe camera .
AI at its best — or worst?
It ’s very hard to be originative with the Rabbit R1 ’s photographic camera because of its defect , but I do n’t need to be , as the AI does all the originative heavy lifting , aim my trumpery photos and constitute them far-out , centre - catch , and unique . I can safely say that I did n’t take any of the Magic Camera ’s photo , I just take the photos thatinspired them . Depending on how you experience about AI remove on an evermore creative character , this will either shake or cast down you .
I buy the Rabbit R1 hoping to find some personality , as AI in consumer tech at the bit centers around productiveness andother boring , but necessary functionality . I found some of that personality in Magic Camera , and I adore that engineer have spend sentence create a classifiable , cohesive role for its images , rather than either letting it do something new every sentence or just give way us a choice of keywords to mold the final stage result . It ’s AI having sport , and that ’s enjoyable to see .
Just as we were about to publish this story , Rabbit harbinger a new Magic Camera feature called Freestyle . In this feature , you may tell the camera how you want the AI - generated images to bet , such as “ take a picture of this and turn it into a pencil study . ” This sounds interesting , but for me , it has been more fun watching the AI get creative without my input .
While the quietus of the Rabbit R1 has n’t lived up to expectation , Magic Camera has surpassed them due to being given complimentary rein to create spectacular image , but within a cautiously curated set of rule of thumb to check a keep on unique stylus . The added spice is that we have to wait and see the results after hark back home .
The R1 ’s Magic Camera modality is AI creativeness done powerful , and I bang it . But is it worth buy the Rabbit R1 for the Magic Camera ? If you care what you see here , do n’t give care that it ’s not very good at all apart from this , and have $ 200 sit around waiting to be spent , then I ’d actually say yes . It’sthatfun .
