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Don't even try to repair the Essential Phone
The Essential PH-1 (aka Essential Phone) is designed to withstand dents and scratches, but what happens if something breaks on the inside? You can forget about fixing it yourself, apparently. The DIY repair crew at iFixit has torn down Essential's handset, and it's obvious that you're not meant to poke around inside. For one thing, iFixit had to freeze the phone (and break the LCD) just to get inside -- and even then, it still had to get past a mid-frame shield. The USB-C port is soldered on to motherboard, and the abundance of adhesives makes it likely that you'll break something if you somehow didn't wreck the screen going in.
Andy Rubin apologizes for Essential's massive privacy mistake
The suspicious email some people who pre-ordered the Essential phone received wasn't a scam or a phishing attempt at all. Andy Rubin, the company's founder, has apologized and revealed that it was a legit email from an account that's gone rogue. In a statement posted on Essential's blog, the Android platform's creator said the company "made an error in [its] customer care function." It seems a customer service rep used a misconfigured account that sent a single email asking for a photo ID and other identifying info to multiple recipients. As a result, around 70 of them ended up sending sensitive info to "a small group of other customers."
Essential customers hit with deceptive phishing emails
Some customers who pre-ordered the Essential phone have reported getting suspicious emails asking for "additional verifying information." Based on the copy someone posted on Reddit, the email is asking for a photo ID clearly showing your picture, signature and current billing address. The email was sent by an @essential address and looks pretty legit. But since the company says it's investigating the situation and has "taken steps to mitigate" the issue, then it's best to assume that it's a phishing scheme, a scam of some sort or just anything you should not reply to with any identifying info.
Essential PH-1 review: A beautiful blank slate
Andy Rubin was disillusioned. He helped build the Android operating system. He watched as Google acquired the company, and he steered development on the mobile OS for years after that. And somewhere along the way, he grew a little weary of how the smartphone market worked. To hear him tell it, the mobile industry prioritized iteration over innovation, to the point where it centered itself around only two companies: Apple and Samsung. Convinced that Apple's premium phone business model would work for a startup, Rubin set about building his own phone, and here we are. That startup, Essential, offers its new PH-1 as a remedy to the industry's ills. It's a premium smartphone with an impeccable pedigree that embodies progress and choice and openness. That was the idea, anyway. Here's the thing about lofty goals though: You're almost never going to achieve them in one shot. And really, that's the Essential PH-1 in a nutshell. It's an exceptionally crafted device and a stunning first effort from a company that didn't exist 18 months ago. While the PH-1 stands as a testament to Rubin's vision, a few shortcomings keep it from being as truly great as promised.
Essential's startup advantage might come back to haunt it
"Most companies would get a stage, and we'd have lights and music and everything else," joked Andy Rubin as he addressed a group of reporters. "But that really isn't our style." He was casually dressed in jeans and a blue T-shirt with a coffee mug in one hand as he stood in a lobby-like room. The setup was located just a few feet from an adult-size slide and overlooked a farm of cubicles on one side and a cafeteria on the other. It wasn't the typical setting for a major product launch.
Essential's PH-1 strives to be more than just another Android phone
Andy Rubin rose to fame for his role in creating Android, and even after leaving Google, he couldn't quit phones completely. Now he's back with his new company, Essential, to show the world's best phone makers how it's done. I've spent a few days playing with Essential's first device, the PH-1, but that wasn't enough time to fully understand the extent of the startup's impressive work. For now, let's take a closer look at what Essential has delivered, and how it performed over the first few days.
The Essential Phone is finally shipping next week
Ex-Android boss Andy Rubin's Essential Phone will start shipping next week, at least in one color, according to an email spotted by 9 to 5 Google. "As shipment of your Pure White device is still a couple of weeks away, we want to give you the option to change your order from a Pure White to a Black Moon device, which will ship within seven days," it reads. That should be a relief to folks who placed pre-orders, as the device was originally supposed to ship in June.
Essential’s first smartphone is coming to the UK
The first phone from Android creator Andy Rubin's new company, Essential, is coming to the UK. As the Financial Times reports, the startup is holding talks with a number of British carriers, including EE, about a potential exclusivity deal. It seems nothing has been decided beyond an "imminent" release date, which the FT promises will be sometime this year. In the US, the phone will cost $699, or $749 with a 360-degree camera accessory through the Essential website. Sprint will be the only US carrier to stock the phone, which, despite being last place in the "big four" race, might make business sense, as my colleague Chris Velazco explains.
Essential’s exclusivity deal with Sprint might not be so bad
Few Android phones have generated the enthusiasm that Essential's PH-1 has. If you haven't been keeping up, it's a very pretty, surprisingly clever smartphone from Andy Rubin, one of the men responsible for unleashing Android upon the world. On the flip side, few US wireless carriers have fared as poorly as Sprint. In terms of subscribers, it's in last place out of the Big Four. So, it was a surprise for these two companies come together to cook up an exclusivity deal of sorts: Sprint gets to be the exclusive US carrier for the PH-1, leaving Essential to sell unlocked models to everyone else.
Essential phone is exclusive to America’s 4th biggest carrier
Essential's PH-1, the premium handset from Andy Rubin, will only be available on America's fourth biggest mobile network. USA Today broke the news after an interview with Essential's Niccolo de Masi, who said that the device would be a carrier exclusive to Sprint. De Masi told the paper that his company was "partnering with the network of the future," to help get the device into the hands of consumers.
Andy Rubin's Essential is toying with the idea of smart glasses
Now that Andy Rubin's technology startup Essential has emerged from stealth, there's a healthy amount of interest around what the company plans to do to stand out. We've already had our first look at the Essential Phone and smart Home assistant, but a recent patent filing also hints that the Android co-founder and his team could launch smart glasses that look a lot like Snapchat's Spectacles.
The success of Andy Rubin's Essential Phone may depend on carriers
When Android co-founder Andy Rubin left Google in November of 2014, shortly after a major executive shake-up, his next move wasn't particularly clear. All we knew back then was that he reportedly wanted to strike out on his own, which ultimately meant building a high-end phone with a company called Essential Products Inc. And after much speculation and multiple teases by Rubin himself, we now know that device is the Essential Phone, an Android handset with a gorgeous design and top-of-the-line specs.
Essential's Home assistant is slick, circular and not ready
When Essential Inc., the stealth startup headed by Android co-founder Andy Rubin, teased that May 30th would be a big day, it wasn't lying. We've already taken our first look at the Essential Phone -- a slick, powerful and durable Android-powered handset -- but that isn't the only product the company is showing off today. In its bid to take on Apple, Google and Amazon, Essential has unveiled "Home," a new intelligent assistant that it hopes owners will be proud to show off.
This is Andy Rubin’s Essential Phone
After months of teases and speculation, Android creator Andy Rubin has unveiled the first smartphone by his new company, Essential. As expected, the PH-1 is built to be a no-compromise device with top-of-the-line specs and sophisticated industrial design. Taking center stage is a 5.7-inch, edge-to-edge display that rises to the top of the phone, stopping only for the front-facing camera in the middle. The device is made of titanium and ceramic, which the company claims will trump most aluminium phones in the durability department. It's a sleek look with no jarring logos or branding in sight.
Android co-founder teases smartphone reveal date on Twitter (updated)
Android co-founder Andy Rubin teased us with a photo of his new smartphone this past March. The glimpse was small, showing only a corner of the new phone made by Rubin's company, Essential Products, Inc. The company jumped on Twitter today to announce that "something big" was coming May 30. Assuming the hype machine is in full force, this likely means that we will get a glimpse of the Essential smart phone in five days.
BeamBox Essential G2 projector is tiny, available for pre-order
Remember when 190 grams felt feathery light? BeamBox wasn't satisfied with that, and has put its pocket projector on a strict diet, cutting its weight all the way down to 75 grams. The Essential G2 promises VGA resolution on up to a 73-inch projection, though we'd expect the listed 20 lumens to produce usable images closer to 7.3-inches. Alas, you have to expect sacrifices when moving to such miniature dimensions. USB connectivity takes care of both power and image source, though there's 1GB of integrated memory if you don't feel like lugging a comparatively monolithic laptop or netbook along. If this has piqued your interest, a remote control comes as part of the deal and pre-orders are being taken now -- £220, $250 or €240, depending on your local currency -- with general availability set for July 29.
Memorex pumps out new line of Essential TravelDrives
It's hard to say if we've ever laid eyes on a family of portable hard drives with less vigor and pizazz, but Memorex isn't kidding around when it calls these things "essential." Boasting nothing more than the bare necessities, the new line of TravelDrives arrives with 2.5-inch HDDs that pack 160GB, 250GB or 320GB of space. You'll find a USB 2.0 port and a flashing LED to keep you from dozing off, and there's even a few color options to choose from in case you're partial to Spring Blossom, Tropic Green, Caribbean Blue or Cool Silver. At least they start at just $89.99, right?
