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Lawsuit claims Essential stole modular accessory tech
Andy Rubin's Essential Products is facing more legal troubles. The ex-Android chief's company previously found itself in hot water with smartphone accessory maker Spigen over its use of the "Essential" name. Now -- less than two months since the release of the Essential Phone -- it's getting sued for allegedly stealing trade secrets relating to its modular connector, reports Reuters. Keyssa, the company behind the lawsuit, is best known for developing a wireless standard that lets you make gigabit-sized transfers in seconds. Its backers include Nest co-founder Tony Fadell, Samsung, and Playground Global (the venture fund Rubin heads).
Amazon invests in Andy Rubin’s Essential phone project
Amazon is dipping more digits into the hardware market. Along with Chinese powerhouse Tencent, the shopping juggernaut has announced an investment into Andy Rubin's Essential Products Inc. via the Alexa Fund, the Wall Street Journal reports. Other details are scant, like how much either of those contributed to the $300 million funding. But we do know that while the PH-1 handset is exclusive to Sprint here in the US, you'll be able to buy one at Amazon or Best Buy at launch.
Spigen has a trademark beef with Andy Rubin's Essential Products
We're still about a month away from the first Essential Phone hitting the market, but there may be a problem. According to documents provided to Android Police, well-known mobile accessory maker Spigen has trademarked the Essential name for certain accessories it builds (battery packs, chargers and Bluetooth headphones), and is worried that Andy Rubin's new outfit could cause confusion. Spigen claims the new company has had its trademark attempt rejected twice, and because Essential Products is moving forward anyway, Spigen sent a cease-and-desist letter. The response from a spokesperson? "Essential believes they are without merit and will respond appropriately." Essential is hardly a unique designation, but the close quarters of the products are interesting, even if the newcomer seems unbothered.
Andy Rubin's Essential phone should ship next month
During an interview with Walt Mossberg tonight at the Code Conference, Android creator and now Essential Products CEO Andy Rubin showed off his latest creation, the Essential Phone. When it was announced this morning and reservations opened the company didn't say much about when to expect shipments, but in response to a question from Mossberg, Rubin said that he "wouldn't take reservations if it wasn't going to ship in, you know, 30 days or so." He also mentioned that the company's Home assistant would be able to support AI helpers from other companies like Google, Amazon or Apple (if they choose to make them available on its Ambient OS).
Android creator Andy Rubin teases his new smartphone
The creator of Android, Andy Rubin, is building a new smartphone -- and today, he shared the first image of his mysterious hardware. It's just a tease, revealing only the corner of the phone, where battery, time and network information is displayed in tiny white text.
Android creator Andy Rubin is building a high-end smartphone
It turns out the rumors were true: Android creator Andy Rubin is returning to phones with his latest company Essential Products Inc. According to a report from Bloomberg, Essential aims to bring together several mobile and smart home products under one platform and the company will release a flagship smartphone around the middle of this year.
