PH1
Latest
Essential Phone is available in more countries, including UK and Japan
Essential announced today that it will open up its online store to more countries. Now along with US residents, those living in Canada, France, Japan, the UK and Germany can buy Essential's products through its online shop. The Financial Times reported last July that Essential was in talks with British carriers and that the UK would be getting access to its first phone before the end of the year, but it didn't happen. Canada's Telus carrier has offered the Essential phone for a little while now, but only in limited color options, while Amazon started selling it in Canada earlier this month.
Essential's PH-1 phone is getting new limited edition colors
Essential's first smartphone wasn't exactly perfect, but it was beautifully designed. Its existing black and white models aren't striking enough for everyone, though, which is why the Andy Rubin-helmed startup will soon start pushing out a handful of limited edition color options. And thankfully, the first one to be released is the blue-and-copper Ocean Depths finish the company teased from the very beginning.
Now Essential's Android phone will work on Verizon too
Despite being a retail exclusive at Sprint, the Essential PH-1 has arrived as an unlocked device. However, as mobile fans are unfortunately familiar with, certification with one particular network is always tricky. Tonight Essential announced that its flagship phone is compatible with the Verizon network, just a day after it went on sale in Sprint stores, so owners can drop a SIM in and go on all of the major US carriers. According to Andy Rubin, devices may need to reboot first, but that's it.
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 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.
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.
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.
Alt-week 20.10.12: our oldest primate ancestor, the birth of the moon and a planet with four stars
Alt-week peels back the covers on some of the more curious sci-tech stories from the last seven days. Most mornings, we wake up with little to no idea what happened the day before, let alone last week. Fortunately, they don't let us run important scientific research projects. Or maybe they do, and we just forgot? This week (and most others as it goes) we definitely leave it to the pros, as we get some insightful glimpses at some important origins. Ball Lightning, the moon and even us humans are the benefactors of those tireless scientists, who work hard to explain where it all comes from. There's also a planet with four stars that sees the first few paragraphs of its origin story excitedly written out. One thing we never forget, however, is that this is alt-week.
