PC Magazine - USA (2020-03)

RIP Essential Phone: Android

Founder Andy Rubin’s Startup

Shuts Down BY MICHAEL KAN

A

ndroid founder Andy Rubin is closing down his smartphone startup

Essential, despite teasing a new product only a few months ago. In

February, his company published a vague blog post that said Essential

has “no clear path” to deliver its next planned product.

Last October, Rubin had tweeted out images of “Project Gem,” an unusually tall

smartphone that resembled a remote control. In its post, Essential said it had

spent the past few years quietly developing the product that it hoped would

“more seamlessly” integrate with people’s lives than traditional smartphones.

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