latest
Prototype Essential smart speaker surfaces on eBay, but you probably shouldn't buy it
It even runs Android
It's been a long time since Essential went out of business. Founded by the maker of Android, Andy Rubin (who got caught up in his own scandals that led us to cut ties with the company back in the day), it was mostly known for the one-off Essential PH-1. Despite being the only product ever released by the company, it wasn't the only one it planned to launch. A follow-up phone, the GEM, was worked on and then shelved, and Essential also looked into releasing a smart speaker to dive into the smart home segment, the Essential Home. That device, as you may have noticed, never reached the market. But if you'd like to have a taste of what the final product would've looked like, eBay has just what you need. We wouldn't buy it if we were you, though.
First Nothing phone could start shaking up the status quo as soon as this month
Going head-to-head with the OnePlus 10 Pro
Despite buying Essential last spring, Nothing — the company Carl Pei founded after leaving OnePlus — has yet to release a smartphone. That's not to say it has nothing to show for itself, of course. The Nothing ear (1) buds were a surprisingly solid entry in an ever-competitive field, proving the brand's hardware chops without having to take on the risk that comes with launching a fully-fledged smartphone. If recent rumors are correct, it sounds like everything's about to change for Nothing.
Out with the old, in with the new: LineageOS cut support for Android 9 Pie earlier this year, and to make up for the loss, the open-source project has just released version 18.1 based on Android 11. It comes with official support for about 60 phones and tablets.
Carl Pei's new company bought the smoldering wreckage of Andy Rubin's short-lived Essential
Making something from Nothing?
According to a filing at the UK Intellectual Property Office (first spotted by 9to5Google), Carl Pei's new company Nothing has purchased Andy Rubin's Essential. The acquisition was completed on January 6th, and while Nothing's ultimate goals still remain frustratingly unclear beneath an obscured layer of fake viral social media hype, this could indicate that smartphones are a goal.
OSOM plans to release its first privacy-focused product next year
Essential may be dead, but OSOM is starting a life of its own
Essential may not be around anymore, but that doesn't mean the talented team that made up the company is taking a break. Essential's head of R&D, Jason Keats, founded OSOM Products earlier this year with a handful of former employees on board. Now a new interview has revealed a glimpse into the future of OSOM — and it's a vision that's focused pretty much entirely on user privacy.
Newton Mail adds dark mode in first major release since being sold by Essential
No obnoxious Google Meet integration here
The Newton Mail story has had a lot of plot twists over the years. The popular third-party email client announced it was shutting down in 2018, only to be revived by Essential later on. That didn't work out for obvious reasons, but the app returned to life earlier this year and now it's back with a brand-new coat of paint — and some new features as well.
(Update: More info) Former Essential staff have started a new company called OSOM Products
Expect some 'innovative' and 'wild' hardware from a team of past Essential employees
Read update
After launching one of the most hyped Android phones in recent years, Essential came to a sad end in the wake of the Andy Rubin controversy. The company still has a cult following and many are still using the Essential PH-1 despite the fact that it's no longer being supported. Those users will be excited to learn that a bunch of former employees are now part of a new company called OSOM Products, founded by Essential's head of R&D Jason Keats.
Read update
LineageOS is the most-used custom Android ROM around, but that doesn't mean there isn't room for others. Paranoid Android was a popular choice back in the KitKat days, and while the ROM returned in full force with Nougat builds in 2017, there hasn't been much news since. Now the project is back (again), touting Android 10 builds for nine phones so far.
LineageOS 17.1 arrives on the Essential Phone, Moto X 2014, and more phones
The Android 10 custom ROM keeps on chugging
LineageOS 17.1 is the latest release of the popular custom ROM, based on Android 10. The LineageOS project was already providing daily builds for over 60 phones and tablets, but in the time since we last covered the ROM, a handful of additional phones have been granted official support.
Newton Mail is back from the dead once again
Latest reprieve courtesy of two passionate users who have acquired CloudMagic from Essential
The Newton Mail journey has been something of a rollercoaster ride. The innovative mail client had something of a cult following which it clearly wasn't able to convert into profit so its developers announced that it would shut down back in 2018 right after an unpopular price hike. It was then revived by Andy Rubin's Essential in 2019, but we all know how that worked out. Just when we thought it might have been gone for good, Newton Mail has now been acquired by a couple of users who couldn't bear to see it die.
Former Essential employee reveals designs for unreleased PH-2 and PH-3 phones
Essential's second Android phone seemed to be nearly complete
Earlier this year, the Andy Rubin-led smartphone startup Essential closed its doors. The company only ever released one product, the PH-1 Android phone, but it had plenty of canceled endeavors. We already knew about the 'Project GEM' phone-like prototype, but it seems Essential was also working on two more regular phones.
Essential will let you flash Android 11 on the PH-1 thanks to generic system images
The dead don't die?
The Essential Phone was one of a few devices that managed to keep up with Google's Pixel handsets when it comes to system updates, but with the company behind shut down after issues with its quirky GEM phone and the sexual harassment allegations surrounding its founder, we assumed development was completely halted. That doesn't seem to be the case just yet, though — Essential has published a Github repository aimed at making the phone fully compatible with Google's Android 11 generic system images (GSI).
Buy the Essential phone dock that was never released on eBay (Update: Not for sale)
The timing is suspect to say the least
Seeing no clear path to bring its weird GEM concept phone to market, Andy Rubin's Essential abruptly stopped being a company earlier this week. Now, by complete coincidence, a bundle of Essential swag has appeared for sale on eBay — including an unreleased charging dock.
Andy Rubin's Essential launched its first phone in 2017, and it turns out that will be its only phone. After making some news last year with the bizarre Project GEM prototype, Essential has now announced that it won't be releasing that device or any other. Essential will shut down, effective immediately.
Essential is in a strange place right now as a company. Its latest phone is still its first model, the 2017 PH-1, with no direct replacement in sight. Still, Essential is keeping its remaining users happy, as it has once again rolled out monthly security patches at the same time as Google's Pixel phones receive the OTA.
Yesterday, I posted (and shared via Android Police's official Twitter account) that Android Police will no longer be accepting any access from Andy Rubin's startup Essential. That means no more press conferences, briefings, embargoes, or review devices. This came in light of Rubin's announcement of the company's new phone, apparently called GEM.
Read update
It turns out that the folding phone isn't the only weird form factor these days. Andy Rubin, the man behind Essential, just posted the first photos of the company's upcoming phone on Twitter. It's quite the departure from the PH-1, but if you like how tall Sony's 21:9 phones are, you're in for a real treat.
"Announce something," the Essential fan cried last September. "We'll make an announcement," the CEO responded in June. It's been difficult to follow a short, terse conversation spread over several months, much less the saga of what kind of product would follow Essential's first phone — a phone design was supposedly binned, a smart home hub has never been released, and all of this while the company itself was reportedly being considered for sale. Now, we finally have word from the company that it has taken action to get a second product to market.
The Essential Phone is among the first devices outside Google's Pixels to pick up Android 10. We can confirm the OTA is rolling out as we speak for devices running both the previous Android Q betas and the last stable release of Android 9 Pie.
Essential might not have a new phone to sell you, but it does have a free OTA update today. Google has started rolling out the latest Android patches, and Essential has them ready for the Essential Phone, as tradition dictates. Don't expect new features, but security is pretty important, too.