Android creator unveils high-end smartphone and home assistant device that will work with Siri, Alexa or Google Assistant
Andy Rubin’s Essential Products, whose backers include Tencent and Foxconn, takes on iPhone and Samsung Galaxy S8 with US$699 handset featuring edge-to-edge screen and dual cameras
Andy Rubin, the co-creator of the Android mobile phone operating system, has launched a new company called Essential Products to sell a high-end smartphone and a home assistant device.
Essential, based in Palo Alto, California, said the new Essential Phone features an edge-to-edge screen, a titanium-and-ceramic case and dual cameras. The phone sells for US$699 and will run the Android operating system. The price pits it against high-end smartphones including Apple’s iPhone and Samsung’s Galaxy S8.
Essential also launched a household assistant called Home that looks like an angled hockey puck with a screen. The device will compete against the Amazon.com Echo and Alphabet’s Google Home speaker, which are powered by the Alexa and the Google Assistant voice services respectively.
Essential confirmed the Home device would let the user choose between Alexa, Google Assistant or Siri. It was not immediately clear how Siri would be available on Essential. While Amazon and Google have released the software needed to embed their assistants on devices they do not make, Apple has not done so.
