New handset sports new form factor and iridescent colors.
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| © Provided by CBS Interactive Inc. Essential Products' new handset has a new shape and sparkling colors. Essential Prodcuts |
Essential Products CEO Andy Rubin gave us a peek Tuesday
at the next handset from his phone maker, and it's a bit provocative.
The gadget sports a shape we don't typically associate with smartphones, and some pretty wild colors.
The handset, as shown in an image Rubin tweeted out, is long and
slender and will apparently come in bright colors provided by what he
calls "GEM Colorshift materials." The handset will also feature a new
user interface to accommodate the "radically different form factor,"
said Rubin, the creator of Google's Android operating system.
And some new iridescent colors to go along with them:
No word on when we can expect this new handset to show up in consumers' hands.
The tease comes after a credible report that Essential is in trouble
A year go after the startup cut about 30 percent of its staff and
reportedly canceled its second phone. The company had reportedly spent
over $100 million developing its first set of products, of which only
the original phone and its 360-degree modular camera attachment
shipped.
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