Essential, the smartphone maker started by Android creator Andy Rubin, is turning its focus to creating a new AI-based phone that can manage basic tasks on behalf of the user. People familiar with the matter told Bloomberg that the company has set aside work on a smart speaker and a follow-up to its first smartphone released last year, in order to focus on the AI device.
The new mobile device would be able to book appointments and respond to emails and text messages on its own, based on what the AI software knows about the user and his habits. This is similar to services being tested by Google, such as smart response on Gmail and the Duplex AI agent launching on the new Pixel phones. The Essential device would have a small screen and require users to interact mainly using voice commands, in concert with Essential’s artificial-intelligence software. The device could still be used a standard mobile phone to make calls.
The company is hoping this could be its breakthrough product, as its first smartphone failed to sell in significant numbers. A second Essential smartphone was scrapped as it was found too similar to other devices already on the market.
In an interview with Bloomberg last year, Rubin suggested the phone could become a virtual version of its owner, helping detach people from their smartphones. "If I can get to the point where your phone is a virtual version of you, you can be off enjoying your life, having that dinner, without touching your phone, and you can trust your phone to do things on your behalf," he said. "I think I can solve part of the addictive behavior."
Still, the technology needs to be proven, and go beyond the current generation of digital assistants. As a result, Essential expects to market the product as a complement to people’s smartphones or as a phone for those who want to spend less time tethered to their screens.
