Live data from Hacker News

Essential Products – Andy Rubin’s new hardware company

essential.com

41–50 of 255 posts

Re: Essential Products – Andy Rubin’s new hardware company

#41
post #36

They seem to avoid mentioning the version of Android they are running - the specs only say "Android". I'd like to be exited about this, but this uncertainty combined with the fact that their security personnel is a team of dogs[1] makes it quite hard for me. [1] https://www.essential.com/about

I thought you were being unimaginably rude until I went to the page and saw that there were actual dogs listed.

Re: Essential Products – Andy Rubin’s new hardware company

#42

Interesting. So he's started a new company to focus on products that have "play well with others" as a design concept. I like the idea he's promoting with the phone where all the accessories either magnetically connect or a wireless connection. I hate having to purchase the same things over and over again.

I found it ironic that they talk about how annoying dongles are, but still the phone requires a dongle for headphones

Re: Essential Products – Andy Rubin’s new hardware company

#44
post #30

This is the first paragraph that shows up when seeing the site in mobile safari: > I know people are going to ask me a lot of questions about why I started this company. Why didn’t I just travel the world, ride my motorcycle, tinker with my robots, hang out at my bakery with friends and family. And to be honest I still do ask myself that sometimes…but not too often. 1. Maybe I'm not geeky enough, but I don't know who…

... my thoughts exactly.

And, just to make doubly sure there's no chance anyone will know WTF this is all about, let's present it all using an illegible (but no doubt extremely hipster) grey text on a grey background website design!

Re: Essential Products – Andy Rubin’s new hardware company

#45

I'm drowning in a pretty website with no summary of what I am looking at.

I think they're selling a new Android phone, plus some accessories like a 360 camera, but the site makes it seem like the 360 camera is the main product.

I got that it was a home device like Google Home or Alexa.

The phone part of the site didn't show anything for me.

I didn't see mention of a camera!

Re: Essential Products – Andy Rubin’s new hardware company

#46
post #36

They seem to avoid mentioning the version of Android they are running - the specs only say "Android". I'd like to be exited about this, but this uncertainty combined with the fact that their security personnel is a team of dogs[1] makes it quite hard for me. [1] https://www.essential.com/about

Moreover, their whole website is not accessible when JavaScript is blocked, leaving the impression that security-minded people are not their target audience at all - which is really a pity!

Re: Essential Products – Andy Rubin’s new hardware company

#47

I'm drowning in a pretty website with no summary of what I am looking at.

It's literally the same concept as Apple's Mac Pro website, and there's a picture of a phone you haven't seen before when you open it. How obvious does it need to be?

There's a picture of a phone, a founder's story and a description of a separate camera.

It is not at all obvious what the webpage wants to tell me.

Re: Essential Products – Andy Rubin’s new hardware company

#48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah the website is a total mess. First visual I see is a picture of Andy Rubin (???). Anyway, AFAICT, it's an android phone made from titanium and has some cool looking attachments. Is there enough money in $750 Android phones like this? I would imagine this is a commodified market.

It would be, but the titanium, full screen and accessory systems are USP's.

Full screen has already been done by Samsung and Apple is likely to be releasing a full screen iPhone 8/X/? around September. And most people use cases so the titanium isn't that compelling. Accessories typically just use Bluetooth to communicate so that isn't much of a USP either.

Re: Essential Products – Andy Rubin’s new hardware company

#50
There are very good reasons that aluminum is the best option for a mobile phone, rather than titanium. The most important is environmental. Aluminum is more abundant than titanium, it is easier and friendlier to extract/process. It can be recycled (very important!) and it is cheaper. Aluminum also has much better technical qualities. It is much lighter weight and easier to machine. It is softer, which means the casing will absorb most of the force from an impact when you drop your phone. And as others have pointed out; your screen or battery will break long before the structural casing. I have personally never been bothered with scratches on the casing of my iPhone. I'm much more worried about the overall environmental impact of the device.
Post reply on HN