JOIN USEssential is now part of Nothing
It's been barely a month since the former OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei announced the new startup venture Nothing Technologies Limited. It has announced plans to foray into Internet of Things (IoT).
Now, a report has emerged that Pei has discreetly purchased Essential Products, a dead mobile phone company, owned by Andy Rubin (Android co-founder and ex-Google senior executive).
The application for ownership rights transfer was applied on November 11, 2020, and the formal process was completed on January 6, 2021, 9to5Google reported citing the UK's Intellectual Property Office document.
With this, all the trademarks, logos, and intellectual technology patents used for Essential phones are now part of Nothing.
This comes off as a pleasant surprise, as Pei never revealed plans to launch his own branded phones.
It can be noted Rubin had teased Essential Phone 2 (aka PH-2, Project Gem) in October 2019, which was slated to launch in a few months.
Essential Phone 2 had a radically different design. It was slim, tall, and looked more like a touchscreen-based TV remote than a phone.
On the back, it had a big circular camera module and a fingerprint sensor below. There was no company engraving at part of the device. But, have to say, the colourway of the Essential Phone 2 looked stunning. the company had used colour shift material on the phone's shell; it reflected different colours when looked at from a certain angle.
Unfortunately, the work got derailed and the company winded up its operations in February 2020.
Now, it looks Carl Pei may resurrect the Essential Phone, which may very well become an integral part of the Nothing smart gadget ecosystem. Sweden-based Pei was instrumental in taking OnePlus to the global stage.
With the acquisition of Essential and investment from Alphabet Inc (parent company of Google), Nothing is all set to make a splash in the consumer electronics business arena in the coming months. The company is slated to unveil new products in the first half of 2021.
Get the latest news on new launches, gadget reviews, apps, cybersecurity, and more on personal technology only on DH Tech.