Essential’s Project Gem phone is about as ugly as what the guy behind it did to the women under his employ while at Google
Former Google exec Andy Rubin made a name for himself back in 2014 when revelations of sexual harassment came to light against former female staff at Google. The company “totally” did the right thing by sacking Rubin and giving him a $90 million exit package for being an alleged douche canoe that took advantage of women and who may or may not have run a sex ring.
Now his new company Essential has launched a new smartphone into the market to much attention, mostly positive because tech bros just want their sweet smartphones. The device is striking in that its essentially just a normal smartphone but cut in half vertically reminding me of those cameras all the YouTube vloggers used circa 2008.
Whatever you may think of Rubin the phone itself looks like a children’s toy, or at the very best one of those Sony dictation mini-cassette tape players that every business dad had back in the day. The new form factor also means that a totally custom UI had to be created to fit everything into the long screen. Not sure who this phone targets but Essential seems to think there’s a market.
Rumors indicate that Project Gem will focus on voice and features a walkie-talkie button which makes this thing even more annoying. Just imagine people out in public yelling loudly at their Wii Remote to open Facebook, canceling that meeting explaining how not to force someone to have sex with you, asking for directions to your sex ring potluck, or pretty much any action requiring you to yell at your phone.
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