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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.
