The man who gave us the AndroId has now moved on to what could be the next big thing.
Andy Rubin, who co-founded Android and then sold it to Google in 2005, is working on a mobile phone with edge-to-edge display. Adding further gloss to this device will be an artificial intelligence-based software, similar to Siri, Google Assistant and Cortana.
The game-changing phone’s going to be rolled out sometime this year. Rubin says he wants to push his device against the iPhone and Google Pixel. That’s going to be a big ask – but if there’s anyone who knows how to take on tech Goliaths, it’s Rubin.
According to reports, Rubin’s new company, Essential, is working on a slew of smart home products that’ll be connected via the Internet of Things.
But the flag bearer for Rubin and his new brand will be a high-end phone with edge-to-edge display a la the Mi Mix from Xiaomi. And, like we said, it will also boast of heavily integrated AI software.
Rubin has predicted that AI is going to be a influential fulcrum of smartphones in the future, now highlighted by efforts from Google and Apple.
The phone is likely to be priced around $749 (Rs 51,000 approximately), which puts it at par with the Samsungs and the LGs of the world.
It’ll be intriguing to see if the Android man could sprinkle his magic over AI, and give the world a truly phone-integrated AI companion.
AI Matched with Modular Prowess
But AI isn’t the only feature that Rubin wants his supposed flagship phone to have. He is also keen on making it modifiable a la Google’s Project ARA (which is now a closed chapter).
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Google Shelves Project Ara - Phone With Interchangeable Parts?
This basically means cameras that can be upgraded, hardware that can be tweaked, as and when required, and lots more. A modular phone was a fancy concept that sadly failed to see the light of day. But we’re hopeful that Mr Rubin can give it a much-needed resurrection.
Motorola and LG have come close to giving us market-ready modular phones with the Moto Z (Mods) and the LG G5. But its hard to define them as the ideal benchmarks just yet.
Android isn’t only thing that Rubin is renowned for. He also worked with multiple tech companies for PDAs back in the day. Now, we wait with bated breath for his latest offering.
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