Essential

As leaked before, Google finally and formally released Android 10, previously known as Android Q, to the world. That, however, might not matter much to most Android users who will still have to wait for their phone makers to roll out the update to their phones, if at all. It does mean that the guessing and waiting game for users has started but, at least for three brands outside of Google's own Pixels, they might not have to wait that long.

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A report today suggests Google's next OS update for smartphones called Android 10, or Android Q, will be released in the first week of September. This schedule fits with the phone list that's already been in play for the Android Beta program for the software that's just reached its final Beta earlier this month. All the Google Pixel phones are on the list, that's almost a given, but what other devices will get Android 10 right away?

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Ever since the Stagefright scare that rocked the Android world, Google has religiously been pushing out updates every month. Most of the time, it’s just full of security patches, unsurprising considering they’re monthly security bulletins. This time, however, Google does have a few treats waiting for Pixel phones. And, as usual, Essential is leading the way when it comes to OEMs rolling out the update to its users.

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Andy Rubin made a tweet today and confirmed that the company he started, Essential, was still in business. The first most obvious reason he'd have said what he did was that the company has more hardware in store - like an Essential Phone 2. But it might just be that he's been pressured by fans to the point at which he couldn't help but give some confirmation that the company wasn't going to leave future customers completely in the dark.

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So you'd like to make certain your phone isn't connecting to anything, hearing, seeing, or sensing anything at all, right? Now you can make that happen. Before now, users needed to gain root access (read: not easy for the average person) and potentially void their warranty. Now it's easy. All you need to know is where to look!

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It's that time of year again but, thankfully, this isn't about that non-holiday that some love and others love to hate. Admittedly, Google could have perhaps chosen a better date to publish its April 2019 security bulletin for Android phones in general and its own Pixel phones. April 1 or otherwise, the security and performance issues they address are no laughing matter and it's very encouraging to see Essential still taking things very seriously.

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Andy Rubin's Essential almost has an HTC and LG problem. Its first and so far only phone, the Essential PH-1, was easily a crowd favorite, especially thanks to its quick and regular software updates. Despite that, the phone's disappointing sales have caused the startup to almost give up on smartphones. Almost. Rumors about an Essential PH-2 abound and it could bring the world's first true in-display camera. Curiously, it might also take on step backward as well.

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Ever since the Stagefright exploit, Google has religiously been releasing updates every month. Most of the time, those have been filed with bug fixes and security patches, most of which have been uninteresting to consumers. This month's update dump, however, might be exciting for owners of the latest Pixel 3 phones, with owners reporting palpable performance improvements. As always, Essential is the first OEM to rush to the frontline, bringing a different kind of treat to its faithful users.

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A set of images created by Essential indicate the company's intentions for a second Essential Phone. Publicly the company's seen better days - in its very short tenure on the scene, the company's released a phone, some accessories, and a chopping down of future products, (at least in the short term.) Lower key evidence shows us this week that Essential hasn't called it quits just yet - they seem instead to be working on a futuristic phone the likes of which we've never quite seen before.

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This morning the Newton email app and organization turned their porch light back on and all apps were returned to full functionality. Almost like they never went out of business in the first place. This return to business is largely because of the acquisition of Newton parent company CloudMagic by the company called Essential. This is the same company that released the Essential Phone PH-1 - that company - and Newton is now available for use by all users, business or otherwise.

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Essential Phone PH-2 appeared in carrier files this week - but we might not be ready for it just yet. If what Andy Rubin predicted is meant to come to fruition, we might have to look to another device to see how well we're prepared for the sort of future for which Essential is prepared. That other device was the Palm Phone (2018) and it did not do very well.

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The Essential PH-1 smartphone is dead. The company has stopped manufacturing the device so any phone you buy will be either through third-party retailers or second-hand resellers. That, of course, doesn’t mean that the company itself is dead. While some may have presumed that, since the PH-1 is so far the only major product it males and sells, that has never really been the case. Now a company exec confirms it’s still alive and kicking but better tame your expectations that there’ll be a PH-2.

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