Essential said to be developing new AI-Phone that would automatically respond to messages for you

Essential, the startup run by Android creator Andy Rubin said to be working on a new kind of smartphone that will mimic its owner and automatically respond to messages on their behalf, according to sources. To pursue this project, the company said to have put aside all the other projects. The company had a smart home speaker in the development but paused it months after canceling the smartphone that has been in the works. Since Essential PH-1 wasn't a smash hit among the masses and the company is abandoning the effort partly because the product is too similar to others on the market. Moving along, the design of the upcoming new phone isn’t like a standard smartphone. It would have a small screen and require users to interact mainly using voice commands, in concert with Essential’s artificial-intelligence software. The main idea behind this product is to book appointments or respond to emails and text messages on its own, according to the people familiar with the plans. Users would also be able to make phone calls from the planned device. This would also be the company's last ray of hope to break into the smartphone market dominated by Apple, Samsung.  As novel as the concept ...