Essential 360 Degree Camera for Essential Phone

Describe your product in 3 words.

Freedom is Essential

How did you come up with the idea for this product?

I know people are going to ask me a lot of questions about why I started this company. Why didn’t I just travel the world, ride my motorcycle, tinker with my robots, hang out at my bakery with friends and family. And to be honest I still do ask myself that sometimes…but not too often. So why did I create Essential? Well, my hardware engineers wanted me to talk about how we are bringing real passion and craftsmanship back into this category. My software engineers wanted me to talk about our vision for making all devices, even those we don’t make ourselves, play well together. My partners wanted me to talk about how we are using methods that could change how successful technology companies are built forever. And this is all true. But the real reason is because of what happened during a night out with an old friend of mine. As the night went on we inevitably began talking about what we didn’t like about the current state of technology. Less and less choice. More and more unnecessary features cluttering our lives. An increasing sea of products that didn’t work with one another… And just when I was about to drop another criticism it hit me: I am partly responsible for all of this. For all the good Android has done to help bring technology to nearly everyone it has also helped create this weird new world where people are forced to fight with the very technology that was supposed to simplify their lives. Was this what we had intended? Was this the best we could do? I left that night reflecting deeply on what was great and what was frustrating with the current state of technology today. After another long talk with my friend we decided that I needed to start a new kind of company using 21st century methods to build products for the way people want to live in the 21st century.

What makes your product special?

This is what we believe: • Devices are your personal property. We won’t force you to have anything on them you don’t want to have. • We will always play well with others. Closed ecosystems are divisive and outdated. • Premium materials and true craftsmanship shouldn’t be just for the few. • Devices shouldn’t become outdated every year. They should evolve with you. • Technology should assist you so that you can get on with enjoying your life. • Simple is always better.

What has been the best part of your startup experience?

I have used the above principles to inform everything Essential is doing and they have helped me attract some of the best and brightest people from all over the world to join me in bringing this vision to life. We won’t achieve everything we hope on day one, but if you’re one of those people who also thinks it’s time for something new, please have a look at www.essential.com to learn more.