- Former Essential employees have founded a new startup.
- OSOM is focused on giving users more control over their personal information.
- The first software and hardware products are expected at the end of 2021.
After Essential officially closed earlier this year, the company’s former employees created a new startup focused on data protection. Out of Sight, Out of Mind – or OSOM – wants to give users control over their personal information. The news was first posted in September when founder Jason Keats announced the company. Now we have a better idea of what the company could offer its users.
Speak with CNETKeats didn’t specifically name OSOM a smartphone maker. While the company now has nine employees, eight of whom were previously from Essential, OSOM has no plans to follow in the footsteps of the old company.
“Essential came up with 80% of a great idea,” says Keats. “But we had to think about what really brought the last 20% – a focus on something.” That something appears to be a product that companies normally get from their consumers – data.
“It’s really about giving people a choice. There is currently no choice as to who or how private information is shared with. We want consumers to own their privacy and their data, ”added Keats.
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How does the start plan this? Well, a strategy that ties hardware and software together seems on the horizon. Per CNETAccording to the report, the company can bring up to eight products to market within the next three years. When OSOM finally launches a smartphone, it will try to undercut the competition in terms of price without sacrificing features.
“We are not targeting our products at ultra-premium users, but will develop premium products. We can make money out of it because we have a few surprises up our sleeves that will be announced next year, ”says Keats.
OSOM also hopes to work with the suppliers who previously worked with Essential. We can then expect his smartphones to carry Qualcomm chipsets and Sony camera sensors.
Whatever OSOM offers users, the company is determined to give users a choice of what data they want to share. “Everyone has something they want to keep private,” Keats concludes. In his view, this will be the main selling point of the products.
At least the startup has enough time to write Essential’s bugs. The first OSOM product is scheduled for launch at the end of 2021.