What remained of Essential morphed into OSOM in 2021, promising a privacy-focused smartphone with the hardware that made the Essential PH-1 great. Now, OSOM is reportedly set to shut down within the next week.
OSOM was founded by Jason Kitts, a former core member of the Essential team, and initially planned to launch the OV1, a spiritual successor to the PH-1 in many ways. But that device never made it to market as the company abruptly changed its plans to turn that device into the Solana Saga, an Android-based device that relies on cryptocurrency and blockchain technology. The only non-encrypted product the company launched was a “privacy cable,” which could switch between data transfer and charging modes for privacy. A sequel to the Solana Saga was also planned and has been on pre-order for several months.
But OSOM's future doesn't look bright at all, with news of the company shutting down this week.
Android Authority OSOM is reportedly set to shut down after its founder was sued for allegedly using company funds for personal purchases, which led to fraud. The company is reportedly planning to lay off all of its employees later this week, except for a few engineers to continue supporting the Solana Saga software.
Jason Cates denies the allegations in the lawsuit, and an OSOM spokesman said he was “aware of the outlandish allegations made by a former employee.”
There's no word on what will happen to the second Solana device (it's still available for pre-order now).
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