The Android community became extremely excited when Andy Rubin, the founder of the Android operating system, announced that his latest startup, Essential, was building a phone. Even before anything was known about the device, there was an enormous amount of hype around the handset just because Rubin was a part of the company. Unfortunately, after announcing the device, Essential has missed its launch period with no exact release timeline.

After missing its deadline to release the handset, have you lost interest in the Essential Phone?

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Since its inception, Google’s homepage has not changed much. On it, you will see the company’s logo and the search bar. Besides some links around the borders, Google.com is pretty sparse. Then, after Google unveiled a revamp of Feed, rumors started floating around that it would one day be added to the search giant’s homepage.

Do you think Google should place a news feed or something else on its homepage?

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Today, several months after the Galaxy S8 and S8+ was debuted, Samsung finally released the full version of Bixby, which allows for voice interactions with the virtual assistant, in the United States. Along with it comes the ability to interact with some, but not all, of your favorite applications.

Currently, there are 13 third-party applications that work with Bixby. What others apps do you want to gain Bixby support?

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Glass is one of the only products to come out of Alphabet’s X that has made it into the hands of developers and even consumers. The initial product was called the Explorer Edition, but the public-facing project itself was shelved while Google figured out what it wanted from its head-mounted wearable. Today, Alphabet officially announced that it has been working on the next-generation of Glass called the Enterprise Edition.

If Google were to relaunch the Explorer Program or produce a consumer version of Glass, what would you use it for?

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Over the weekend, we noticed that the news articles that are served to users through Google Now are now Accelerated Mobile Pages. AMP links take users to a stripped down version of a publisher’s website that only includes the news story, advertisements, and some site specific styling. What these give users is a clean and easy to read website that doesn’t use their data to load an entire mobile site.

Do you ever find yourself in situations where you would be more likely to click an AMP link rather than a regular one?

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Many believe that virtual reality (VR) will be the next big thing in the way that humans interact with computers and with each other. While adoption of VR has been relatively slow, it hasn’t stopped companies like Google from making its own platform called Daydream that features not only hardware that works with smartphones but also unique software experiences.

Since the launch of Daydream late last year, have you used it? If so, what do you use Daydream and/or any other VR platform for?

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We published our full review of the Sony Xperia XZ Premium this morning (you can go check it out here) and one of the handset’s biggest flaws is the fact that the device, just like pretty much any Sony smartphone in the U.S., doesn’t come with the fingerprint sensor activated.

When it comes to purchasing a new smartphone, especially in 2017, do you expect it to come with a fingerprint sensor?

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Back at CES in January, Honor announced their latest smartphone called the Honor 6X. To keep the mid-tier phone’s price low, the company unveiled that the handset would be sticking with the outgoing microUSB port instead of USB-C. This was met with complaints, mainly because almost every other phone being announced at the show was no longer using the “outdated” port.

Now that it’s 2017, would you ever purchase a smartphone or tablet that still used microUSB?

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This morning images leaked that showed what were supposedly cases for the upcoming Google Pixel 2 and Pixel XL 2. While it is possible that they are real, there were more than a few aspects that made it seem otherwise. Then, several hours later, a render of the Pixel XL 2 leaked, and with it, the confirmation of some the smartphone’s rumored details.

Now that we have seen the cases and the leaked render, what feature of the Pixel XL 2 are you most excited for?

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When Google unveiled the Pixel and Pixel XL late last year, the company announced that the phone would, of course, be available in the typical black and silver colors. What surprised people was a bright blue variant that Google deemed “Really Blue.”

With the next generation of Pixel smartphones supposed to be announced in the coming months, what color do you really hope Google decides to ship the handsets in?

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Android hit a milestone this past month as Nougat — versions 7.0 and 7.1 combined — finally made its way onto 11.5% of devices. Even though the next version of the operating system is set to go live in the next couple of months, this is sort of a big deal as a tenth of the market is now on the latest stable build of Android.

Has your Android phone and or tablet been updated to Nougat yet or are you still waiting for your OEM to upgrade your device?

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When it comes to Android, customization is one the operating system’s key features. Something that isn’t quite unique to Android anymore but is still a core feature is the ability to change keyboards. One of the most popular, Google’s own Gboard, is now the subject of discussion on Reddit because some have been experiencing issues.

If you’re using Gboard on your Android devices, have you experienced the keyboard becoming less stable over the last couple of months?

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Over the weekend, a new leak surfaced that reportedly sheds more light on the upcoming Walleye and Taimen devices. The leak hints at both of the devices’ specs, hardware design, and IO. Based off of these leaks, which of the two new upcoming Google smartphones are you most interested in?

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Over the last several years, HTC has lost most of its Android market share, especially in the US. Even though the phones that the company produces have been high quality and have top of the line specs, many have just lost interest. This year, though, HTC is shaking things up with a new design and a new feature called Edge Sense.

Are you interested at all in the upcoming Edge Sense features? If so, which ones?

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In this day and age, almost everyone has a smartphone. It’s easy to see this because no matter where you go, everyone has a small rectangular device in their hands. And no matter what smartphone you pick up, they almost all look identical. Thankfully, some companies like Samsung make flip phones from the good ol’ days that have been updated to be a bit smarter.

Would you ever replace your current smartphone for a smart flip phone?

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The OnePlus 5 was announced today, and while many appreciated the company’s decision to build a more premium handset, others were upset at the increased cost of the smartphone. As someone who dislikes the OnePlus 5’s price tag, what features would you have happily given up if it meant a less expensive cell phone?

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This morning we got our first hands-on look at the OnePlus 5 and most importantly, its camera. In addition to the flagship’s design change, the biggest addition is a dual camera setup for taking portrait-style photographs and the ability to zoom in without actually cropping down on the image. What is your favorite dual-camera smartphone feature?

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If there is one thing that Twitter users have been begging for, it’s the ability to edit tweets. In response, Twitter has instead decided to introduce a brand new design in its mobile and desktop applications. All jokes aside, do you like the new design that features a round interface or was the old look better?

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Custom launchers are one of the best ways that users can take full advantage of Android’s open ecosystem. Without having to modify their smartphones, users can simply install a third-party launcher and change up the look of their device. Today, Nova Launcher received an update which makes it even better with native Google Now built-in. What other launchers should have this functionality?

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Although we are still several months out from an official announcement, yesterday we got news that “muskie,” believed to be the Pixel XL 2, was being shelved. Then we found information that suggests that “taimen,” a larger smartphone being developed, is being manufactured by LG. Would you purchase the second generation Pixel XL if it were being made by LG?

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A report emerged yesterday claiming that Sprint would be the exclusive carrier for the Essential Phone, a move that was confirmed by Sprint this morning. What this means for customers in the US is that Andy Rubin’s brand new smartphone can only be bought unlocked for full price or through a single carrier. Will the prospects of you purchasing the Essential Phone be diminished if you can’t buy it from a different cellular carrier?

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About a week earlier than we had expected, Google today announced that it would begin pushing out the third Android O Developer Preview. After spending most of the day digging through it, we found a bunch of small yet noticeable user-facing changes. Which of these changes is your favorite?

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Two of the most popular trends in the technology industry today are AI and machine learning. With that, some of the larger tech companies have created voice assistants such as Google Assistant, Alexa, Siri, and now Bixby. So that they can actually be useful, companies are attempting to add the assistants to everything, including speakers.

If Samsung were to one day create a smart speaker powered by Bixby, would you buy it over one from the company’s competitors?

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Several days ago, Andy Rubin officially unveiled the smartphone that his new startup, Essential, had developed. What Rubin believes will make the handset stand out is its ability to add accessories via magnetic pogo pins, such as a 360-degree camera. Do you think the 360-degree camera is compelling enough to purchase the phone alongside it rather than a standalone camera?

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