Rubin's new company, which is still just in prototype mode, also seeks to address one of consumers' biggest frustrations as the nascent smart home industry tries to drag itself into the mainstream: getting several disparate devices to work with each other. Silicon Valley has already taken big steps to try and get regular people to buy into the vision of a home that does things for you. Amazon's Echo, powered by its voice assistant Alexa, is a surprise hit. Rubin's former employer followed suit with its own smart home hub, called Google Home, late last year.

In 2014, Rubin left Google, where he had been leading the company's robotics division, (Since his departure, that group was disbanded.) Six months later, he announced his new company, Playground Global, a firm that nurtures young hardware startups, Essential is Rubin's first return to a iphone case pink true entrepreneur role since Android, For the company, Rubin has brought on executives with pedigrees from Google, Apple and Samsung, according to Bloomberg, Life, disrupted: In Europe, millions of refugees are still searching for a safe place to settle, Tech should be part of the solution, But is it? CNET investigates..

CNET Magazine: Check out a sampling of the stories you'll find in CNET's newsstand edition, right here. The guy responsible for Android, Google's blockbuster mobile phone software, is reportedly coming back with a new consumer hardware company and a new high-end smartphone. The man who created Android, the most popular mobile software on the planet, is preparing his follow up act and it involves going after his longtime nemesis: Apple's iPhone and its iOS rival software. Andy Rubin, who left Google more than two years ago after selling his startup to the search giant in 2005, is starting Essential, a consumer hardware company that aims to tie multiple devices together, according to a report Friday by Bloomberg. Rubin will serve as CEO.

Lenovo's invitation for MWC 2017, This could be hinting at a new Moto phone, most likely a device in the the midrange G-series (since the higher-end Motos are usually announced later on in the year), It's also possible that Lenovo will showcase more Moto Mods (modular accessories that work with the Moto Z phones) due to the fact that the company is expected to release at least 12 in 2017, CNET will be on the ground reporting from MWC 2017, so be sure to iphone case pink check back for all the mobile news, Lenovo's invite for its annual event at Mobile World Congress hints at a new Moto phone..

Though the dust has barely settled from CES 2017 last week, events and invites for Mobile World Congress, the largest trade show for the mobile industry, are already rolling out. Held every year in Barcelona, MWC is often the place to see new phones from Samsung, LG and others. Lenovo, which acquired Motorola in 2014, is also planning something for the conference, as it rolled out event invitations today. Though details are sparse, the event is scheduled for February 26, and the invite depicts a Moto phone casting a shadow in the shape of the famous Sagrada Familia church in the Spanish city.