Nothing recently added a new feature called ‘Essential Space,’ which can be accessed using the Essential Key button. The feature is exclusive to both the Phone (3a) and (3a) Pro. It’s actually really handy, but a lot of people don’t know the best ways to use it yet.
A lot of users assume the Nothing’s new button is just a replica of Apple’s camera control, probably because they were released around the same time and sit in a similar spot on the phone’s frame. But the Essential Space feature is completely different.
So, how does it work, and what’s the best way to use it? Let’s break it down.
What is Essential Space on the Nothing Phones?
Essential Space is a new software feature introduced with the Nothing Phone (3a) series. It’s activated by a dedicated hardware button located just below the power button. Think of it as an AI-powered digital vault, a secure place to store and quickly access your most important information whenever you need it.
How does the Essential Space work? How to use it?
There are two ways to trigger and use the Essential Space on the Nothing Phones:
- Single Press – This will capture the information present on the screen.
- Long Press and Hold – This will record the audio from the device’s microphone and save it to the Essential Space along with the transcribe.
- Double Press – Double pressing the switch will open the Essential Space section. You can access your saved files and information from here.
There are various uses of the Essential Space. You can find your recently captured or saved information along with an AI-powered summary.
For example, if you are reading an article and the Essential Space is triggered while the article is on the screen, it will save the article screenshot along with the summary on the Space.
You can also set reminders for upcoming tasks and events. This can be done either manually from voice mode or a screen grab. A digital to-do.
As for the voice mode, you can use this for multiple purposes, such as recording lectures or an important line from your favourite audiobook or movies. Your recorded file, along with the transcription and summary, will be saved directly to the Essential Space.
You can also use the Essential Space as your travel companion. You can simply trigger the screen grab on the booking/ticket page of your travel plans or hotel bookings, and it will add all the important information to the Space.
You can later access information such as time, duration of the travel/stay, flight and seat information, etc. This will eliminate the need for you to open and check booking details from the web or app again and again.
There were just some of the top ways to use the Essential Space on the Nothing devices. You can use it according to your preference and need.
The Future of Essential Space
Though the features in the Essential Space are quite limited right now, the future looks very bright. Also, it’s worth mentioning that the feature is still in the “beta” phase. The company has confirmed that they are working to add more features to the Essential Space in the future, such as Camera Capture, Smart Collections, Focused Search, and Flip to Record.
Camera Capture will allow the user to send the important images directly to the Essential Space, and then AI will do its job. Smart Collection, on the other hand, will sort the things according to their category inside the Space. Many more features like this will be added in the coming months. And I am personally very excited to put it to the test.
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