Taiwanese smartphone maker HTC will introduce their first Blockchain phone to the market in October, the device will be available for purchase with Bitcoin.
HTC First Major Blockchain Powered Smart Phone
HTC has become the first major producer of smartphones to bring a product to market with dedicated blockchain encryption. The Taiwanese company announced at the Consensus 2018 Blockchain Conference in New York that the blockchain based Exodus will be available in October. According to information from HTC the phone has a “built-in secure hardware enclave” that will store users information and cryptocurrency on the device securely.
Exodus project leader and creator of HTC’s Vive Headset Phil Chen said “There is a lot of work ahead of us, but I believe the mobile hardware layer can contribute significantly to our decentralized world,” Chen went to highlight the phone’s capabilities saying;
“I want to see a world where the end consumers can truly own their data, such as browsing history, identity, assets, wallets, emails, messaging, without the need for central authorities.”
To begin with, the Exodus will support major networks such as Bitcoin and Ethereum with others expected to come on once the phone is in circulation. Each Exodus phone will serve as its own node in the greater make up of the network that forms its native blockchain system to support cryptocurrency trading between users. It will also support decentralized applications (dApps) for Android and have a universal wallet to securely store its owner’s cryptocurrency. HTC has further embraced the digital market by making the phone available for sale through cryptocurrency.
HTC Joins the Fray of New Generation Smart Phones
Though the Exodus may be the first blockchain powered phone by a major manufacturer, HTC joins a long list of phone companies that have either released or have announced dedicated blockchain devices. Sirin Labs in partnership with Foxconn has their $1000 Finney device which allows users to store and use digital currencies without paying any transaction fees.
Earlier this month Huawei, the third largest handset maker in the world, announced their first digital currency app would be pre-installed on all new phones and available for download in the second quarter for older models. The Bitcoin wallet app was developed for the phone company by Bitmain the Chinese based Bitcoin mining hardware manufacturer.
Other Chinese phone manufacturers have announced the development of similar blockchain powered devices soon to be available including Sugar which claims to be developing a phone that can mine Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.
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