HTC is reportedly making a new Android phone powered by Blockchain technology. The phone has been named Exodus and it will include universal cryptocurrency wallets, make trading in cryptocurrencies easier, and will also have hardware support for digital currencies. According to TheNextWeb, who first reported the story, HTC is also working on a payment system that will allow users to buy this phone using crypto coins.
HTC’s blockchain phone vision
Phile Chen, the creator of HTC’s Vibe VR, will also be heading company’s blockchain related efforts. With Exodus, HTC plans on establishing its own cryptocurrency network with all Exodus phones acting as nodes.
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HTC Exodus will support protocols such as Bitcoin, Lightning Networks, Ethereum, Dfinity, and more. Chen wants to support entire Blockchain ecosystem and says that more partnerships will be announced very soon.
“We envision a phone where you hold your own keys, you own your own identity and data, and your phone is the hub,” Chen said At Consensus 2018, a blockchain conference held in New York City.
This isn’t the first blockchain phone that we have heard about, though. The first one was Finney created by Sirin Labs and is yet to hit retail shelves. Finney is a phone that costs $1000 and will allow users to store and use cryptocurrencies while skipping the associated transaction fee.
Is a blockchain phone something that HTC needs right now?
The HTC Exodus will cater is a novelty phone that will cater to a niche audience and we aren’t sure if the digital currency handling experience will be any better than what regular smartphones offer.
At a time when HTC is already ailing, we’d say that all this effort and money would be better spent elsewhere. But we could definitely be wrong. HTC might end up pioneering new smartphone tech that might end up being a big part of our lives moving forward.
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