Solana (SOL)’s new crypto-native cellphone that will probably be developed by the little-known smartphone maker Osom is much from the primary ‘blockchain cellphone’ to be introduced since crypto and blockchain know-how took an enormous step into the mainstream round 2017. However what precisely occurred to all these different telephones, and did the producers ship on their guarantees?
To seek out out, we dug up experiences of blockchain telephones relationship again to 2018 and seemed on the standing of those initiatives immediately.
Sirin Labs’ Finney cellphone
Finney cellphone. Supply: Sirin Labs
Among the many first firms to announce a purpose-made blockchain cellphone was Switzerland-based Sirin Labs with its Finney cellphone, named after the late cryptographer and Bitcoin (BTC) pioneer Hal Finney.
The corporate itself obtained its funding by means of the fourth largest preliminary coin providing (ICO) of 2017, having raised USD 157.8m from the sale of its SRN token.
And though the worth of the token has collapsed from a peak of USD 3.5 in 2018 to mainly zero immediately, the Finney cellphone was made and nonetheless stays on the market within the Sirin Store.
Furthermore, the Sirin Labs as not too long ago as June 2021 launched an up to date model of its cellphone often called Sirin V3, per a tweet from the corporate.
Pundi X’s XPhone
XPhone. Supply: Pundi X
The xPhone was a smartphone deliberate by Pundi X, a crypto funds agency primarily based in Singapore.
Among the many merchandise that Pundi X has delivered is XPOS, a tool the corporate on its LinkedIn web page says is the “world’s first point-of-sale answer that allows retailers and shoppers to conduct in-store transactions immediately on the blockchain.”
The corporate’s smartphone, nonetheless, seems to be a lifeless venture, with little data to be discovered because the preliminary announcement in 2018.
In response to the announcement on the time, the xPhone was imagined to work with no provider by routing information by means of blockchain nodes. “In contrast to conventional telephones which require a centralized cell provider, XPhone runs independently with out the necessity for that,” the weblog put up mentioned.
Cryptonews.com reached out to Pundi X to be taught in regards to the standing of the venture however has not heard again.
HTC Exodus
Exodus 1. Supply: HTC
In 2018, the smartphone maker HTC introduced its enterprise into crypto with its Exodus cellphone, which reportedly might double as a crypto {hardware} pockets. The cellphone was additionally reported to return with a separate micro working system operating parallel with Android, made by SoftBank‘s Arm Holdings, to maintain clients’ crypto protected.
In 2020, the corporate took the venture one step additional by enabling Monero (XMR) mining on the cellphone by means of a partnership with the ASIC chip design firm Midas Labs.
The Exodus cellphone is among the many ‘crypto telephones’ which have made it, and the cellphone stays on the market to today by way of a devoted web site.
LG’s blockchain cellphone
Supply: lg.com
The foremost electronics firm LG was additionally among the many firms that within the wake of the 2017 bull market wished to safe its share of the rising blockchain trade with a devoted smartphone.
In 2019, the corporate confirmed earlier rumors that it was engaged on a blockchain-powered cellphone, saying that such a cellphone was certainly into account.
Quick-forward to 2021, nonetheless, the corporate, which lengthy had struggled with its smartphone gross sales, mentioned it will go away the smartphone market totally on account of its diminishing market share and the lack of round USD 4.1 billion.
LG has not printed any details about the destiny of the deliberate blockchain cellphone, and the corporate didn’t reply to a request for remark from Cryptonews.com.
Nonetheless, the electronics large has continued to indicate an curiosity in crypto, saying in a press release in March this 12 months that it has added “the event and promoting of blockchain-based software program” as certainly one of its enterprise aims.
Additional, experiences earlier this 12 months even speculated that the corporate might be trying to begin a crypto alternate.
Huobi-affiliated Acute Angle cellphone
Acute Angle. Supply: Complete Community
One other firm that introduced a blockchain cellphone in 2019 was the crypto alternate Huobi in partnership with Complete Community.
In response to experiences from 2019, the event of the cellphone, dubbed Acute Angle, can be funded by means of the sale of Complete Community’s NODE tokens on Huobi. Furthermore, the alternate additionally promised that clients would have the ability to pay for the cellphone utilizing the huobi token (HT).
Nonetheless, there was no data printed by Huobi or its companion Complete Community on the standing of the cellphone since 2019. At this time, Complete Community’s web site is not accessible, the corporate’s Twitter account has not shared something since 2019, whereas the most recent put up on its Weibo account is from 2020.
In the meantime, the worth of Complete Community’s NODE token has fallen to mainly 0, however the token stays tradable on Huobi International.
Cryptonews.com reached out to Complete Community however has not heard again.
Samsung KlaytnPhone
Supply: klaytnphone.com
Final on our record is a cellphone from South Korean electronics large Samsung, mentioned to be powered by Kakao subsidiary Floor X’s Klaytn blockchain platform. The cellphone was primarily a particular restricted version of Samsung’s Galaxy Notice 10 phone-tablet (phablet).
In response to preliminary experiences in regards to the KlaytnPhone from 2019, the one actual distinction between KlaytnPhone and an everyday Galaxy Notice 10 is that the previous comes with a crypto pockets and sure blockchain apps put in. As well as, 2,000 KLAY tokens are given to all cellphone clients.
Per the cellphone’s devoted web site, KlaytnPhone is “the primary and solely smartphone that provides straightforward and seamless expertise for customers interacting with iGaming platforms and blockchain-powered providers.” The web site added that the cellphone permits customers to “expertise an all-in-one blockchain ecosystem from token to pockets to blockchain utility.”
In response to the identical web site, the KlaytnPhone is simply accessible for patrons in South Korea.
Cryptonews.com reached out to the makers of the KlaytnPhone to be taught in regards to the standing of the venture however has but to listen to again.
