HTC launches blockchain phone, is it the last attempt to subvert Or?

HTC has launched a new mobile phone! However, as a veteran mobile phone manufacturer, releasing a new mobile phone should not be a new thing, but this is not an ordinary mobile phone, this is a "blockchain mobile phone" that has been very popular recently. Since 2018, blockchain fever has quickly occupied the world and become one of the hottest topics in the technology industry. As a technical implementation object that brings together various advanced technologies, mobile phones usually become a test field for advanced technologies. Naturally, people will also think about whether blockchain can be used on mobile phones, and the concept of "blockchain mobile phone" was born.

As an old mobile phone manufacturer in Taiwan, HTC's mobile phones are often novel in appearance and expensive. Owning an HTC phone used to be a symbol of the rich. However, with the rapid development of local brands such as Xiaomi and Huawei in recent years, HTC's mobile phone business market has been squeezed and stretched. In recent years, HTC's new products are difficult to surprise people. Is the blockchain phone launched this time a subversive work, or just "riding on the popularity"?

What can the HTC blockchain phone do?

It is understood that HTC's blockchain phone is codenamed Exodus, which seems to have a profound meaning. The English meaning is the "Exodus" in the Bible, which tells the story of the Israelites leaving slavery in Egypt under the wonderful guidance of Jehovah (God) and his chosen people, the Israelites. It seems that HTC has high hopes for this blockchain phone.

Focusing on cryptocurrency. Exodus will provide a system-level wallet function with built-in security hardware to support digital cryptocurrency and decentralized applications. According to HTC's vision, they will use Exodus phones as nodes to form a native blockchain network in the future to support cryptocurrency transactions between users.

The design drawings of HTC Exodus have also been exposed. From the drawings, it can be seen that this new phone adopts a single-camera design, continuing HTC's consistent ID style.

Currently, the Exodus phone is tentatively scheduled to support BTC, ETH and other major cryptocurrencies. At the same time, HTC is also considering supporting users to purchase Exodus phones with cryptocurrencies, but the price has not yet been announced.

Phil Chen, head of HTC’s blockchain phone, said:

“We envision a phone where the owner holds their own keys and owns their own identity and data, with your phone being the hub. With Exodus, we will begin supporting the blockchain technology that underpins Bitcoin, Ethereum, Dfinity, and Lightning Networks. We will support the entire blockchain ecosystem and will announce many more exciting partnerships together in the coming months.”

Blockchain phones are likely to follow the trend, mining and security become the mainstream direction

Exodus is not the first blockchain phone. It has many competitors, such as Candy, Foxconn, Changhong, Lenovo, etc.

The current blockchain phones are mainly divided into two camps: mining and security.

• Mining: Candy Genesis Blockchain Phone and Changhong R8 Kirin Phone. These two "blockchain concept" phones actually use the hardware of mobile phones to mine and obtain universal points. However, the blockchain products using the "mining model" have caused doubts in the industry. This model has even made people tired, and there is almost no more innovation. Some users even bought a large number of mobile phones for mining, which has violated the original design intention of the mobile phone.
• Security: Lenovo S5 and Foxconn Finney, according to Chang Cheng, the person in charge of Lenovo S5, they use "blockchain" technology in the underlying system of the Z space payment area, the encrypted secure payment space built into S5, which can make payment safer, and there is no more introduction. The industry also doubts the encryption security used by Lenovo mobile phones.

Foxconn Finney can be said to be the most popular "blockchain concept" mobile phone at present. This mobile phone is jointly launched by Foxconn and Israeli technology innovation company Sirin Labs. This mobile phone will go on sale in October this year and will be launched in five countries including the United States, the United Kingdom, South Korea, Vietnam and Japan. The order has exceeded 100,000 units. According to Sirin Labs, Finney blockchain smartphone can safely store and use cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, and users do not need to pay transaction fees when trading cryptocurrencies.

According to the information currently available, the HTC Exodus phone should focus on security, and I hope this phone lives up to its name. Whether blockchain phones are just useless or will subvert the entire mobile phone industry like Steve Jobs did when he launched the first iPhone, perhaps only as blockchain technology matures can we slowly get the answer.