Smartphone manufacturer HTC has announced that its first native blockchain smartphone called the HTC Exodus. The unveiling of the HTC Exodus is viewed positively as the company is taking a major leap into the cryptocurrency ecosystem.
HTC to release first blockchain phone
The Taiwanese firm’s native blockchain phone is powered by Android. HTC said the phone was developed to provide support for decentralized applications (DApps) like CryptoKitties. With this, the HTC Exodus is expected to feature more secure and stable hardware.
This means that HTC Exodus would provide users with an easy access to a universal cryptocurrency wallet that is native to the device. The company added that the Android-powered phone is also compatible with various protocols. The device further supports interoperability.
HTC’s Exodus is being developed under the dynamic leadership of Phil Chen. In case you don’t know, Chen is instrumental in helping to create the HTC’s virtual reality headset Vive. Presently, he now holds the position as “chief decentralized officer.” He is on the company’s radar to head the firm’s cryptocurrency and blockchain-related initiatives.
“Through the Exodus, we are also excited to be supporting underlying protocols such as Bitcoin, Lightning Networks, Ethereum, Dfinity, and more,” Chen wrote in a blog post.
“We would like to support the entire blockchain ecosystem, and in the next few months we’ll be announcing many more exciting partnerships together. Together, we want to craft the best blockchain & decentralized application experiences to end consumers,” he pointed out.
Chen has also expressed hopes that Exodus’ mobile hardware layer would give end consumer the ability to “truly own their data.”
“I want to see a world where the end consumers can truly own their data (browsing history, identity, assets, wallets, emails, messaging, etc) without the need for central authorities. There is a lot of work ahead of us, but I believe the mobile hardware layer can contribute significantly to our new decentralized world,” he said.
HTC has not yet released a price tag for the Exodus, but the company did hint that it is considering accepting cryptocurrency payments once it becomes available for purchase.
