HTC’s blockchain phone is finally here! Well, to a select few of us… for now.
HTC’s Blockchain Phone
After months of talk, the phone maker is finally releasing limited quantities of its blockchain phone, the Exodus 1.
At a crypto conference in Berlin, the technology giant announced today that it will give access to an early version of Exodus 1 with precedence given to “cryptographers and developers from all over the world.”
These lucky few will be able to get the device first through HTC’s website.
Early Version
An early version of this blockchain phone suggests the company has yet to finalize the product. No doubt, with such innovation, you can bet there will be a handful of other prototypes soon to follow.
For now though and for this Exodus 1, you can buy it using Bitcoin or Ethereum (go figure!).
The phone shares a similar design and body shape to the HTC U12 and runs on Android.
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Security
As you can probably imagine, for a phone built to work on the blockchain, and with the ability to store cryptocurrencies etc., security was always going to be at the top of its agenda.
The phone must keep secure cryptocurrency keys along with the usual phone data. To help it, the company developed a built-in functionality whereby you can access lost data using the blockchain.
As the HTC team explains:
“HTC has developed a unique Social Key Recovery mechanism in case your phone is lost or stolen, or you forget your keys. It is an easy and secure way to recover keys lost in the hardware. It also ensures that HTC does not hold your keys in a central location at any point—you maintain full custody at all times. HTC allows you to pick a few trustworthy contacts, and each one of those must download a key management app. Your seed then gets split using a secret sharing algorithm and is sent to the trusted contacts. Should the need arise, you can successfully regain access to your funds.”
Will HTC’s Blockchain Phone Be A Winner?
With the first handsets of the Exodus 1 available very soon, HTC is, in essence, trialing its new programming and safety functionalities. And nowhere better to get constructive feedback than crypto developers and technology enthusiasts. It may, realistically, take more prototypes to get this blockchain phone truly off the ground in a mainstream way, but all in good time.
Featured Image: Depositphotos /© simpson33
