HTC’s new bitcoin smartphone

HTC has announced a new smartphone that is aimed at cryptocurrency investors. The device can only be brought using bitcoin or Ethereum tokens; both of which are a popular type of cryptocurrency that surfaced several years ago. The Exodus 1 from HTC is the first blockchain phone on the market.

Blockchain is a decentralised list of transactions (known as a “ledger”) that are distributed across a network of different devices, instead of being held on a central server. Every user has a private key and a public key which they can use together like a digital signature to create a new block (transaction listing) in their network. Each block is verified by the network and then added to the user’s data chain. Once added, the block’s information cannot be altered.



The HTC Exodus 1 is an Android phone with a security feature that allows you to keep possession of your own blockchain keys, instead of some other company holding them for you. It’s an Android smartphone that functions like all others, but it has this additional locked area that’s protected from insecure parts of Android’s operating services and systems.



The phone was created to assist users with secure investing. It creates a safe system to invest and control cryptocurrencies from, so that users don’t need to worry about logging into their account from insecure locations or using various cryptocurrency wallets to keep their bitcoins in a safe place.



The concept of bitcoin is to create a pure transaction through technology. When a bitcoin is given, the original holder does not have it anymore. Unlike a computer file, a bitcoin cannot be copied and there are no hidden files holding its data. The Exodus 1 helps users ensure that their cryptocurrency isn’t being copied or mishandled.



This new smartphone from HTC will function like a typical high-end smartphone. It has a 6-inch display screen, a 16MP rear camera, and runs on the powerful Snapdragon 845 processor. Even if you weren’t a bitcoin or cryptocurrency investor, the Exodus 1 would still be a great new smartphone to purchase. The phone will also support other decentralised apps which use blockchains and bitcoin, it the hope that the Exodus 1 can help “reshape the internet”.



This isn’t the only smartphone that uses blockchain technology, but it is the first to come from a major phone brand. Earlier this year, Sirin Labs announced their Finney phone. Both phones are still in development, which isn’t surprising considering the steady decline of bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies this year. The future of cryptocurrency could rely on the new products that are looking to integrate the technology; such as smartphones.



Many companies are focusing on innovative ideas, such as smartphones with four rear cameras and folding screens, rather than looking back at the, now declining, area of bitcoin and cryptocurrency. But perhaps blockchain phones, like the Exodus 1 from HTC and the Finney Phone from Sirin Labs, can help give bitcoin and its fellows the boost they need.