The Daily: HTC Blockchain Phone Delayed, Exchange Security Ratings Updated

In Tuesday’s edition of The Daily, there’s a little of everything in the mix: a story about hardware, in the form of the delayed Exodus 1 smartphone, one about security, concerning the latest crypto exchange ratings, and finally a human interest story. This latter tale concerns a war of words between two passionate figures within the cryptocurrency space.

Also read: Cypherpunk Godfather Timothy May Was Lightyears Ahead of His Time

HTC’s Exodus 1 Phone Has Yet to Ship

Customers who made an advanced purchase of the Exodus 1 blockchain phone are still waiting to receive their devices. The crypto-friendly cell phones, priced at 0.15 BTC or 4.78 ETH, were rapidly snapped up by cryptocurrency proponents, who were promised that the devices would ship in December. While there’s still time for that to happen, manufacturer HTC is cutting it fine with Christmas less than a week away.

Figures such as Charlie Lee helped to promote the project, and by early December advance orders for the phone, which features a built-in BTC and ETH wallet, had stopped being taken. In the project’s Telegram channel, buyers have become impatient as they await delivery of their eagerly anticipated phones. “Biggest scam in the history of smartphones,” vented one irate buyer. His assertion, while very wide of the mark, captures the frustration that Exodus 1 customers have felt as they’ve awaited news. Today, Dec. 18, European customers received an email from HTC Exodus that explained, vaguely:

We are contacting you to let you know the shipment of your order has been delayed, as we are currently finalizing the last certification for European devices. We are working hard to get your order to you as soon as possible, and will keep you updated when we have a confirmed shipping date. We apologize for any inconvenience and thank you for your patience.

Cryptocurrency Exchange Ratings Updated

There’s a ratings system for everything within the cryptocurrency space these days, from influencers to coins, and from exchanges to blockchains. In October, news.Bitcoin.com reported on ICOrating.com’s exchange security assessment that deemed 54 percent of trading venues to have security holes of some kind. ICOrating.com has now updated its report to reflect new information and additions that have served to alter its assessment of the top 10 exchanges. Coinbase Pro, which occupied the top spot, has slipped to ninth, while Kraken has leapt from second to first.

Binance has dropped out of the top 20 altogether. “Overall, only 16 percent of exchanges fall into the A category. None of the exchanges have received an A+ rating,” noted ICOrating.com. While all ratings systems are subjective to a certain degree, their existence can only be a good thing if it spurs their subjects into improvement. Increased transparency and commitment to adopting better security standards will benefit not only exchanges, but also their customers, who can trade with confidence.

Crypto Figures Get Into a Tiff

A war of words has broken out between Ran NeuNer, host of CNBC’s Cryptotrader, and Larry Cermak of The Block. Cermak, together with his colleague Mike Dudas, published an exposé of a fraudulent ICO called BCT and accused NeuNer of being embroiled in it. The CNBC host hit back with threats of legal action, ordering The Block pair to delete tweets and amend their story, after explaining that he’d done nothing to facilitate BCT’s misbehavior, and was in fact a victim himself. In a rambling blog post titled “An open letter to The Block”, NeuNer wrote:

According to Larry, the alleged fraud, scams on investors and employees and a man working in this industry under a fake identity, weren’t the interesting part, but rather my alleged “involvement”. [Larry] went on to make a series of accusations — most of which are incorrect, negligent, inaccurate, defamatory and damaging.

NeuNer then complained of The Block only giving him six hours to provide his side of the story before Cermak’s publication went to press, which he believes was a deliberate move on their part. He finished: “I was a fan of The Block and a regular reader of its stories, but if I go by my experience of your unethical business practice, false reporting and lack of verification, then The Block is unfortunately not that publication.” Mike Dudas, for his part, has responded to NeuNer’s open letter by stating that The Block stands by its story, and extended him an interview invitation. NeuNer has yet to respond.

What are your thoughts on today’s news tidbits as featured in The Daily? Let us know in the comments section below.

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