The Taiwanese electronics company, HTC is taking a massive leap into the cryptocurrency ecosystem and extensive blockchain industry. The company has been gearing up to launch the blockchain-based mobile phone, and it’s now slated to hit shelves before the end of 2018. The early access to this device is said to be available in Q3.

Just after the launch of HTC U12+, HTC introduced another new handset- “HTC Exodus”. The HTC Exodus is designed with a motive that supports all sorts of blockchain aspects. The new handset will likely support Bitcoin, Ethereum, and several other cryptocurrencies, together with a secure hardware, universal wallet, and decentralized apps.

HTC Exodus is the first native smartphone, designed by the renowned brand all dedicated to blockchain encryption. In addition to this, recently the Switzerland-based startup, Sirin Labs is also planning to release Finney, the world’s first blockchain-based phone. This smartphone is said to launch by November 2018, and they are charging $1,000 for their device. This company has raised $157.8 via initial coin offering (ICO); at the instance of the fourth largest to ever take place.

According to the stats by IDC, HTC has also seen the dropping sales for its smartphone division, with more than 68.5% for the first quarter of 2018. This was also reflected by the HTC official statement about the declining sales in June by 68%.

The Announcement of the HTC Exodus

The HTC new appointed “Chief Decentralizing Officer” is Phil Chen that heads the HTC Exodus division. The smartphone device will be built under the observation of Phil Chen. He is the expert who has helped in creating virtual reality headset “Vive” for HTC. Chen is also liable to take the firm’s cryptocurrency and blockchain-related initiatives.

Chen wrote in the blog post that Exodus will be assisting the underlying protocols including Bitcoin, Ethereum, Lightning Networks, Dfinity, and many more. The smartphone is said to be compatible with several protocols and will be supporting the interoperability.

Also, they would like to add support for the complete blockchain ecosystem. However, the company is looking forward to crafting the exclusive blockchain and decentralized applications for their end consumers.

He further mentioned that he wants to offer end consumer the control of truly owning their data via its Exodus’ mobile hardware layer. He added:

“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.”

HTC has not yet launched the Exodus price tag; however, the company is welcoming the cryptocurrency payments once the release is out.

Mr. Lee has recently tweeted about meeting the HTC team and that the smartphone will natively support Litecoin.

Charlie Lee Announces that the Blockchain Phone Will Also Support Litecoin

On July 30, the creator of Litecoin, Charlie Lee announced on Twitter that HTC’s upcoming blockchain phone, Exodus, will feature native support for LTC. Initially announced in May, the company claims that the

“Exodus will be the world’s first native blockchain phone dedicated to decentralized applications and security.”

Met the HTC Exodus team last week and was really excited to hear the phone will support LTC and Lightning Network on Litecoin natively! I will be an advisor as I see having a secure crypto phone that makes LN simple is needed for mass adoption. P.S. No, they will not remove BTC. https://t.co/WQcygPVst0 — Charlie Lee [LTC⚡] (@SatoshiLite) July 30, 2018

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Image Source: HTC Exodus