It could be somewhat cringeworthy when rap stars, actors, or athletes promote blockchain projects, but somehow with Leo Messi, one of the best football players ever to play the game, it’s different. He isn’t a type of person who enjoys any kind of promotion – at all. Hence, it made us notice when he became a brand ambassador of Sirin Labs.

Investigating Sirin Labs it became clear that it’s easily one of the most interesting projects in the industry. There aren’t many companies that are building new smartphones, which isn’t an easy challenge by any means.

We sat down with Benjamin Nadler, social media & community manager of Sirin Labs, to talk about the project and what they have in store for us going forward.

What’s the story of Sirin Labs?

SIRIN LABS started with the SOLARIN™ phone, which is recognized as one of the most secure phones ever built. It used an earlier version of the ultra-secure SIRIN OS™, targeted ultra-high net worth individuals.

One of the key features that SOLARIN™ had was an external switch which transferred the phone into “Encrypted Communication” mode. So one section of the phone disconnected from the rest on both hardware and software levels. It used a different OS, microphone, speaker, and even a different keyboard to avoid the ability for any unwelcomed party to intercept communications through this mode.

Once we learned about blockchain technology, it was quite clear that this is the technology we are going to implement and build on. It was a natural progression for SIRIN LABS since it was the solution we were looking for ourselves, which is the reason why we’ve spent a lot of time on improving the crypto user experience.

With the new SIRIN OS™, we will make the process of navigating the blockchain a lot easier, so everyone can do it. This was the core idea behind the creation of the FINNEY™.

In a nutshell, are creating a phone that will use our ultra-secure SIRIN OS™, which is a Google-certified “fork” of Android. Additionally, using the experience gained through the development of SOLARIN™, SIRIN LABS will have an embedded cold storage wallet that is disconnected on both hardware and software levels from the rest of the phone. The wallet will also have an external power switch for added security to ensure the only access to your wallet is user-initiated.

In few sentences, please highlight some of the features that make FINNEY smartphones unique in the market.

The FINNEY will contain:

The most secure cold storage cryptocurrency wallet

Encrypted calls and messaging

Secure P2P connectivity, which will enable users to safely connect to another device and trade system resources such as power, WiFi data, or processing power

The Token Conversion Service, which will seamlessly swap a token or coin contained in the phone’s wallet for a token or coin needed to make a purchase without ever needing to leave the screen or go to an exchange

DApp store which will bring together curated DApps from multiple blockchains to a single location

Will you be able to ship the products as planned?

We’re currently on pace and on schedule for a release as projected for the second half of 2018.

How does the FINNEY smartphone tackle the security issue?

Security is priority #1 for us. Our users will be trusting us to store and safeguard their coins and tokens, and we take that responsibility very seriously. We have built-in our security precaution directly into the OS’s kernel in order to ensure the security for the cold storage wallet and the private key. These precautions also include a behavioral Intrusion Prevention System, which can detect and prevent zero-day attacks.

With that said, users will also need to take accountability for their own data. Users should understand and review what access they give to installed applications. If users allow Facebook or Twitter access to all of their data, there’s nothing that anyone can do to protect it.

What has been the biggest challenge for the company thus far?

We are developing a product which has never been made before. Bringing cryptocurrency into a mobile environment in a safe, secure, and simple way is a large enough task, but he biggest challenge was developing hardware in conjunction with software. We are essentially accomplishing what both Google and Samsung accomplish with a fraction of the manpower.

How does SRN token play into your ecosystem?

The SRN token is the cornerstone of the SIRIN LABS Ecosystem. It is the only token which can be used to obtain SIRIN LABS products and services, which includes the SIRIN OS™, SIRIN DApp store, and our brick-and-mortar stores.

What’s the biggest achievement you’ll celebrate with the Sirin Labs team 3 years from now?

The integration of the SIRIN OS™ into some of the largest global OEM phones like those made by Samsung, LG, etc.

What is the biggest myth/misconception about Sirin Labs?

The Sirin, the mythical creature which is the source of our inspiration, sang beautiful songs to the saints foretelling future joys.

According to lore, only those who were filled with joy and happiness were able to see the Sirins, and while we love having people filled with joy and happiness in our community, the FINNEY™ is for everyone!

Any upcoming events that our readers can expect?

Brick-and-mortar shops opening in 2018.

Where can I get SRN token today, and are there any new listings in sight?

The tokens are available on Bittrex, Huobi, KuCoin, UpBit, Cryptopia, Liqui, Tidex, Idex, and Bancor.

If our readers would like to learn more about Sirin Labs, where they can find more information?

Our website: www.sirinlabs.com

To stay up-to-date on our newest developments, we have an announcements channel on Telegram: https://t.me/SIRINLABSANN

For any questions or inquiries, we also have a general Telegram channel with support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week https://t.me/SIRINLABS

Great stuff, Benjamin, we appreciate your time and effort!