Key quote:

“Michel said Motif users will earn a percentage on every purchase when they pay using their phone, which unlike airline miles can be redeemed for cash. The phone can also be linked to a Blacture debit card. Motif partnered with tech company Zippie, and Michel said the group is in talks with the top four U.S. phone carriers.”

Engadget

We were also highlighted by Engadget in a discussion about a competing blockchain smartphone platform. This is of course highly flattering, since this competitor means serious business in their design of high-end products.

Key quote:

“Despite the claims, the [Sirin] is not the only game in town when it comes to crypto-friendly handsets that promise to protect your digital coinage. BitVault purports to offer encrypted messaging, via the Blockchain, and up to five Bitcoin wallets to keep your assets safe and secure. Then there is Zippie, which is talking up its Blacture device, which offers users its own token as payment for using the handset.”

Futurism

Futurism discussed the possibilities of a blockchain smartphone future and highlighted that while blockchain smartphones might look familiar they perform very differently.

Key quote:

The Motif doesn’t look all that different from your typical smartphone. But just like you learned in elementary school, it’s what on the inside that counts. And the Motif contains the Zippie operating system(OS).

Trak

India-based tech blog Trak.in also noticed our Blacture partnership. The piece correctly emphasizes the affordable price of the upcoming Motif smartphone, and the included system for users to earn money for their data.

Key quote:

“Priced between $350 and $400, Motif has full HD screen and is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 Octa Core processor and a 16-megapixel camera…The OS which powers this phone: Zippie OS works along with Android. The makers of this OS had recently launched their own digital token called ZIPT.”

Bitcoin Exchange Guide

So did Bitcoin Exchange Guide

Key quote:

“Pras Michel, founder of Blacture, commented about the launching:“Everyone has a phone and I mean everyone. Bearing that in mind, we looked for the best technology to improve lives. That’s why we are launching this smartphone as it’s the first that’s designed with the Culture in mind. It’s the first phone that actually pays the user back.” The operative system is Zippie OS, which was developed by Zippie Ltd. The rewards the users will receive will come from sharing information, offering products and services to the community or making online purchases. The token that individuals using the phone will receive is the ZIPT phone, recently launched by Zippie.”

Smartereum

Smartereum also wrote up a interesting piece, but not without questioning whether Blockchain smartphones are a fad. The answer is, of course, a big no. “Blockchain smartphones” are likely the new smartphones.

Key quote:

“The Zippie OS is designed to reward users with cryptocurrency each time they carry out certain activities with the device. Activities like online purchases, data sharing or products/services offering to the Blacture community may attract token rewards.”

NASDAQ

Then, of course, our newly announced partnership with our partner Borqs, a publicly traded company, generated some interest, as Nasdaq highlighted the press release:

Key quotes:

“Borqs […] is one of the fastest growing IOT and smartphone companies in the world. Together Borqs and Zippie are now able to offer a blockchain smartphone reference design to hundreds of device brands globally. In the US market Zippie and Borqs have partnered with Blacture, founded by Emmy and Grammy award winning entertainer and humanitarian, Pras Michel. Blacture is delivering the first blockchain phone to the US market.”

International Journal of Research and Engineering

International Journal of Research and Engineering picked up on some of the aspects of our work we’re most proud of:

Key quote:

“American political activist Pras Michel announced the launch of a new social and financial platform Blacture. To use it, you will need a Motif smartphone with the Zippie operating system, which is built on the principle of a blockbuster. All information about the actions of users of Blacture will be stored in the system, unavailable from the outside — a detached world for those who are tired of the control of authorities and corporations.”

As you can see, our project is getting an ever increasing amount of interest amongst both techs movers and shaker and more mainstream media. It’s an exciting time and we’re looking forward to generating more headlines this summer. Be sure to keep an eye out for them.

To keep up to date with Zippie follow us on Twitter, Telegram and Reddit.