Today HTC unveiled a new product, HTC offers the Exodus 1 smartphone which comes with block-based Android, as a developer version. The device can be pre-ordered and paid for only in Bitcoin or Ethereum.
Project Exodus is an attempt by HTC to build a smartphone optimized for the decentralized web.
The company believes that by incorporating blockchain technology, it can make phone data more secure and enable more secure mobile transactions.
He also hopes to ride a wave as a growing number of corporations adopt blockchain technologies.
"It has been both 10 years since the launch of HTC's first Android phone and almost 10 years since the launch of Bitcoin and the Genesis Block," said Phil Chen, HTC's Decentralized CEO, in a statement. "For digital assets and decentralized applications to reach their potential, we believe that mobile devices must be the primary point of distribution."
HTC may be the first of the major smartphone manufacturers to integrate blockchain technology into its device, but it is not the only one.
Exodus 1 Features
The HTC Exodus 1 comes with a six-inch screen (Quad HD +) and is based on Android Oreo, so the operating system is not completely up to date.
With the Qualcomm 845 processor, 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB of memory and IP68 waterproof case.
Also cThey have 12 and 16 megapixel rear cameras and dual 8 megapixel front cameras. The battery provides 3500 mAh.
The special feature of Exodus 1 is the optimization based on blockchain technology.
This begins in agreement with the manufacturer with a secure enclave. This is an area that is protected from the Android operating system. In this enclave, according to HTC, are the keys to the cryptocurrency or the non-fungible token (NFT).
HTC plans to innovate the way to recover and protect your information and mobile
Another feature is the social key recovery mechanism that HTC has developed.
For added security, the Exodus 1 has a locked area on the device that is outside of the Android operating system.
This secure pocket will contain the user's cryptographic keys, which could include virtual currencies or tokens.
As well there is a new recovery procedure for this crypto data in case the phone is broken, stolen or lost.
If the phone is lost or if the keys are forgotten, provide a secure way to retrieve them.
To do this, the user can select a few trusted contacts, each of whom must download a key management application.
The seed will then be divided through a secret exchange process and sent to trusted contacts.
As part of this release, HTC is calling on developers and cryptographers to suggest ways to improve design and security.
The company is also working on an API to allow developers to create their own crypto-related applications for the phone.
HTC wants to build a community around its Exodus smartphone.
To strengthen the technology, it plans to launch APIs that allow third-party vendors to use EXODUS 1 hardware to protect keys and sign transactions, the vendor notes.
These include the release of the Zion Key Management API and the Wallet SDK for Partners.
HTC staff describes your new mobile device as a "Smart phone experience suitable for a modern user and the new Internet era", and as mentioned at the beginning, this mobile can only be acquired by paying with cryptocurrencies, either Bitcoin or Ethereum.
How can you get the Exodus 1?
For those interested in being able to obtain the Exodus 1, they should know that it can be pre-ordered in the Developer Edition and that this device can only be acquired with cryptocurrencies, so your purchase on delivery must be 0.15 Bitcoin (approximately € 800) or 4.78 Ethereum.