Solana mints a… phone?
The Future. The Solana blockchain and privacy-focused tech company Osom are building a smartphone created with the Web3-enthusiast in mind. The company looks to bring the power of crypto natively into a mobile device, which may give Solana the chance to create an ecosystem that makes privacy and decentralization easy enough for anyone to use.
Mobile blockchain
The Verge reports that Solana is getting into the smartphone business.
- The blockchain is partnering with privacy-focused tech company Osom to develop a mobile phone called the Saga.
- It’ll be available early next year and cost $1,000 (pre-orders are already open for a $100 deposit).
- The device has pretty much all the specs you would expect from a top-tier smartphone. It also includes support for decentralized apps built on the Solana blockchain — crypto wallets, NFT projects, and all things Web3.
- The phone has backing from top Solana marketplace Magic Eden, wallet maker Phantom, and crypto exchange Orca.
Additionally, Solana announced a decentralized app store called the Solana Mobile Stack. The store will run natively on the Saga and be available to other Android device-makers.
Plug and play
One of the biggest hurdles to more widespread crypto-tech adoption is that it’s stuck to an ecosystem of laptops and desktops. Solana CEO Anatoly Yakovenko said the Saga is part of the company’s mission to make crypto “go mobile.” At the same time, Osam CEO Jason Keats pressed, “the world needs novel hardware companies to support the future that is Web3.” With smartphones acting as game devices, payment wallets, and everything in between, it’s the perfect Trojan Horse for decentralized applications.
But there are also plenty of other companies in the game trying to make pocketing crypto another action item on your list of things to do before heading out the door. Jack Dorsey’s Block is developing a Bitcoin hardware wallet, while streetwear icon Bobby Hundreds partnered with Ledger on a hard wallet to protect digital assets.
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