Crypto to Go Global and Mobile With Lionel Messi Promoting Mass-Market Blockchain Smartphone

Blockchain smartphones are set to hit the market this year when startup Sirin Labs kicks off its new “Finney,” a sleek mobile device priced at $1,000. The proprietary dual-screen design introduces “Safe Screen” for the world’s first mass-market blockchain smartphone.

Spokesperson Lionel Messi will promote the product to crypto lovers when it drops in November.

The Finney will feature a standalone screen running on dedicated firmware for secure wallet transactions.

The operating system, Sirin OS, is a Google-certified “fork” of Android, featuring an embedded cold storage wallet for top cryptocurrencies and tokens along with a multi-layered cybersecurity suite, a DApp store and a token conversion service (TCS) that allows users to purchase decentralized applications within the Sirin Labs DApp store.

While Swiss-based Sirin Labs is putting its product into the hands of giant manufacturer Foxconn, producer of the iPhone, it promises top-notch attention to detail as it aims to solve a key concern for crypto enthusiasts: security. Its touch “Safe Screen” is specifically designed for a built-in cold wallet that protects the user’s cryptocurrency against malicious attacks. The cold wallet is activated by a sliding screen just for crypto transactions and allows users to carry around whatever amount of crypto they may need to spend on the go.

Named after Bitcoin pioneer Hal Finney, the recipient of Satoshi Nakamoto’s first Bitcoin transaction, Sirin’s new blockchain phone aims to handle the challenge of storing, carrying and transacting cryptocurrencies and making in-store DApp purchases right on the mobile device.

Meanwhile HTC, based in Taiwan, is planning to launch the HTC Exodus, a blockchain smartphone that will also have a cold storage wallet. There’s no firm sale date or price yet, but you can sign up for alerts here.

The pitch: Exodus will allow users to recover lost keys and revolutionize the internet through decentralization, interoperability among blockchains and tokenization. “Every phone is a node,” says the company. “Providing more nodes on the path to true decentralization – we want to double and triple the number of nodes of Ethereum and Bitcoin.”