Guide to HTC Exodus 1- The Blockchain smartphone of the new cryptocurrency era
As expected HTC Exodus 1 the new smartphone was launched in October 2018. This phone is considered a blockchain smartphone because it can accommodate onboard cold wallet storage making its firm first foothold in the digital payments space.
The device itself runs on Android 8.1 Oreo and not the latest Android 9 Pie, is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 chipset, bears 6GB of RAM, and has two cameras in the form of a dual 12-megapixel and 16-megapixel snapper.
The Cold Wallet Storage Solution
The Exodus relies on a ‘Secure Enclave’ which is an isolated hardware component which will serve as a cold wallet storage solution and will carry all major cryptocurrencies as well cater for dApp support. The company has punted that the device will enable bag holders to retain control of their keys and that the device will enable users to make tap-and-go payments when on the move.
The handset will offer a new feature dubbed Social Key Recovery, which will only enable users to recover their funds through a unique key established when setting up their device. In the event they misplace their phone, users would need to recover their keys prior to spending any cryptocurrencies stored within.
So this device has been tipped as HTC’s foothold in a decentralized ecosystem and could be the first stepping stone to the development of other decentralized applications and products across various devices.
With a CrypotKitties dApp it will enable users to create, breed, and sell digital cats on Ethereum which is now widely used even at online casinos to play real money pokies. The digital cats, structured as ERC721 tokens, were single-handedly responsible for causing massive congestion on Ethereum’s network at the tail end of 2017.
Exodus can be purchased not in fiat currency, but with cryptocurrency if you want – a unit for either 0.15 BTC, or for 4.78 ETH.
Click here to know how to play pokies with Exodus 1 smartphone
Full specifications
HTC Exodus 1 smartphone comes with a 6.00-inch touchscreen display and is powered by octa-core processor and it comes with 6GB of RAM. The phone packs 128GB of internal storage. As far as the cameras are concerned, the HTC Exodus 1 packs a 12-megapixel primary camera and a 16-megapixel secondary camera on the rear. On the front, it packs an 8-megapixel primary camera and a 8-megapixel secondary camera.
The HTC Exodus 1 is powered by a 3500mAh and is a single SIM smartphone. Connectivity options include Wi-Fi, GPS and Bluetooth. Sensors on the phone include Proximity sensor, Accelerometer, Ambient light sensor and Gyroscope.
HTC also solved the excruciating case of losing your private-key information that gives access to your crypto funds, either when the phone gets lost, stolen, or damaged beyond repair, with its “Social Key Recovery” process: You pick 3 to 5 friends that will each have a piece of the recovery key who will then be contacted to bring back your digital wallet.
HTC also intends to release a software development kit (SDK) so third-party developers can write secure applications on top of its secure Zion wallet.
The Exodus 1 is available in 34 countries, including the U.S., Taiwan, Hong Kong (but not mainland China which has a stricter cryptocurrency policy), Singapore, New Zealand, the U.K., Austria, Norway, and other European countries with more countries to follow soon.
At the time of writing, the device costs approximately AU $1300 of Bitcoin. Should the value of bitcoin suddenly plummet as it has in the past, the Exodus 1 might instantly become a more tantalizing package.
About HTC
Founded in 1997 as a laptop manufacturer, Taiwan-based HTC soon began making smartphones based on Windows Mobile and Brew. It released the first commercial Android smartphone, the HTC Dream, in 2008, and is today a manufacturer of both Android and Windows based smartphones. HTC re-entered the tablet market with the Google Nexus 9 in 2014.