One of the largest electronics companies in the world, the Taiwainese mobile manufacturer, High Tech Computer (HTC) just announced that its Exodus 1S phone will have Bitcoin full-node feature. The information comes from Cointelegraph.
The phone will be launched in Q3 of 2019 and will come with an extra SD card that essentially supports the blockchain-embedded capabilities.
While the launch date is not clear yet, the price will range from $250 to $300. According to a press release of the HTC, Exodus 1S phone will be the very first smartphone to have full node capability. This is what Mr. Phil Chen, the decentralized chief officer of the company, stated:
Full nodes are the most important ingredient in the resilience of the Bitcoin network and we have lowered the barrier to entry for any person to run a node…
The phone is priced at the lower possible range, since the company seeks to “broaden the reach and adoption of blockchain and crypto technology with a more value focused offering”.
While the specs of the phone were not revealed, users should be very excited, since it is extremely difficult to run a full node on one’s computer, not to mention one’s phone. The blockchain of Bitcoin is extremely large (as reported by Mashable – around 200GB), and synching the chain takes time.
HTC hopes to resolve many of these technical issues with putting blockchain on the fingertips of people, literally. The company hopes that there will be wider application and embrace of the technology in due course.