HTC announced that its Exodus 1 is receiving a number of blockchain-powered features. This is made possible by the HTC Exodus 1 being able to access a number of new decentralized apps (known as “Dapps”) available in a blockchain app store.
Specifically, HTC is going to have access to 20 new apps like a personal tracker for selling your data for cryptocurrency. One of the interesting Dapps is called Numbers, which tracks user data that can be sold to third parties involving walking, sleeping, and driving. The money for the activity is paid out in cryptocurrency
And HTC also partnered with Opera to make micropayments to websites. Opera launched a cryptocurrency wallet on Android in December.
“Now not only can users own their data, but it forces companies to be more transparent about how that data is used,” said HTC chief decentralized officer Phil Chen via The Verge. Chen pointed out that the Numbers Dapp could also potentially benefit users by rewarding them for positive data around health insurance or car insurance based on their walking habits and driving habits.
Prior to this announcement, the main blockchain feature included with the device is the ability to trade and store CryptoKitties. Other features included a cryptocurrency wallet and a recovery system in case the phone was lost or stolen.
HTC originally launched the Exodus 1 in December following the pre-order rollout in October. Currently, the HTC Exodus 1 supports Ethereum payments. And there are plans to add Bitcoin and Litecoin support in the next few months.
The micropayments feature stands out because people can transfer very small amounts of money without having to deal with additional transaction fees. “Now you could pay an amount like 0.00002 ETH. And never in the history of micropayments did that make sense. There’d be a transaction fee or you’d have to share revenue with the app store,” added Chen.
It is unrealistic for HTC to regulate the security of the Dapps that will be available for download. So HTC may just issue warnings for apps that are not officially approved.
Consumers will also be able to buy the HTC Exodus 1 with cryptocurrency starting in March. The price of HTC’s Exodus 1 is $699 in the U.S.
And in the future, the Exodus 1 will be able to work as a partial node on the blockchain so owners will be able to trade Bitcoin with each other.
