Pundi X claims that BOB is the first smartphone in which every bit of data will be executed on the Function X blockchain ecosystem – the company’s blockchain.
Decentralized offline cryptocurrency sales network firm Pundi X showcased its Blok on Blok (BOB) blockchain smartphone at the IFA trade show in Berlin, reported IT-focused news portal CIOL on Sept. 10.
Users will also be able to switch the device between blockchain mode and Android mode. In Android mode, the device operates like a traditional Android-based mobile device.
A decentralized ecosystem for privacy protection
As a consequence, no centralized service providers will be able to access users’ data. Pundi X co-founder and CEO Zac Cheah commented on the development:
“BOB marks a big step forward in our mission of creating a Blockchain Internet, a fully decentralized network where every piece of data shared is under the owner’s control.”
In blockchain mode, on the other hand, the device runs on the company’s open-source f(x) operative system (OS). This OS allegedly decentralizes all of the device’s processes, giving users control over their data. Cheah promised:
“BOB gives a sneak peek of a world powered entirely by blockchain technology, where everyone has control over their own data and everything is executed with the expectations of immutability and transparency.”
An innovative design
Furthermore, the smartphone also reportedly features a modular design reminiscent of Google’s Project Ara canceled handheld. Such a system allows users to switch and upgrade the physical components of the device.
Pundi X is reportedly launching a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter, pricing the phone at $599 with only 5,000 devices planned to be sold in the first batch.
Not the first blockchain smartphone
BOB is not the first attempt at creating a phone meant to allow more user-friendly access to blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies.
As Cointelegraph reported earlier this week, South Korean electronics giant LG is working with blockchain developers to launch a rival to Samsung’s Klaytn blockchain smartphone.
Also earlier this week it has been reported that Finney -the world’s purportedly first blockchain-enabled smartphone debuted last year – will soon be available for purchase in Bangladesh.
Lastly, Taiwanese consumer electronics giant HTC has also revealed plans to launch a second-generation model of its blockchain-centric smartphone before the end of 2019. In March the company also announced that it plans to include Bitcoin full node capabilities into a smartphone.
Property Blockchain Projects Announced in Northeast Asia, One Sony-Related
In recent weeks, a number of announcements related to blockchain-based real estate initiatives have been made in Northeast Asia. Some involve the participation of major companies and groups – including one with a Sony connection – though most of the activity centers around testing, development agreements and pilot projects.
In early September, SK Securities, a listed Korean brokerage until recently a member of the SK Group, and Kasa Korea agreed to form a venture for the creation of blockchain platform that will allow for the issuing and trading of fractional ownership in property assets, according to a report from Yonhap News.
Kasa Korea was in the first group of 18 companies chosen by the Financial Service Commission, Korea’s main financial regulator, for a so-called regulatory sandbox, whereby normal regulations are lifted in order to allow for innovation.
Also in early September, JLL Japan said that it would be working with a number of companies, including Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank, to develop a digital platform for the recording and management of real estate data. In a pilot, the project will be testing whether the blockchain can be used to centralize income and expense information related to real estate property management.
Later in the month, SRE AI, a company controlled by Sony and partly owned by Yahoo Japan, said that it would be joining a Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank-led project that is working to create a blockchain platform for the facilitation of real estate transactions. The project began earlier in the year and has already moved from the first stage.
On Sept. 24, Tsubai Space, a Japanese real estate blockchain company, and Shinonome Advisors, a real estate firm specializing in law and tax and working with property securitization, said they would be jointly developing a token for the real estate market. The announcement was short on detail, with the companies saying only that the project had been privately discussed in Taiwan in July and would be formally announced in early October.
