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HTC's blockchain-powered Exodus smartphone is a risky bet that needs to pay off
In May, HTC first announced that it was working on a blockchain-powered smartphone called the Exodus. The news came as one of the company's more intriguing projects after a poor start to the year. Last year, HTC shipped over 2 million products in Q1. This year, it shipped only 630,000 products in Q1, according to numbers from IDC.
HTC is in pretty poor shape after a round of layoffs last week where the company laid off 1,500 employees in Taiwan in hopes of becoming profitable. Sales in June were down 68 percent, according to the company. Its latest flagship, the U12 Plus, has received largely negative reviews over its odd solid-state buttons and software bugs.
It's a less than stellar time for blockchain, as well. Cryptocurrency prices are low, and last month, bitcoin was tied to price manipulation in a report from researchers at the University of Texas at Austin.
Considering HTC's financial situation, there's a lot at stake with the Exodus phone. Now we have details from HTC's Phil Chen about when we can expect the phone to be released and an estimate on how much it might cost. Although Chen was vague on specifics, he told The Verge that we can expect the phone around the end of this year and we can expect a price announcement by the end of Q3. When I mentioned that the world's first blockchain-powered phone called Finney, created by Sirin Labs, costs $1000, Chen said the price of Exodus would be "comparable."
And it comes with CryptoKitties!
See also: Wikileaks breeds and sells Cryptokitties, gifts them to Trump and Clinton
Previously: HTC Announces a "Blockchain-Powered" Smartphone
(Score: 3, Touché) by Mykl on Thursday July 12 2018, @04:47AM (2 children)
Wut.
You do realise that touchscreen phones are backlit?
(Score: 2) by Arik on Thursday July 12 2018, @05:12AM (1 child)
Touchscreens are also a horrible choice for this application in particular because of form factor, btw. I'm sure it's possible to use a dialpad, maybe even a full on-screen keyboard, via touch screen, with some degree of ease if it's relatively large. But I don't want a large cellphone, that's bad for so many reasons. And it's just an exercise in masochism to try to type anything on a screen small enough to be reasonable on a cellphone. My current device is a compromise and it sucks on both ends, it's too big to be a phone, and too small to be anything else.
My old cellphone, the one that didn't suck, was about twice as thick but only a little over half as wide. Fit perfectly in my pocket, no worry of breaking it. Could operate it by touch, nice raised keys that I could operate without error or lag in the dark or without taking it out of my pocket. (Which last I *often* did, using a handsfree, that worked great.) And on top of that it could hold a charge for a week.
It wasn't the cheapest phone around but it wasn't the most expensive either. It's just absurd that 17 years later we can't produce anything half as fit for purpose at any price.
If laughter is the best medicine, who are the best doctors?
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Thursday July 12 2018, @05:59AM
Heh, wait until you discover compromises between more than two ends.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0