On Monday (September 16), Bitcoin.com, the company backed by Roger Ver that promotes/supports Bitcoin Cash (BCH) announced that, as a result of a partnership with HTC, BCH support is being added to HTC’s Exodus 1 blockchain phone.
HTC, which calls the Exodus 1 “the first native web 3.0 mobile device”, first announced this device in May 2018 at the Consensus 2018 conference. Exodus 1 sells for USD 699 (or EUR 749 in Europe). A newer/cheaper version of Exodus 1 called “Exodus 1s” is due to be shipped in Q3 2019.
For cryptocurrency users, the Exodus 1’s main feature of interest is the Zion private vault, an easy-to-use cryptocurrency wallet that runs in a hardware-protected secure area (Trusted Execution Environment), safe from malicious behavior by any apps on the phone.
Bitcoin.com says that the Zion wallet is “now capable of conducting bitcoin cash transactions, so users can easily buy, receive, spend and store BCH on the phone without the risk of remote hacking.”
In addition to adding support for BCH to Zion, HTC is apparently preinstalling Bitcoin.com's popular wallet app on the Android-powered Exodus 1.
In return, Bitcoin.com will be offering both Exodus 1 and the upcoming Exodus 1s (which will feature the same level of BCH support) in its online store.
Roger Ver, the Executive Chairman of Bitcoin.com and its principal investor, had this to say:
Bitcoin.com’s partnership with HTC will enable Bitcoin Cash to be used as peer to peer electronic cash for the millions of HTC smartphone users around the world.
And here is Phil Chen, HTC’s Decentralized Chief Officer, explaining why HTC feels that a blockchain phone such as Exodus 1 is important:
While cold storage wallets are the ultimate in security, it can be hard and slow to use and transact your crypto. Live centralized exchanges, although fast, do not provide the security or afford you true ownership. It was important for HTC to find the right balance between the deadlock security of cold storage and the ease of use of live centralized wallets. You no longer need to have hardware wallets that then need something like Metamask and then a browser for instance. All the transaction and security capabilities are available using just your Exodus device.
The good news for Bitcoin Cash HOLDers is that HTC seems to have even bigger plans for BCH:
This is only the beginning of what the decentralized world can offer, so the possibilities and potential are endless. We can see a future where merchants are using their Exodus device to receive BCH payments at their point of sale (POS). That’s a key reason we’re supporting BCH; it’s great to see so many consumers using BCH as a payment method.
Featured Image Courtesy of HTC
