Blockchain smartphone backed by Lionel Messi set for November |
Innovative phone maker Sirin Labs has announced the launch of what it is calling “the world’s first blockchain smartphone” – and it has the backing of arguably the world’s most famous footballer.
Barcelona star Lionel Messi will be involved in the launch of the Finney phone in his role as brand ambassador for the Israeli startup, having reportedly seen “the power” blockchain technology can bring to the smartphone space.
The Finney phone follows the $16,000 Solarin smartphone, which launched in 2016 and was geared towards high net-worth individuals who wanted “military grade security.” Named after cryptocurrency pioneer Hal Finney, Sirin Labs’ device will come with a far more modest price tag of $1,000 – roughly the equivalent of other high-end phones from Apple and Samsung.
1/8 Satoshi Nakamoto creates the first bitcoin block in 2009
On 3 January, 2009, the genesis block of bitcoin appeared. It came less than a year after the pseudonymous creator Satoshi Nakamoto detailed the cryptocurrency in a paper titled ‘Bitcoin: A peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System’
Reuters
2/8 Bitcoin is used as a currency for the first time
On 22 May, 2010, the first ever real-world bitcoin transaction took place. Lazlo Hanyecz bought two pizzas for 10,000 bitcoins – the equivalent of $90 million at today’s prices
Lazlo Hanyecz
3/8 Silk Road opens for business
Bitcoin soon gained notoriety for its use on the dark web. The Silk Road marketplace, established in 2011, was the first of hundreds of sites to offer illegal drugs and services in exchange for bitcoin
4/8 The first bitcoin ATM appears
On 29 October, 2013, the first ever bitcoin ATM was installed in a coffee shop in Vancouver, Canada. The machine allowed people to exchange bitcoins for cash
REUTERS/Dimitris Michalakis
5/8 The fall of MtGox
The world’s biggest bitcoin exchange, MtGox, filed for bankruptcy in February 2014 after losing almost 750,000 of its customers bitcoins. At the time, this was around 7 per cent of all bitcoins and the market inevitably crashed
Getty Images
6/8 Would the real Satoshi Nakamoto please stand up
In 2015, Australian police raided the home of Craig Wright after the entrepreneur claimed he was Satoshi Nakamoto. He later rescinded the claim
Getty Images
7/8 Bitcoin’s big split
On 1 August, 2017, an unresolvable dispute within the bitcoin community saw the network split. The fork of bitcoin’s underlying blockchain technology spawned a new cryptocurrency: Bitcoin cash
REUTERS
8/8 Bitcoin’s price sky rockets
Towards the end of 2017, the price of bitcoin surged to almost $20,000. This represented a 1,300 per cent increase from its price at the start of the year
Reuters
1/8 Satoshi Nakamoto creates the first bitcoin block in 2009
On 3 January, 2009, the genesis block of bitcoin appeared. It came less than a year after the pseudonymous creator Satoshi Nakamoto detailed the cryptocurrency in a paper titled ‘Bitcoin: A peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System’
Reuters
2/8 Bitcoin is used as a currency for the first time
On 22 May, 2010, the first ever real-world bitcoin transaction took place. Lazlo Hanyecz bought two pizzas for 10,000 bitcoins – the equivalent of $90 million at today’s prices
Lazlo Hanyecz
3/8 Silk Road opens for business
Bitcoin soon gained notoriety for its use on the dark web. The Silk Road marketplace, established in 2011, was the first of hundreds of sites to offer illegal drugs and services in exchange for bitcoin
4/8 The first bitcoin ATM appears
On 29 October, 2013, the first ever bitcoin ATM was installed in a coffee shop in Vancouver, Canada. The machine allowed people to exchange bitcoins for cash
REUTERS/Dimitris Michalakis
5/8 The fall of MtGox
The world’s biggest bitcoin exchange, MtGox, filed for bankruptcy in February 2014 after losing almost 750,000 of its customers bitcoins. At the time, this was around 7 per cent of all bitcoins and the market inevitably crashed
Getty Images
6/8 Would the real Satoshi Nakamoto please stand up
In 2015, Australian police raided the home of Craig Wright after the entrepreneur claimed he was Satoshi Nakamoto. He later rescinded the claim
Getty Images
7/8 Bitcoin’s big split
On 1 August, 2017, an unresolvable dispute within the bitcoin community saw the network split. The fork of bitcoin’s underlying blockchain technology spawned a new cryptocurrency: Bitcoin cash
REUTERS
8/8 Bitcoin’s price sky rockets
Towards the end of 2017, the price of bitcoin surged to almost $20,000. This represented a 1,300 per cent increase from its price at the start of the year
Reuters
“We’re blockchain enthusiasts,” Sirin Labs’ chief marketing officer Nimrod May told The Independent in July when the Finney phone was first announced.
“We want this phone to make all the benefits of blockchain technology available to as big an audience as possible, while making cryptocurrency accessible to the mainstream.”
The phone comes with an inbuilt cryptocurrency wallet, which can be viewed on a hidden screen that slides out from behind the main display. The launch of the Finney phone will be taking place on Thursday, 29 November, in Barcelona.
Sirin Labs announced Lionel Messi as its brand ambassador last December, explaining in a subsequent blog post he is acting as more than just a celebrity endorser.
“A brand ambassador is someone who recognises the significance of a company and agrees to represent that company in a professional manner, educate others about it, and bring awareness to it,” the post stated.
“This is the relationship we have with Leo Messi. After a significant amount of time discussing a wide range of issues, Messi saw the power, professionalism and future within Sirin Labs, and it was for these reasons he agreed to represent us to the masses.”
Given the fact some celebrity backers of cryptocurrency-related products have resulted in scams, Sirin Labs was keen to stress that this is not the case with Messi.
“If you’ve followed Messi’s career at all, you’d know he doesn’t just put his name on anything to make a buck,” the post continued.
“As the Greatest of All Time (GOAT) in the most popular sport in the world, you can imagine the type of vetting process that he and his team have to ensure they’re not going to associate with something criminal, illicit, or anything that might tarnish his stellar brand.”
Original Source