Most people can agree that the smartphone trade is in desperate would like of disruption. Outside the collapsible market, we’ve seen little in terms of innovation and have differentiation over recent years. Thus, once a young startup with a thoroughbred team announces that it’s building a smartphone to challenge that standing quo, it’s laborious to not get a touch excited. That’s precisely what happened after we 1st detected concerning the privacy-focused OSOM OV1 smartphone last year. Just in case you’re unacquainted to the OSOM brand, it’s a brand-new startup established by former Essential employees.



OSOM OV1 privacy-focused blockchain smartphones



Earlier we finally found additional concerning the OSOM OV1, that has currently been delayed to early 2023. The device options high-end, flagship-grade specifications, with a correct $1,000 tag to match. During a massive twist, however, OSOM is not any longer selling the OV1 as its own product. Instead, it’s partnered with Solana, a blockchain company.



The Solana Saga, as it’s now called, guarantees to incorporate “unique practicality and features tightly integrated with the Solana blockchain”. That’s actually a huge pivot from OSOM’s initial goal of simply delivering a privacy and security-centric robot smartphone. But will this new focus build any sense, remains a matter for many.



What will Solana accomplish?



If you’re questioning what makes the Solana heroic tale any completely different from previous niche blockchain/cryptocurrency smartphones, it’s not precisely clear. Browsing through the official website, you’ll amendment across some selection quotes like “re-imagining web3 for mobile” and “removing friction for self-custody.” we have a tendency to once detected similar one-dimensional claims from corporations like HTC and Sirin Labs. Unnecessary  to say, those endeavors didn’t succeed.



Luckily, some additional excavation reveals that the corporate has additionally proclaimed a package development kit dubbed the Solana Mobile Stack. During a nutshell, it offers robot developers the tools needed to make secure cryptocurrency billfolds and Web3 apps. You’ll be able to think about the stack as almost as Google Mobile Services (GMS), except for a far, way more niche use case.



As you’d expect, the Solana Mobile Stack are pre-installed on each Solana Saga. This may additionally enable users to store their cryptocurrency wallet keys in a secure territory on the device. Notably, this is often the identical security mechanism alternative robot phones use to safeguard sensitive information like fingerprints.