Blockchain phone BOB showcased at IFA

Singaporean blockchain startup PundiX has shown its upcoming blockchain phone BOB to the public at IFA International in Berlin. The phone's name stands for 'Blok On Blok', referring to its blockchain capabilities and the ability for consumers to customize the phone to their needs. The creators have dropped the code name XPhone.

Consumers will have the ability to modify the phone to their needs easily. Every phone comes with a MOD Assembly Kit. This allows them to build their own personalized blockchain phone. The kit contains a motherboard, display screen, camera, audio speaker parts, buttons and aesthetic thingies.

Blockchain phone BOB is completely open source, both its hardware and its software. The creators will make the system publicly available. As a result everybody can build apps for the phone. This also means that other companies, like Samsung, HTC, LG and other electronics manufacturers are free to use the Function X blockchain to build their own phones.

All data that goes and comes from the phone goes through the Function X blockchain. The phone can operate fully on blockchain technology. Each BOB works like a node in the network, supporting the Function X blockchain. Users don't need a telephone company to call, message or browse the internet. Everything works over blockchain technology. However, consumers can also switch to a classic Android mode and use services provided by mobile phone operators.

BOB isn't available in stores yet. The phone is currently in production. Pre-orders are expected to open somewhere during Q4 2019. PundiX is planning to launch 5000 phones at first, each priced $599.

Blockchain phone BOB an example for the industry

PundiX is one of the first companies to combine mobile phones with blockchain technology. It's definitely the first to offer phone calls over a blockchain network. From that perspective BOB is setting an example for companies like Samsung, LG and HTC. These companies are already getting into the blockchain space, with Samsung spearheading the industry.

Samsung launched the Galaxy S10, which is a crypto-friendly smartphone. On top of that the company worked together with South Korean internet company Kakao. They've launched a blockchain-friendly phone called Klaytn Phone. At the same time HTC is working on an successor to its first blockchain phone, the Exodus-1.