As the world slowly begins to realize that blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies are here to stay, there are companies like Sirin Labs who are positioning themselves to be on the forefront.

They’re designing a cell phone that runs an open source operating system and is connected to the world of cryptocurrencies.

They’re calling it the Finney.

The name Finney comes from a man who helped facilitate the development of Bitcoin, Hal Finney. If you don’t know who this is, might I suggest checking out my past video which goes over his life, accomplishments and contributions to this world of cryptocurrency.

SirinLabs held an ICO or their token called SRN. The proceeds from this ICO are now being used to develop this new kind of cryptocurrency-centric cellphone. Actually, they raised enough money through that ICO to also develop a Finney PC.

VIEW VIDEO HERE^^^^^

I’ve always upheld the precautions of keeping anything about cryptocurrencies off of my own cell phone.

I’ve never used a mobile wallet, or even any kind of portfolio tracker.
Reason being that we all know now iPhones have backdoors installed. Even though the government justifies this with their age old defense that it helps them get the “bad guys”, these backdoors can be accessed by anyone with the appropriate knowledge and motivation to get your information.

Because of this, I’m looking at this new Finney phone with a bit of skepticism.

Here are some of my own questions that I think are worth considering by anyone who is interested in using this new phone:

• What is the history behind Sirin labs?

• What kind of security measures will be implemented for this phone?

• What is the reputation of the company which will be manufacturing these phones?

If you’re interested in the answers to these questions (as you should be) I have provided links down in the description where you can find some explanations and answers.

You might think I’m being paranoid, but when it comes to anyone manufacturing products that are designed to involve people’s personal use of cryptocurrencies, it’s better to be safe than sorry.

Ok, moving on to what this phone will actually offer.

• The Finney will be running an open source operating system called Shield OS.
  Which is pretty cool, this means as a user you would be able to take a look at the system and possibly make changes if that’s what you’re interested in doing.
• This operating system will support decentralized applications, or dApps.
• Shield OS will also facilitate a cold storage wallet.
  This cold storage wallet option will also be something worth looking into in regards to its actual security protocols.
• You’ll also have fully encrypted messaging and secured access to exchanges.
• The phone itself will have 8 GB of RAM and a whopping 256 GB of storage.
• The security measures for unlocking and using this phone will include options like an iris scanner, fingerprint reader, or the regular, old fashioned password.
• According to an article on Chipin.com, The Finney network will be run on IOTA’s Tangle.
  So if you’re not 100% on IOTA, this is something to take note of.

The Finney is also being said to give you the ability to “rent out” your own local hotspot as a way to earn some cryptocurrency.

If you want to purchase the Finney, you’ll need to do so using the SRN token. That also goes for in-app purchases, upgrades and repairs also.

If for whatever reason things don’t pan out for the Finney, there are others who want to be the first to supply the public with a “blockchain” phone. Also keep an eye out for other options like BitVault and Zippie.

Additional Reading/Sources:

Skeptical article on Finney phone
Finney Update
SirinLabs Website for Finney
Manufactured by Foxconn announcement
Coindesk Article
Chipin Article Explaining Finney’s Specs
Bloomberg Article