Crypto Startup Pundi X Says That it Made the ‘First Blockchain Phone Call’
Having launched a crypto-based Point-of-Sale (POS) device earlier this year with the goal of making cryptocurrency payments easier on the go, Pundi X now claims to have made the first blockchain phone call, according to a recent Medium post by the company co-founder Pitt Huang. The call was made on the startup’s newest device, called the XPhone, at the ongoing XBlockchain Summit two-day event at the Inaya Putri, Bali.
The XPhone is a blockchain phone that doesn’t use any centralized mobile carrier to function. It works on the Function X blockchain created by Pundi X. The Function X blockchain is an in-house network developed by the Pundi X team to solve some of the problems encountered with current blockchain platforms such as scalability, easy publishing of decentralized applications (dApps), and decentralization of the internet.
According to Huang, the new blockchain Function X comes with five essential components that make it a truly decentralized solution. These include the Function X OS, Function X Blockchain, Function X IPFX, FXTP Protocol, and the Function X Docker. The developers at Pundi X claim the Function X OS is built off the back of the Android OS 9.0, which makes it compatible with Android apps, making it easier for developers and users to transition to the platform. New dApps will also be easier to create and publish, the startup claims.
“Users will be able to share data in much the same way as they do online securely via the blockchain, while developers can quickly and easily publish decentralized applications via FXTP,” the post reads.
Huang went to further to state that each device on the Function X ecosystem will function as a “node and each will have its own address and private key, uniquely linked to their node names, not unlike traditional URL and IP addresses.”
Users will be able to access their public data going through a particular path similar to what we type on our computers when visiting a website online. The user’s photos, files, or websites can only be accessed through this path. The path will be “FXTP://xxx.pitt,” with “pitt” standing for the user’s name on the network. Users can also call, text, or email the XPhone by using pre-defined commands such as “call.pitt” or “message.pitt.” Pundi X claims the data shared on the blockchain runs on a “complex exchange” of both public and private data keys which guarantees “communication without interception.”
Last week, CCN.com reported the decision of the UAE’s official credit bureau to launch a state digital currency emCash to drive wide adoption for digital currencies. As part of the move, the city will also roll out POS devices across government and retail storefronts in partnership with Pundi X, which will allow crypto users in Dubai to make purchases for goods and services.
Pundi X isn’t the only company working on a “blockchain phone.” Smartphone manufacturer HTC and cryptocurrency startup Sirin Labs are also working on variations of this concept.
Featured Image from Shutterstock
