The Jerusalem Post

TA start-up unveils ‘blockchain smartphone’

- • By EYTAN HALON

Sirin Labs, a Tel Aviv-based mobile cybersecur­ity start-up, announced the commercial launch of Finney, the “world’s first ultra-secure blockchain smartphone.”

After announcing plans to create the smartphone in September 2017, the company advanced into the manufactur­ing and production phase after raising $157.8 million in crowdfundi­ng.

Priced at $999 and endorsed by global brand ambassador Barcelona FC superstar Lionel Messi, Finney’s price tag is considerab­ly lower than Sirin Labs’ previous product: the $16,000 Solarin smartphone, designed for those seeking ultimate mobile security.

The company’s latest invention, named after computer scientist and Bitcoin pioneer Hal Finney, offers an embedded cold storage wallet to protect private blockchain keys, a multi-layered cybersecur­ity suite, innovative crypto-payment service and uses Sirin Labs’ operating system Sirin OS.

“It is with great pleasure that we are today unveiling to the world the first blockchain smartphone, brought to you by one ambitious start-up that was able to bring an idea to mass production in less than a year,” said Sirin Labs cofounder and co-CEO Moshe Hogeg.

“We are now proudly selling a flagship device that offers the user experience we have envisioned for our Sirin OS. We are taking a huge step forward in bridging the gap between the blockchain economy and the consumer market. Finney is the mobile and truly secure experience crypto-holders have been longing for.”

Sirin Labs, which partnered with Foxconn Internatio­nal subsidiary FIH Mobile to manufactur­e Finney, will open two flagship concept stores in London and Tokyo following the product launch. The company’s London store will also function as a blockchain academy for those interested in the decentrali­zed financial technology.

“In an increasing­ly insecure digital world, where hackers in all corners of the globe are out to steal whatever they can, consumers need a product that gives them confidence their data is safe,” said Kenes Rakishev, chairman of Sirin Labs.

“With no solution available until now, many crypto-users took a step back to a more primitive time and were using pen and paper to record their private key code. This and other ‘cold storage’ solutions are impenetrab­le to hacks but are also totally impractica­l for modern living,” Rakishev added.

“Finney is unique and is the only phone with an embedded cold storage wallet. There is nothing else like it on the market.”

Finney is currently available for sale on the Sirin Labs website and will be available on Amazon Launchpad from January.

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