Solana Labs will be launching an Android mobile phone called Saga for the Solana network. The device will feature crypto wallet functions, a mobile software development kit called Solana Mobile Stack for Web3 apps. The handset will come with direct access to a Web3 store for decentralized blockchain-powered apps.
It will also have an integrated Solana Pay function for users to make payments on the network using QR codes. Moreover, the Solana Foundation is creating a USD 10 million fund to encourage the growth of mobile Dapps. The mobile phone will come with Saga Pass which is actually an NFT. It will be included in the first wave of Saga devices. The non-fungible token will be a ticket for the users to participate in community governance of the Solana Mobile Stack platform.
Anatoly Yakovenko, the CEO of Solana Labs, highlighted that the time has come for crypto to go mobile. He recognized the fact that crypto users are still forced to use desktop devices and almost-obsolete hardware to carry out their dealings. Yakovenko says the new phone would solve these problems. He pointed out that the preferred method of interacting with crypto still involves installing a browser extension and plugging in a thumb drive.
Solana Labs is collaborating with a number of crypto players to facilitate the device’s launch. This includes crypto exchange FTX, NFT marketplace Magic Eden and StepN, a move-to-earn step-counting crypto app, as well as Phantom and Orca.
Osom has developed the Solana mobile phone and confirmed that it was a modified version of the OV1 smartphone. Jason Keats, Osom’s founder and CEO, believes the world needs novel hardware companies to support the future that is essentially Web3. He said building on an ecosystem that looks to the future without being burdened by past legacy ecosystems is hugely exciting.
However, the device will not be free of problems. A report says the real test will be whether Saga ships on target in early 2023. And if it would be able to create a market or audience for the device that had excited Web3 enthusiasts.
