20181105-Finney Phone Review

Finney Smartphone Review:

Unique Features:  cold wallet storage, token swap capability, built-in dapp store, Sirin OS

History:  They made Solarin in 2016, which was the most secured phone in the world aiming at ultra high-end market.  For the first 9 months, it probably had a sales just under $10 million that calculated to about 700-750 phone sold.   Then a year after the roll-out of the phone, the Company laid off about 1/3 of its staff.

Competitor:  HTC will come out a similar phone, but it won’t be on the market probably until in the 2^nd half of 2019.

Target:  early technology adopters, crypto currency enthusiasts.

Pro:  First smartphone of its type that integrating a blockchain into a smartphone system that could increase overall safety and accountability.

Con:

* Lack of mass adoption appeal

* high price

* new platform (Sirin OS)

* dApp store run by the community

Sirin Labs plans to deliver a “decentralized app store run by the community” where “cost-bearing apps are based on a secure P2P resource-sharing system, which distributes fees between users and developers.” For such a green company to make promises of community-run app stores is awfully bold. What community? Its last phone was estimated to have sold around 750 units in nine months on sale.

* The phone is tied to its token SRN!

Sirin Labs’ currency is called SRN and it will be used after the sale to buy the Finney smartphone and other Sirin Labs products (you won’t be able to pick up the device without SRN), apps and in-app purchases, warranty and device repair, etc.

This bothers me the most.  You have to buy the phone with their tokens?    Second, where is their community?   That is crucial for the success of this phone.  For example,  I can see PundiX phone will have a big royal community that is willing to try and support its phone.   But I don’t see SRN has such a community.