Finney, the 'world's first blockchain smartphone' by Sirin Labs, is now up for pre-order

Most of the details surrounding Sirin Labs' Finney "blockchain phone" were revealed back in the spring/summer, including the Safe Screen dual sliding display design and a whole pile of specs. I'll be honest, on paper it sounded like it could be Saygus-level vaporware, but the phone is now open for pre-order ahead of its expected launch.

In case you missed it, the Finney includes most of the specs you expect from a 2018-era flagship — like a Snapdragon 845, Android 8.1 Oreo (via Sirin OS), 6GB RAM/128GB storage, etc. — together with some additional cryptocurrency-targeted features. Things like a separate hardware wallet with its own slide-up screen, DApps (decentralized apps) support with a built-in DApps browser/store, and Sirin Labs' Token Conversion Service for making cryptocurrency transactions without using exchanges.

At the time of writing, it appears that sales are only taking place via SRN tokens, though other payment methods will be offered later. Amazon's Launchpad will also be selling the phone in January, and Sirin Labs expects to have two concept stores open in London and Tokyo over the next two months.

The company livestreamed the launch event in Barcelona just a few hours ago — if you're interested in a full recap, it's over on YouTube, though the audio is pretty impossible to parse in spots. Interestingly, the timer on Sirin Labs' site still says it'll be a bit longer (over an hour at the time of writing) until the official Finney launch.

A ship date is conspicuously absent from either the announcement press release or preorder page on Sirin Labs' site, so it could still be some time before preorders see their Finney in person. If you have any lingering concerns about the phone being vaporware, it might be worth waiting until dates are set.

PRESS RELEASE

SIRIN LABS Unveils FINNEY™: The World’s First Blockchain Smartphone That’s Ready to Hit Market

BARCELONA, Spain--(BUSINESS WIRE)--After completing a successful crowdsale, partnering with Foxconn International Holding and signing Leo Messi as its brand ambassador, SIRIN LABS is now announcing the commercial launch of FINNEY™, the first blockchain smartphone with the price of $999 which is now available for sale on SIRIN LABS website (sirinlabs.com) and joining the Amazon Launchpad programme in January

SIRIN LABS (https://sirinlabs.com/) is proud to officially launch today the highly anticipated FINNEY™, becoming the world’s first premier, ultra-secure blockchain smartphone that runs SIRIN OS™, priced at $999. FINNEY™ will offer its users a truly mobile blockchain experience, complete with an embedded cold storage crypto wallet, combined with state of the art mobile technology and design. SIRIN LABS is also looking for strategic OEMs to implement SIRIN OS™ in additional consumer devices.

SIRIN LABS will open two flagship concept stores first in London (December 2018) and later in Tokyo (January 2019). The London store will also function as a blockchain academy for our community, and any blockchain-curious audience.

Pre-sale is now open for SRN token holders on SIRIN LABS website for those who want to have their FINNEY shipped first. Later on SIRIN LABS website will offer additional channels of payments, including credit card. FINNEY will also be available to purchase on Amazon Launchpad from January.

SIRIN LABS first announced its plan to create and manufacture the world's first blockchain smartphone in September 2017 with the vision to bridge the gap between the mass market and the blockchain economy. In December of 2017, the company signed football star Leo Messi as its brand ambassador and subsequently completed a successful ICO to advance into the manufacturing and production phase.

Earlier this year SIRIN LABS chose electric giant FIH Mobile (Foxconn International Holding) to lead the manufacturing of FINNEY with SIRIN LABS leading the development of the cold storage wallet hardware, and its own operating system: SIRIN OS™.

THE SIRIN OS™

SIRIN OS™ is an infrastructure platform for secure mobile transactions to enable blockchain functionality within a mobile environment. SIRIN OS™, a Google-certified modification of Android, is designed to overcome the innate security challenges associated with the usage and storage of cryptocurrency on mobile devices. SIRIN OS enables the unique functionality of FINNEY including the cold storage crypto wallet and the native crypto wallet application, a behavioural machine learning based multi-layered cybersecurity suite, the Token Conversion Service (TCS) and embedded dCENTER. Here’s more about the unique features of the SIRIN OS:

Embedded Cold Storage Wallet:

The wallet’s purpose is to protect user’s private keys (for multiple blockchains) and to securely generate transactions to aid crypto users through:

A Full separate hardware from the device hardware
Protecting your private key /credential and sensitive Action protected
Generation and signage of secure blockchain transactions
Connecting to an internet-enabled native wallet application only when a user-initiated transaction is made
Firewall Embedded Rules engine

Multi layered cybersecurity suite:

FINNEY is an ultra-secure handset with machine learning based Intrusion Prevention System (IPS) that is integrated from kernel to the application level and offers:

Online and offline on-device cyber threat detection
Protection from Network attacks
Host-based attacks
Unsecure device definitions

The dCENTER

SIRIN OS dCENTER is an integral part of SIRIN OS™ and offers a marketplace for DApps (decentralized applications) as well as an incentivised learning center. The dCENTER’s Learn & Earn option is the first crypto and blockchain education ecosystem that offers incentivized learning for blockchain projects all over the world. Our launching partners offer incentives when users interact with their projects, which means every FINNEY owner is entitled to receive value back on the phone. The dCenter, based on Web 3.0 protocol, offers: App and in-app purchasing, Air drop mechanism, DApp browser, and more.

The Token Conversion Service (TCS)

The TCS is a unique concierge like service, which enables users to make crypto transactions for supported coins and tokens, without the hassle of exchanges. This creates a fast, simple, and seamless crypto payment experience, while simultaneously providing a competitive exchange rate for users:

Rates are determined by collecting token’s market value across multiple major liquidity providers, that will then provide users with the most competitive rate automatically.
Ethereum and Bitcoin blockchain networks congestion levels define the speed of a transaction.
SIRIN OS algorithm will calculate the optimal network fee to offer in order to provide the best speed at the lowest rate.
At launch TCS will support ETH, BTC, and SRN

Introducing FINNEY™ - The flagship device running SIRIN OS

In addition to state-of-the art technology and cyber protection, FINNEY also offers the highest level of modern and expressive design. The phone is framed with high gloss metal, mirror polished Aluminium, and has 3D Gorilla Glass on both the posterior and anterior of the device. These are accompanied by the metallic signature Shield Elementsurrounding the camera, sensors, and fingerprint scanner.

The unique sliding design of the Safe Screen is FINNEY’s strongest feature, and operates as the gateway to the crypto world by activating the cold storage wallet. Functioning on dedicated hardware and software, The Safe Screen’s separate power switch is how users will be able to access their wallet. The Safe Screen is also able to allow users to independently verify that FINNEY™ wallet transactions include the correct amount, the correct currency, and are being sent to the correct address. Thereby enabling users to verify that they’re not being tricked by malware or hackers looking to steal and send their cryptocurrencies or tokens to a fraudulent third party.

“It is with great pleasure that we’re today unveiling to the world the first blockchain smartphone, brought to you by one ambitious startup that was able to bring an idea to mass production in less than a year,” describes Moshe Hogeg, Co-Founder and Co-CEO. “We’re now proudly selling a flagship device that offers the user experience we have envisioned for our SIRIN OS. We’re 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.”

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

About SIRIN LABS

SIRIN LABS is developing the FINNEY™-- the premier open source, ultra-secure blockchain smartphone with an embedded cold storage crypto wallet. Our vision is to bridge the gap between the blockchain economy and the mass market by solving the two greatest barriers to the crypto market: lack of both security and user experience.

After concluding one of the largest ICOs in history (with over $157.8 million contributed), and through the experience gained from the production of the first SIRIN LABS phone, the SOLARIN™ (a phone globally recognized as one of the most secure in the world), SIRIN LABS has paved the way for the technological advances we are able to bring forth in FINNEY™.

FINNEY™ will be running the SIRIN OS™, a Google-certified modification of Android, featuring SIRIN LABS’ proprietary cyber protection suite, wallet functionality, dCENTER (DApp store), and Token Conversion Service. SIRIN LABS has already established strategic partnerships with industry leaders like Cardano and FIH (Foxconn International Holdings-- makers of the iPhone, Xbox, and Kindle), and has signed on the world's greatest footballer, FC Barcelona’s Leo Messi, as official global brand ambassador for SIRIN OS™. Joining Messi as brand ambassador is the middleweight boxing champion, Gennady Golovkin, AKA “Triple G,” who is promoting the FINNEY™ Blockchain smartphone.