Blockchain-powered smartphone ‘BOB’ running two OS goes on sale: Price, specifications, features

BOB has Android 9 Pie as base OS and Function X or f(x) OS which is said to give a new smartphone experience.

BOB blockchain-powered smartphone. (BOB)

The world's first fully Blockchain-powered smartphone BOB (Blok on Blok) that runs two different operating systems (OS) at the same time seamlessly is now available for purchase for $599 (nearly ₹43,000).

The smartphone can be bought in various cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin via digital asset wallet app Xwallet. The users of the app will get the device for $539 as pre-order discount from November 30 to December 14, Singapore-based Pundi X Labs which is the maker of the device said on Thursday.

The XWallet mobile app connects regular digital asset wallets with the Pundi X payment ecosystem. Built entirely on and for the Blockchain by Pundi X Labs, a leading developer of blockchain-powered devices, the smartphone has Android 9.0 as base OS, allowing it to function like a regular Android smartphone.

The second OS called Function X or f(x) OS that runs BOB gives users a new smartphone experience, the company posted on Medium on Thursday. Powered by the Function X blockchain and ecosystem, any action made within the f(x) OS will be decentralized, it added.

Texts, calls, Internet browsing and sharing of files will all be transacted on the Blockchain, providing users full control of their data, taking back data privacy with BOB. Users will be able to switch seamlessly between the two operating systems in BOB with just a swipe.

This flexible feature allows users to ease into using a blockchain-powered smartphone at their own pace, as they can simply switch to the Android 9.0 OS if they want to access their regular Android-based apps and services.

BOB comes with a Qualcomm Snapdragon GPU 512 with 64-bit addressing. Its storage is made up of 6GB RAM and 128GB ROM, which can be expanded to 512GB. Each BOB unit will also have a 4.97-inch AMOLED touch screen. It will have HD resolution (1920 x 1080 pixel) with a 16:9 aspect ratio.

BOB's battery will have a capacity of 3300mAh, and the unit supports wireless charging, said Pundi X Labs. BOB comes with a 48MP rear camera with an F/2.0 aperture as well as a 16MP front camera with an F/2.2 aperture. BOB will have a fingerprint sensor, a 3.5MM headphone jack, and a loudspeaker. It will be able to carry up to two nano SIM cards along with NFC and Bluetooth capabilities.