Ethereum scaling solution Polygon has announced that it is partnering with phone maker Nothing to bring Web3 technology to mobile users. The upcoming Nothing Phone will integrate Polygon’s technology, giving users access to games, payments, decentralized applications, and more.
A Renewed Push To Bring Web3 To Mobile
Blockchain Phones, despite multiple attempts on the part of manufacturers, never appealed to customers. However, crypto networks seem to be making a renewed push to bring Web3 and associated technologies to a vast, untapped mobile audience. Solana has already announced the Saga Phone and the Solana Mobile Stack (SMS) software initiative.
Now, Ethereum scaling solution Polygon has announced that it is collaborating with tech startup Nothing. The collaboration will see Polygon integrate its technology into the startup’s first phone, the Nothing Phone (1).
Details Of The Partnership
The partnership will initially begin with an NFT membership club, with those users that helped crowdfund Nothing’s launch receiving exclusive Polygon NFTs. Users that have pre-ordered the Nothing phone will also receive the NFTs. The Black Dot NFTs, as they are called, will give several benefits to holders, such as early access to products, entries, or events. Nothing took to Twitter to announce the details about the NFTs, tweeting,
“This is Nothing Community Dots. We are all Nothing. Dots in the huge improbable scheme of everything. But let these seemingly small, insignificant dots connect. Then something begins.”
Just The Beginning
However, according to Polygon Vice President of Growth, Arjun Kalsy, this is just the first step. The plan is to bring easy access to apps and games on Polygon to the Android-based Nothing phone. It will also integrate payments and upcoming Polygon features such as Polygon ID, the company’s zero-knowledge, proof-based identification solution.
Kalsy stated,
“How do we get even closer to the user? The largest distribution platform in the world is the mobile phone. Basically, the timing was right that now we can take this technology to the masses.”
A Chance Introduction
According to Kalsy, Polygon came across Nothing thanks to one of its VC backers just after its $450 million fundraise, announced in February. Kalsy stated that he was pleasantly surprised by the Nothing team’s knowledge of Web3 and had robust plans for the space.
“Right from the first conversation, I was like: ‘Well, these guys get it. They understand how Web3 works, and that, for me, was a magic moment. Like, I want to work with these guys.”
The startup was founded by OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei. The firm has since attracted some of the biggest names in the tech space, including iPod co-creator Tony Fadell, Kevin Lin, co-founder of Twitch, and Reddit co-founder and CEO Steve Huffman. The company plans to hold a launch event for the Nothing Phone on the 12thb of July.
Finer Details Still Sketchy
Details around how the Web3 integration on the Nothing phone (1) still remain sketchy. However, from the looks of things, the firm has plans similar to Solana’s SMS initiative, making Web3 access easier on smartphones, and bringing NFTs and crypto to a larger audience. However, Solana is making its own smartphone in partnership with OSOM products. Meanwhile, the Nothing Phone (1) will feature technology from Polygon, but it will not be a Polygon-branded phone like the Solana Saga.
Kalsy stressed that Polygon wanted to partner with a firm whose specialty was in building phones and allow each partner to focus on their area of expertise. He stated,
“Can we build a mobile phone? I’m sure we can, But would we build the world’s best mobile phone? No. That is something which Carl [Pei] and HTC, and the Samsungs, LGs, or Apples of the world are the best at.”
A Critical Market
Polygon and Solana view the mobile market as critical to onboarding a significant number of new users into the crypto space. Polygon provides faster and significantly cheaper transactions than Ethereum and has recently achieved carbon neutrality through the purchase of offsets. Kalsy outlined the importance of the mobile market, stating,
“I believe it’s one of the single most important things which networks can do. You’ve solved for scalability and such, and now you can take this technology to the mobile phone and start onboarding the next hundreds of millions of users into Web3.”
Disclaimer: This article is provided for informational purposes only. It is not offered or intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.
