Recent studies show that over 90% of users are using mobile phones to access the internet. As phones have been streamlined for on-the-go media playback and mobile apps have been created to increase the convenience and accessibility of nearly every type of resource, “phone as computer” is a concept that is overtaking more traditional computation methods.
We still refer to these devices as smart “phones,” but it won’t be long before these devices have entirely left the limiting realm of anything that can be classified as a phone. In fact, the concept of telephone will soon be a relic of the past, with modern communication devices barely resembling the original apparatus patented by Alexander Graham Bell in 1876.
Worldwide Internet Usage stats, July 2024 – Statista
Indicating Mass Adoption
Several years ago, the earliest web3 pioneers liked to speculate about what mass adoption would look like. For fans of cryptocurrency, NFTs and decentralized ecosystems like Gala, mass adoption was one of the hottest phrases around, a constant topic of discussion.
Most of those early adopters considered that worldwide acceptance of web3 tech would involve some kind of overthrow of the web2 era, replacing the social-focused platforms the world had come to know with less centralized and more sustainable alternatives that allowed users greater control over their data. I wonder how many of them could have predicted that the rise of The Open Network (TON) would be so closely connected to one of the most widely used social messaging platforms in the world.
There’s no denying that The Open Network (TON) has taken huge strides toward mass adoption of web3 on multiple levels. Gala users have already seen multiple examples of it in the recent release of our first wave of mini app “tapper” games, Treasure Tapper and Music Miner, both playable now with a Telegram account. Rewards in these casual Telegram games will eventually amount to $TREZ, the tapper token of Gala Games, which will be issued on both TON and GalaChain and bridgeable from one to the other.
The combination of Telegram’s powerhouse widely used social messaging platform, TON’s speed and scalability as a blockchain, and Telegram’s mini app infrastructure makes it possible for an entirely new generation of highly accessible web3 tools to hit the scene. It would seem that Telegram finally cracked the code of comfortably onboarding web2 users to web3 technology, and every effective web3 community stands to benefit.
The Universal Basic Smartphone
The upcoming web3 smartphone (UBS) that has everyone talking was created by Oyster Labs (not directly affiliated with the TON Foundation). It can currently be preordered for $130 through their website, with estimated delivery in September of this year.
According to the front page of Oyster Labs’ UBS site, “Universal Basic Smartphone(UBS) is creating an equitable digital economy where everyone is fairly compensated for their data. In the era of AI, while we have little control over what happens to the data we produce, companies profit from it for free. UBS gives you the power to control and benefit from your data to build a future where everyone gets a share. UBS believes in a digital economy that gives back to those who participate.”
In addition to its Android 10 OS and other standard smartphone features that make it comparable to many phones on the market today, this unique “powered by blockchain” smartphone aims to bring a new level of web3 interaction to a massive new group of mobile users worldwide.
With the highly scalable TON blockchain’s ability to handle large volume transactions per second (TPS) and the potential for notable partnerships, this groundbreaking phone could become a cornerstone of the mass adoption we’ve all been waiting for.
Built-In Web3 with TON
Preordering a UBS involves connecting a non-custodial TON blockchain wallet, establishing the intrinsic web3 connection at the core of this device. Owners will have seamless access to hundreds of mobile dApps from the TON ecosystem in addition to the full range of mainstream Android apps.
Rewards from the Start
IN classic web3 fashion, Oyster Labs is offering a plethora of enticing reward opportunities even before the first UBS are delivered to pre-orderers.
$OYS Tokens – Oyster Labs is offering free $OYS* tokens as a benefit to pre-ordering the UBS. In the initial “Founding” series, 1000 $OYS was given for each pre-order. The presale is currently in its 2nd series, “Friend With Benefits” (FWB), gaining 300 $OYS for pre-order. Additional $OYS can also be picked up by referring others to pre-purchase the phone. *$OYS is currently tracked as a reward point system, not yet listed on any markets or minted on TON.
OysterEarn – Owners of the UBS will enjoy cashback benefits from both web2 and web3 companies
Genesis Pass – Preorder of the UBS comes with a special Genesis Pass and the opportunity to “claim daily data dividends and more.”
Learn More about UBS
This article is merely reporting and speculating on publicly available information, and does not indicate any sort of partnership or endorsement of The Open Network, Oyster Labs, Telegram or any other entity mentioned in this article.
We encourage our readers to do their own research in all aspects of web3.
