We’re used to all kinds of digital products in the cryptocurrency world. From coins and NFTs to DAOs, everything around here seems to be inside a computer. However, it’s not always the case. There are some physical products and crypto gadgets you can acquire for different purposes.
From smartphones to the offline world, let’s check some of the most interesting blockchain gadgets around in 2022.
Blockchain smartphones
Several companies have been launching different smartphones designed to interact with the crypto world since 2018. The features usually include an integrated cold wallet (disconnected from OS and web), specialized software to use Decentralized Apps (Dapps), encrypted communications, and easy backups for private keys.
Sometimes, this type of crypto gadgets may offer some additional benefits, like a full Bitcoin node or getting rewards by mining coins like Monero (XMR). The last function, for instance, is available on the Exodus 1s by HTC. This is a standard device with a 6” display, Snapdragon™ 845, and 6GB RAM + 128GB storage. It also includes a Dapp native browser and a cold wallet; all for €220.
A more expensive option is the Finney by Sirin Labs ($999). This phone has a Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 845 processor, 6GB RAM, 128GB storage memory, and additional security features. Finally, we can mention the most annonce récente about this topic: Solana Labs, the firm behind the chain Solana (SOL), is planning to release a dedicated Android phone.
Dubbed “Saga”, this one will have similar features to its previous competitors, but it adds Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) and a payment network with SOL. It also increased its capacities to 12 GB RAM and 512 GB storage, and it can be pre-ordered for $1,000 on its site officiel.
Market Monitors
The cryptocurrency market is quite volatile, so, staying up to date with the prices is essential for every trader and holder. Thinking about this, some developers and companies have created small crypto gadgets to check the prices at one glance, instead of checking the phone or PC every five minutes. They’re like digital clocks, but for cryptocurrency and Forex pairs.
One of them is TicrThing by TicrTech. This little cube can display multiple crypto pairs in real time while allowing the user to choose the market (source for the prices). It’s available in its own shop at €86, payable with Bitcoin (BTC).
Very similar to that product, we can find the CoinTickr, powered by CoinStats. This crypto gadget is waterproof, it offers automatic price alerts, and it can be “chained” with others of the same kind. However, it’s only capable to track up to three crypto or Forex pairs. It can be acquired for $49 on Indiegogo.
Hardware wallets
Of course, these are classic crypto gadgets now. They’re non-custodial devices to handle your coins offline, for higher security. Des marques comme Ledger, Trezor, BitBox, and KeepKey offer several models and colors. To the naked eye, these wallets may look like flash drives or very small tablets. They’re usually accompanied by a mobile app but have some buttons for basic functions.
The more security you want, the pricier it can get the wallet. For example, D’CENT offers cold card wallets at $23 each, but it also developed a biometric hardware wallet that includes a fingerprint scanner. The latter is at $139 each. On the other hand, NGrave launched Zero, promoted as “the only financial product to integrate an EAL7-certified OS.”
Zero is a device fully “air-gapped”, with no connection to WiFi, Bluetooth, NFC, or USB. All communication is done via QR codes. It has biometric security, and it supports over 1,000 assets. Therefore, its price tag ascends to $400 each.
Small crypto miners
Crypto mining can be very expensive and complex for most mortals. But it’s not always that way. Some companies and developers have launched different crypto gadgets for easy mining at home. One of them it’s the Coinmine One, a small, compact, and white (or black) device, like a game console or Internet modem.
The Coinmine One is controlled by an app, and it can “run anywhere with a WiFi connection”. It’s capable to mine Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), Monero (XMR), Grin (GRIN), Zcash (ZEC), Handshake (HNS), and Cosmos (ATOM) without further effort. Additionally, it includes a full Bitcoin node and Réseau Lightning support. It can be bought for $800.
Another compact crypto gadget for mining is the Apollo LTC Pod by FutureBit. This small box can mine any Scrypt-based algorithm coin, such as Litecoin (LTC), Digibyte (DGB), Verge (XVG), and Dogecoin (DOGE). It was available on their page web officielle for $375, but now we must wait until the end of the year for more units.
Crypto gadgets offline
Did you know that it’s possible to make blockchain transactions offline? There are some software proposals to do it, but we already have some crypto gadgets to make it possible. The company Blockstream has four Bitcoin satellites across six coverage zones.
This means that anyone with a connection with those satellites can make offline transactions, even without the Internet. To make that offline connection possible, it’s necessary to acquire and set up a small antenna and a USB receiver (at $500). No other hardware it’s needed.
GoTenna has also developed a new solution for offline transactions: a Mesh Network. The latter is a group of physical devices (nodes) that can connect to each other independently. Therefore, they can share messages or crypto transactions via mobile, without the need for Internet.
Along with those devices (at $200 each), GoTenna created the app TxTenna with Blockstream and Samourai Wallet to make offline Bitcoin transactions —between the GoTenna device users in around 4 miles (6 km).
Of course, all these products are barely the beginning of the future. We’ll likely see more variety around crypto gadgets in the upcoming years.
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