Ethereum scaling solution Polygon has announced that it is partnering with mobile phone manufacturer Nothing to bring Web3 technology to mobile users.
Nothing’s next mobile will integrate Polygon’s technology, giving users access to games, payments, decentralized applications and much more.
Increased Web3 adoption on mobile devices
Blockchain phones, despite multiple attempts by manufacturers, never attracted customers. However, crypto networks appear to be giving a renewed push for Web3 and all associated technologies to reach a large untapped mobile audience.
Another example of this is the case of Solana, which has already announced the Saga Phone and Solana Mobile Stack (SMS) software initiative.
Now, 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).
Information about the partnership between Polygon and Nothing
The partnership will initially start with the NFT membership club, as well as those users who helped finance the launch of Nothing and those who have pre-ordered the Nothing Phone(1) smartphone. All of them will receive exclusive NFTs from Polygon.
Black Dot NFTs, as they are called, will provide various benefits to holders, such as early access to products, tickets or events.
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.
See thread below. ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/VKIDuEKSoM
— Nothing (@nothing) July 5, 2022
“This is Nothing Community Dots. We are all Nothing. Dots in the huge unlikely scheme of it all. But let these seemingly small and insignificant dots connect. Then something starts,” Nothing said in a tweet.
At the same time, according to Polygon VP 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(1). It will also integrate payments and upcoming Polygon features such as Polygon ID, the company’s zero-knowledge, evidence-based identification solution.
“How do we get even closer to the user? The mobile phone is the world’s largest distribution platform. Basically, the time was right for us to now be able to bring this technology to the masses,” Kalsy reported.
a chance meeting
According to Kalsy, Polygon found Nothing thanks to one of its venture capital backers right after its $450 million fundraiser last February. Kalsy said that he was pleasantly surprised by the knowledge about Web3 in the Nothing team and that he had solid plans for this sector.
“From the first conversation, I was like, ‘Well, these guys get it. They understand how Web3 works and that, for me, was a magical moment. Like, I want to work with these guys.”
The startup was founded by OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei. Since then, the firm has attracted some of the biggest names in the tech space, including iPod co-creator Tony Fadell, Twitch co-founder Kevin Lin, and Reddit co-founder and CEO Steve Huffman. The company plans to hold a launch event for Nothing Phone (1) on Tuesday next week, July 12.
Other unspecified details about the Polygon and Nothing association
Details on how to integrate Web3 into the Nothing Phone (1) remain sketchy. However, from the looks of it, the company has plans similar to Solana’s SMS initiative, making Web3 easier to access on smartphones and bringing NFTs and cryptocurrencies to a much wider audience. However, Solana is making its own mobile phone in association with OSOM products. Meanwhile, the Nothing Phone (1) will be powered by Polygon, but it won’t be a Polygon-branded phone like the Solana Saga.
Kalsy emphasized that Polygon wanted to partner with a company whose specialty was building phones and allow each partner to focus on their area of expertise:
“Can we build a mobile phone? I’m sure we can, but would we build the best mobile phone in the world? No. That’s something Carl [Pei] and HTC, and Samsung, LG or Apple are the best in the world”.
The importance of this market
Polygon and Solana see the mobile market as critical to bringing a significant number of new users into the crypto space. Polygon provides faster and significantly cheaper transactions than Ethereum and recently achieved carbon neutrality by purchasing offsets. Kalsy described the importance of the mobile market and stated:
“I think it’s one of the most important things networks can do. You’ve figured out the scalability and stuff, and now you can bring this technology to the mobile phone and start bringing the next few hundred million users into Web3.”