Crypto rumor suggests TON, HashKey, and Oyster Labs work on launching a $99 “Universal Basic Smartphone”

There has been widespread speculation that the The Open Network (TON), HashKey, and Oyster Labs have joined forces to launch a new smartphone, dubbed the “Universal Basic Smartphone.” The source of the speculation is an X post from Robert Lee, co-founder of Web3Convention, a web3 event service.

Lee’s post captures a moment from the final stage of the TON Blockchain Hackathon, TON Hacker House, held on April 4 in Hong Kong. This event brought together 100 programmers with over 20 innovative projects to compete for technical advice, financial subsidies, and a chance to share in a total reward pool of up to $1.5 million.

The snapshot shows a presentation slide introducing a “High-quality Phone with Affordable Pricing” and a price point of $99. The slide lists several phone specifications, including an 8-core processor, 6 GB RAM, 128 GB storage, USB-C input, and a 4050mAh lithium-ion battery.

Source: @Robertl83909710

Lee said he purchased “a TON mobile phone on site to try it out.” He also showed a photo he took with “TON phone creator.”

Following the rumor’s spread, concerned users commented on TON’s official account, questioning the validity of the information in a recent event post. TON has yet to respond to these inquiries.

What’s with the phone from #TON? Because I see people are hyping it like crazy on X. And no one has yet confirmed whether it’s true or not. Everyone’s buying it like crazy

— TON SOCIETY 💎 (@CryptoBranders) April 5, 2024

Crypto Briefing further looked at a website claiming to be the pre-order page for the new phone. However, at the time of writing, the website seems unfinished, and the “Privacy” and “Terms” buttons are unresponsive.

Additionally, an administrator in a Telegram group purported to be affiliated with the initiative stated that the official pre-order launch will occur on April 8.

Source: @universalphone888

Despite this, it’s advisable to exercise caution and “do your own research” before making decisions or relying on the source of the information presented.

Source