Polygon Joins Solana In Bringing Web 3 To Smartphones

Jun 08, 2023

Ethereum scaling tool Polygon is following the Solana blockchain in bringing Web3 to smartphones with a new partnership with tech startup Nothing.

Nothing has tapped the Polygon network to offer non-fungible tokens (NFTs) on its new Android-based Nothing Phone (1).

The NFT project – dubbed "Nothing Community Dots" – consists of airdropping tokens to Nothing community investors, which unlock perks such as early access to new products and events.

Among the first rewards are invites to Nothing Phone (1)'s launch in London on July 12.

Polygon co-founder Sandeep Nailwal described it as "immensely encouraging to see an innovator like Nothing embrace Web3 from the get-go, enabling direct access to Web3 by working with Polygon.”

The announcement comes less than two weeks after Solana said it is developing its own blockchain phone called Saga, which will feature a Web3 dapp (decentralized app) store Solana Pay to facilitate on-chain payments and a vault for storing private keys.

Polygon's and Solana's work marks a resurrection of efforts to develop a blockchain-native phone. In 2018, Sirin Labs attempted to do the same, but its plans failed to gain traction resulting in layoffs and a lawsuit for unpaid factory bills.

Should Polygon and Solana's attempts prove to be successful, they could succeed in bringing Web3 to a mass audience through the convenience of everyday smartphones.