Freedom Factory — the team behind the ethOS operating system — has revealed a new mobile device called the “dGen1” — an on-chain device used to interact with Web3 applications, decentralized finance protocols, and to sign transactions on Ethereum.
The device is built on ethOS — a fork of the Android operating system — and includes a built-in web browser, touch screen, audio speaker, and a separate screen displaying transaction metadata. However, dGen1 does not have telecommunication capabilities.
A notable feature of the dGen1 is the light node client on the device — meaning users won’t need third-party remote procedure call (RPC) nodes to interact with the blockchain.
A picture of the dGen1 mobile device. Source: Freedom Factory
Freedom Factory plans to start shipping the device in Spring 2025, joining the trend of Web3 developers entering the mobile hardware market. Other players in this trend include Solana’s Seeker smartphone and Mysten Labs’ SuiPlay0X1 handheld gaming device.
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On September 3, Mysten Labs — the firm behind the Sui (SUI) blockchain — began accepting pre-orders for its SuiPlay0X1 device, a gaming handheld similar to a Steam Deck and other mobile gaming computers.
The $599 device is expected to be released in the first half of 2025 and will support the Steam online game store and blockchain games on Sui.
At the recent Future Blockchain Summit in Dubai, Mysten Labs’ CIO, Christian Thompson, explained to Cointelegraph that blockchain gaming allows developers to explore Web3 and attract users.
In the same month, Solana announced its upcoming Seeker smartphone, emphasizing its role as a “rewards magnet” without heavy reliance on memecoins.
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