Archives for May 12, 2019

HTC will release a cheaper blockchain phone later this year

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The Exodus 1s will also be a ‘full node’ on the Bitcoin blockchain.

HTC is dead serious about its foray into crypto-phones. Today, the Taiwanese company announced the Exodus 1s, a cheaper version of the Exodus flagship that was launched last year. We don’t know much about the mid-range device beyond its price — somewhere in the $250 to $300 region, according to a spokesperson — and its release date, which is currently slated for “the end of Q3.” The basic specs, including its processor, display and camera setup, are all a mystery for now.

HTC has revealed one tantalizing detail, though: the phone will double as a full node. That means the device can act as one of the distributed points that validate and relay transactions on the Bitcoin blockchain. It won’t be able to mine any cryptocurrency, but Phil Chen, Decentralized Chief Officer at HTC, told Engadget it has “partners to announce that will offer hash rates to do so.” HTC hopes the phone will appeal to people who are curious about cryptocurrency and want to support public blockchains.

“There is a shortage of full nodes in the network,” Chen explained. “By taking a more long-term, ecosystem perspective as a device manufacturer we believe we can help grow this network for application developers which in turn would benefit everyone using Bitcoin. There’s a sense of being my brother’s keeper here for running a full node. “

The Bitcoin ledger is currently over 200GB. HTC says it will be possible to store a smaller “pruned version” on the phone itself. The full blockchain, meanwhile, will need to be stored on a separate SD card. The original Exodus will gain the same node functionality “around the same time,” according to Chen, but will also require a dedicated SD card to host the full blockchain and run the necessary software. The node functionality will, presumably, take a toll on both the Exodus 1 and 1s’ performance. Chen said users should operate the node over a Wi-Fi connection and admitted that power consumption will be “beyond normal operating levels.”

“There are a number of different design elements that need to be taken into account to be able to handle this,” he added.

The Exodus 1s, like its predecessor, will support HTC’s Zion wallet app. The software can be used to store, send and request a number of cryptocurrencies including Bitcoin, Ether and Litecoin, as well as Ethereum-based ERC-20 and ERC-721 tokens. Today, HTC is releasing the Zion Vault SDK on GitHub so developers can tinker with and hopefully improve the software. “We understand it takes a community to ensure strength and security, so it’s important to the Exodus team that our community has the best tools available to them,” the company said.

The question, of course, is whether there’s a market for crypto-centric devices. HTC is in a tough spot financially, and it’s difficult to imagine the Exodus 1 or 1s turning its business around.

Tinder preps ‘Lite’ version of its dating app for data-limited areas

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BERLIN, GERMANY – OCTOBER 05: The Logo of location-based social search mobile app Tinder is displayed on a smartphone on October 05, 2018 in Berlin, Germany.

Looking for love in more places.

Add Tinder to the growing list of tech giants launching lightweight apps to reel in more users. As part of an earnings call, Match Group divulged plans for a Tinder Lite app that would be smaller and better-suited to area where cellular data “comes at a premium.” CEO Mandy Ginsberg made no mention of features or a release date (other than “soon”), but did point to Southeast Asia as a high priority when there’s an influx of young people into packed cities.

As with other lightweight apps and scaled-back operating systems like Android Go, this is really about maintaining growth that might otherwise taper off. Although Tinder is still growing at a solid pace (its paid subscribers jumped 38 percent year-over-year in early 2019), it knows those numbers won’t last forever. A Tinder Lite app would give it access to millions of people who have only basic smartphones, limited access to data or both. Even if only a fraction of those newcomers sign up, that’s a large potential expansion.

Stocks to Watch: Manulife Financial Corporation (TSX:MFC) Down -2.26%

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At close of market on Friday, Manulife Financial Corporation (TSX:MFC) stock finished trading at -2.26%, bringing the stock price to $23.80 on the Toronto Stock Exchange. The stock price saw a low of $23.64 and a high of $24.18.

The company’s stock was traded 14,439 times with a total of 9,875,882 shares traded.

Manulife Financial Corporation has a market cap of $46.85 billion, with 1.97 billion shares in issue.

Manulife is the largest of the three major Canadian life insurers by market capitalization, ahead of Sun Life and Great-West Life. It provides financial protection and wealth management products and services to individual and group customers in Canada, the United States, and Asia. Manulife markets through the brand name Manulife Financial in Canada and Asia and primarily through the brand name John Hancock in the United States.

Stocks to Watch: Waste Connections Inc. (TSX:WCN) Up +1.20%

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At close of market on Friday, Waste Connections Inc. (TSX:WCN) stock finished trading at +1.20%, bringing the stock price to $124.41 on the Toronto Stock Exchange. The stock price saw a low of $122.30 and a high of $124.73.

The company’s stock was traded 4,977 times with a total of 665,760 shares traded.

Waste Connections Inc. has a market cap of $32.8 billion, with 263.66 million shares in issue.

Waste Connections Inc is the third- largest integrated provider of traditional solid waste and recycling services in the North America, operating roughly 90 active landfills, more than 145 transfer stations, and about 66 recycling operations. The firm serves residential, commercial, industrial, and energy end markets. After its 2016 merger with Progressive Waste, roughly 16% of revenue stems from Canada.

Stocks to Watch: TC Energy Corporation (TSX:TRP) Up +1.35%

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At close of market on Friday, TC Energy Corporation (TSX:TRP) stock finished trading at +1.35%, bringing the stock price to $62.95 on the Toronto Stock Exchange. The stock price saw a low of $62.03 and a high of $63.06.

The company’s stock was traded 13,177 times with a total of 2,496,157 shares traded.

TC Energy Corporation has a market cap of $58.35 billion, with 923.55 million shares in issue.

TC Energy Corp operates as an energy infrastructure company, consisting of pipeline and power generation assets in Canada, the United States, and Mexico. Its pipeline network consists of over 92,600 kilometers (57,500 miles) of natural gas pipeline, along with 4,900 kilometers (3,000) miles) from the Keystone Pipeline system. The company also owns or has interests in 11 power-generation facilities with a capacity of 6,600 megawatts.

Stocks to Watch: Westport Fuel Systems Inc. (TSX:WPRT) Up +33.93%

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At close of market on Friday, Westport Fuel Systems Inc. (TSX:WPRT) stock finished trading at +33.93%, bringing the stock price to $3.00 on the Toronto Stock Exchange. The stock price saw a low of $2.51 and a high of $3.01.

The company’s stock was traded 1,928 times with a total of 418,038 shares traded.

Westport Fuel Systems Inc. has a market cap of $400.48 million, with 133.38 million shares in issue.

Westport Fuel Systems Inc is a provider of high-performance, low-emission engine and fuel system technologies utilizing gaseous fuels. The company has three reportable segments Transportation, the Cummins Westport Inc (CWI) Joint Venture, and Corporate. It generates maximum revenue from the CWI segment. Geographically, it derives maximum revenue from Europe and also has a presence in the Americas, Asia, and other countries. The company brands include Cummins Westport, BRC Gas Equipment, Westport, OMVL, Prins, GFi Control Systems, Emer, Zavoli, TA Gas Technology, and Valtek.