Solana Mobile has announced the upcoming release of its latest smartphone, the Solana Seeker, set to launch in mid-2025. This is the second version of its crypto phone, following the Solana Saga. The Seeker has already gained a lot of attention, with over 140,000 preorders from 57 countries.
Compared to the Solana Saga, the Seeker has several upgrades, including a lighter design, longer battery life, a better camera, and a brighter screen.
It also features a built-in Seed Vault Wallet, which makes it easy to manage crypto transactions securely with just a double tap. This feature was developed in partnership with Solflare.
The Seeker also includes an improved Solana dApp Store, making finding apps and tracking rewards easier. It supports a variety of Web3 apps, including DeFi projects and NFT marketplaces.
Each Seeker device will come with a special soulbound NFT called the Seeker Genesis Token, which gives users access to exclusive rewards and content within the Solana ecosystem.
The device also allows third-party apps to access useful data like GPS and cellular information, which can be helpful for decentralized physical infrastructure networks (DePIN).
Preorders are available at a special price of $450 until September 21, 2024. Solana Mobile has teamed up with hardware company Fxtec and integrated the Solana Mobile Stack to make it easier for developers to create mobile-first decentralized apps (dApps).
Solana Mobile is expanding its use of AI with the Seeker. Through a partnership with Alethea, users can create AI agents that interact with Solana apps and the community, offering new ways to connect and earn rewards. Gamers will also get special items and rewards, including those from the upcoming game, Parallel Colony.
In another announcement, Solana introduced Airship by Helius Labs, a tool that makes airdrops much cheaper. What used to cost $40,000 now costs only $100, making airdrops more affordable for the Solana Mobile community.
In mid-2022, Solana launched the Mobile Stack Device for Android phones to accelerate the adoption of Web3 applications on mobile devices. Developed by Solana Mobile, it was introduced alongside Saga, the first version of the Solana crypto phone. The Solana Mobile Stack (SMS) provides essential technologies for building Android applications that interact with the Solana network.
By November of the same year, Certik revealed a vulnerability in Saga. The blockchain security firm identified this issue in the bootloader unlock feature. Certik noted that this security threat is not exclusive to the Solana phone but is a challenge for the entire industry.
In a detailed video, Certik illustrated how they managed to “backdoor” the Solana mobile phone. This term, often linked with malware, refers to a hidden method of bypassing normal authentication to gain unauthorized access, enabling control over system files and command execution.
The video warns that if users encounter the message, “the bootloader is unlocked and software integrity cannot be guaranteed. Any data stored on the device may be available to attackers. Do not store any sensitive data on this device,” it signifies the device has already been compromised. Following this breach, the user’s crypto holdings are at risk of being stolen. Certik demonstrated how these crypto funds might be siphoned off and redirected elsewhere.
Many Twitter users contended that Certik’s revelation is overstated.
Nevertheless, the launch of the Saga proved quite successful. By mid-December 2023, Solana revealed that the Saga had completely sold out across the United States. Reflecting on this achievement, the co-founder of Solana Labs remarked, “The goal with @solanamobile is to crack the App Store duopoly. Network effects are nearly impossible to overcome unless there’s a significant single-player benefit that outweighs the switching costs.”
