Nouns DAO

TLDR:

Apple and Google are holding back Web3 mobile development.

ethOS is a free and open source mobile OS that embraces Ethereum and makes Web3 delightful on mobile.

We’ve been building ethOS as a public good for more than a year (currently at ethOS v2.1) without any funding.

Currently, using ethOS requires flashing an older Pixel.

We’d love NounsDAO’s support in the launch of a turn-key, consumer friendly ethOS device.

Who are we?

ethOS is a group of nine developers and designers passionate about Ethereum and Web3 who have been building it since winter of 2021.

@mk (markkat.eth, Noun 191) wrote the ΞPhone Manifesto in 12/22 which kick-started ethOS. He remains an ethOS co-founder. @markus (mhaas.eth, https://nf.td/markus) is also a co-founder and leads development for ethOS. Team ethOS consists of multiple founders, YC Alum, and members with significant Web3 industry experience.

Our website: ethosmobile.org

Why are we building ethOS?

Ethereum on mobile is nerfed by gatekeepers. Most consumer internet activity occurs on mobile devices. However, Android and iOS treat Ethereum as just another application, rather than the protocol that underpins Web3. For example, the iOS OpenSea app doesn’t let you buy, sell, or even send NFTs, because Apple wants a cut of Ethereum gas fees. Uniswap has created an iOS wallet that Apple didn’t approve for months, and they don’t know why. Furthermore, the Web3 user experience is terrible. Using Ethereum dapps on mobile means browsing within a wallet, and bouncing back and forth between the wallet and the web app. This also prevents new interaction models (such as pay-as-you-stream streaming for audio NFTs). Apple also does not allow token-gated features. Android and iOS are permissioned platforms by design, and this hinders Web3 development. By offering a meaningful alternative, we can push these companies to adopt Ethereum, or lose market share.

ethOS fully embraces Ethereum to unlock the full potential of Web3. ethOS features an onboard Ethereum light node and a System level wallet, allowing for direct interaction between mobile applications and Ethereum, and giving users more security and control over their assets. Unlike iOS and Android, ethOS doesn’t own the App Store. In the spirit of Web3, ethOS supports competition and composability among apps services.

Where are we at?

We launched ethOS v2.0 at ETH Denver 2023, and released ethOS v2.1 last month. We have been building continuously since December 2021. Despite not taking any funding, we maintain a rapid pace of development, and have a long list of exciting functionality and features to bring to ethOS. Some of the cool features of ethOS available today include:

Onboard light node

• No need for centralized RPC services pre-merge. Post-merge it gets data from a centralized RPC, but verifies the data using beaconchain data.
• Less man-in-the-middle risk
• Further decentralizes access to Ethereum in the future using the Portal Network

System-level wallet

• Approves transactions without leaving the browser or app
• Removes the need for the centralized WalletConnect service

NFT minting from Gallery/Camera

• Create an NFT in seconds

XMTP messaging

• Decentralized messaging between Ethereum or ENS addresses

ENS integration

• Contacts leverage ENS

Private Key Management via Secure Enclave

• Private key is encrypted using symmetric key stored on SPU

Biometric signing of transactions

• Sign a transaction in-app or in-browser with your fingerprint, without having to switch over to the wallet

Android apps and Services

• Install all apps available in the Google Play Store and get traditional Google Play Services for your Android apps

Three Browser

• A full web browser integrated with the system wallet for seamless signing

Here’s swapping on Uniswap on ethOS: https://youtu.be/3PiMTGq3i-A

Here’s minting an NFT on ethOS: https://youtu.be/edVpdWwq-6A

The Purpose of this Proposal

The purpose of this proposal is to ask for a grant that allows us to launch ethOS devices for anyone to purchase.

Currently, users have to jump through a lot of hoops to try out ethOS. We and our community have been building and testing ethOS on out-of-date devices (Pixel3, 3XL, and 5a). This has enabled us and our community to get devices at a low cost, but it is not a model for widespread adoption. To use ethOS today, users must find and buy used devices, and they must be OEM unlocked (many are incorrectly labeled). This is a major impediment to adoption.

ethOS is now ready for the Web3 community at large, and we are going to make it available pre-installed on current Pixel 7s. To make this happen, we must update ethOS to be compatible with Pixel 7s (a development lift), and establish a delightful sales and quality distribution process (orders on website, sourcing of devices, installation of ethOS, branding/boxing, and fulfillment). Most costs associated with achieving this are for sourcing devices, packing materials, shipping, laser-etching, and developer time.

Our team has worked unpaid thus far; however, three of our developers will be transitioning to a paid status as we begin to sell and support a consumer-grade device. With full time engineers, we can build even faster, and better support the growing ethOS developer community.

This is an important time in the evolution of ethOS, and funding would greatly assist us in this transition.

What’s in it for Nouns?

We believe that building an open source, mobile operating system as a public good is a very Nounish goal. Everyone in the Ethereum ecosystem is aware of the negative effect that Apple and Google gate-keeping has on Web3 mobile. ethOS represents a critical effort to unlock the potential of Ethereum on mobile, and to increase Ethereum adoption.

Our first ethOS device will also have a Nounish option! To thank Nouns for their support, purchasers of the ethOS phone can choose the Nounish Edition, which feature generative Nounish wallpaper, a Noggle-sporting ethOS logo etched on the back of their device, and Nounish packaging to deliver a delightful experience for the user. It will look something like this:

We will also prominently thank Nouns for their support on our website and in our social channels for providing the necessary public goods funding for the first ethOS phone.

Why we are submitting a Proposal

We believe that ethOS can be supported in a Web3 native manner that is consistent with the goals of a free and open-source operating system that embraces Ethereum. We have not taken any venture funding to date for this reason. A grant from Nouns would greatly help us advance our mission at this critical time. Furthermore, support from Nouns would raise awareness for ethOS.

The Ask and Deliverable

We are asking for 40 eth (~ $76k) in funding delivered at 0x55A4E5123F8923500fF7AA97e75231a54A9c233a.

We will make the ethOS phone available for purchase in Summer 2023.

Thank you kindly for your consideration, Team ethOS