On Wednesday, December 19, 2024, Foundation announced the launch of its newest device, the Prime Passport.
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Introducing Passport Prime – your personal security platform!
We're excited to introduce Passport Prime, the world's first personal security platform designed to protect your bitcoin and your entire digital life.
Think: a Swiss army knife for your online security. pic.twitter.com/3HH2eG7vhU
– FOUNDATION (@FOUNDATIONdvcs) <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/FOUNDATIONdvcs/status/1869442946732642732?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>December 18, 2024
The device offers a wide range of features that not only help users protect their bitcoin keys but also other digital information.
Characteristics
For starters, Passport Prime offers the same bitcoin wallet capabilities as the company's second generation. passport deviceincluding multi-signature functionality and temporary seed phrases.
Beyond bitcoin-related security, Passport Prime also helps you store other sensitive digital data.
Its 2FA Codes app allows users to store 2FA codes offline, while its Security Keys app serves as a replacement for Yubikeys and allows users to create multiple security keys for use with NFC or USB.
Additionally, the device offers an encrypted flash drive. Users can store up to 50 GB of data on the device. And as a means of keeping your data private, the Airlock feature in the File Explorer app allows users to access only selected files when the device is connected to a phone or computer.
The device also has its own custom operating system, KeyOS, which allows apps to run in their own sandboxes while the operating system manages permissions.
Driving the hardware wallet industry forward
Earlier this year, the Foundation's co-founder and CEO told bitcoin Magazine that he was looking to create the iPhone of bitcoin hardware. Passport Prime is the Foundation that has come closest to this ideal so far.
“The hardware wallet industry has been dormant for years, failing to deliver any meaningful innovation and failing to respond to the rapidly evolving use and utility cases for digital assets,” said Zach Herbert, co-founder and CEO of Foundation in a press release.
“Wallets have become the weakest link in cryptocurrencies: they are difficult to onboard, complex to use, and increasingly insecure for a variety of modern blockchain transactions,” he added.
“Passport Prime is the first device of its kind, a personal security platform suitable for the future decentralized economy, which makes it simple to safeguard all your private keys on an offline device and sign all types of transactions or contracts with complete peace of mind. .”
Third party applications welcome
Around mid-2025, developers will be able to create third-party apps that will run on KeyOS. In other words, developers will be able to include their own applications in the Foundation's application catalog.
The first of these third-party apps will be produced by Cake Wallet and will allow users to transact more privately using bitcoin, Monero and other cryptocurrencies.
Dynamic, but simple and secure
Foundation claims that setting up and using Passport Prime will be easy, despite its various functionalities.
Users can configure the device using Envoy, Foundation's native app that provides guidance for the setup process and connects to the device via QuantamLink Bluetooth.
QuantamLink Bluetooth is enabled by a dedicated Bluetooth chip built into Passport Prime that can only send and receive messages that are already encrypted using quantum resistance technology.
Users can also backup their seed through a Shamir Secret Sharing 2 of 3 setup that splits the seed into three parts: two stored on physical cards and one stored on the Envoy mobile app.
Details
The device will cost $299 and will ship before the second quarter of 2025.
The device comes in two different colors, Arctic Copper and Midnight Bronze, and is completely open source and made in the United States.
Learn more about the product here.
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