For folks who have been keeping tabs on emerging phone mining apps over the last few years, you might see the names 'FONE' or 'Phoneum' with a wide range of reactions from current or former users. Since I'm relatively new in the crypto space, I only discovered FONE recently, so I've learned a lot over the last few months about FONE's history - including it's original iterations as Phoneum. I've also spent time using the FONE mining app, as well as some of the games developed by the FONE project.

A Very Brief History of Phoneum

The Phoneum project was conceived in mid-2017, followed by app development later that year. The first ICO for PHT, Phoneum's native coin, was in mid-2018. PHT was initially created on the Ethereum blockchain, but was soon migrated to Tron. The Phoneum project has at times included various crypto games and apps, as well as a secondary coin - PHGT. The project received some coverage here on Publish0x with mixed opinions over the course of 2021, as you can see with a quick search of this site. Then, towards the end of December of 2021, Phoneum became FONE, and users' PHT and PHGT were converted to the new FONE cryptocurrency, this time on the Solana blockchain.

(Image source: fone.dev)

What's Going On With FONE Today?

Today, the main FONE app focuses strongly on one very simple task: mobile mining for FONE tokens. Users need to only log in once a week to start a mining session. Users will receive 70 FONE each week for the free mining option, but there are paid options as well. Seventy FONE a week isn't much at all given the current value of FONE. FONE is currently only tradable on the LATOKEN exchange, though there has been plenty of commentary on FONE's Twitter posts about the status of additions to other exchanges.

FONE currently has a somewhat large and varied ecosystem of apps, including multiple games and focuses on NFTs and carbon offsets. In addition to the project's Twitter feed, one of the best ways to keep up with changes and additions is to keep an eye on FONE's Medium blog.

Is the FONE Project's Wide Scope a Help or a Hindrance?

In combination of my own experiences using various FONE apps as well as the research I've done into the Phoneum/FONE project, there's one thing I can say for sure - there's a lot to take in here. Such a wide variety of projects and iterations could be seen as either opportunities or red flags, depending on your stance regarding crypto projects in general.

On a positive note, with a large array of games and apps, there's something for everyone here. Users interested in FONE can be as lazy or as focused on the project as they would like to be. At bare minimum, you can log into the FONE mining app once a week to get your free FONE, and then forget about it. On the flip side, you might find it enjoyable to play one or several of the FONE game apps (my personal favorite is Crypto Treasure - I'll be writing a review about it specifically in my current blog series on play-to-earn crypto games) or to dive into the NFT platform FONE has created.

On the other hand, multiple changes with the project (not limited to but including its name, token, apps, and blockchain) could indicate a somewhat meandering direction and lack of focus. Some users seem to be confused by the changes made previously, while others - based on comments and reviews I've seen online - are lacking faith in general in the project's future. FONE also seems to be struggling at times with either uninterested or non-existent customer service, which could be another example of being stretched beyond their means. For example, after a recent update, me and other users were no longer able to start new mining sessions. After multiple comments on Twitter went unanswered, I eventually posted a review on Google Play with my complaint. That review was somewhat curtly answered with something along the lines of "It's fixed now, update your review," and nothing more. A month later, the comments users had left on Twitter were finally addressed...long after the issue had been resolved.

Conclusion

Personally, I'm still interested to see where the FONE project heads next. I appreciate the ease of use of the mining app, and am enjoying one of their crypto games currently. According to recent posts by FONE on their Medium blog, some of the next upcoming and exciting changes will be FONE migrating to their own blockchain, as well as expanding to other exchanges. Will the FONE token increase in value then? If so, mining and playing now could be an easy but profitable investment of only your time. Are you still interested in FONE?

Valdyr is a "crypto-curious" blogger living in Texas with her husband and their ancient dachshund, Henry. When she's not working as an audio/visual technician or stagehand, you'll frequently find her traveling, hiking or enjoying a good craft beer. For more reading, check out www.laurahofford.com/blog/