Now I am not new to crypto, been aware of bitcoin since 2012 and have been hesitant to invest in it, leading to a lot of FOMO.
I decided I don't want to be left out, and I didn't really have the finances for a crypto currency mining rig back in the day. I thought why not get involved in the Mobile Crypto Space, since there was no way I was willing to fry my CPU earning 4 cents to the dollar a day, using apps like honeyminer, or minergate. And forget about the cloudmining scams out there. IQ mining, Genesis Mining - they all the same. Hash rates constantly getting halved, leading you not being able to recoup your initial investment. They keep selling unrealistic returns, and if it is too good to be true, you know, it usually is.
So the Mobile Crypto Space got me thinking. I initially heard about Electroneum (ETN) back in 2018 and have had their app running on my mobile since 2019. I have only made $ 6. I still like their platform but the returns are low. It's a great coin to buy airtime with in South Africa, and has it's uses. They are expanding their platform having just secured being Anytask (http://www.anytask.com) payment portal. A portal for freelance work. Get hired for tasks and receive payment in ETN. Payment in ETN is not as convenient as Bitcoin or Ethereum, but hey they thinking big. The coin unfortunately does not have mass appeal yet, something they are struggling with, and the value on the exchanges seem to reflect that. I personally think there is just too much coin (ETN) in circulation.
Moving forward in 2020, I have come across the PI Network which is speculatively trading at $ 0.369 in the futures market (15-04-2020) That is a lot of $ for a coin still set to be released.
So what is the Pi Network?
"Build a cryptocurrency and smart contracts platform secured and operated by everyday people."
They want everyday people to be able to mine their consensus algorithm on personal computers and mobile phones.
They use the Stellar Consensus Protocol (SCP) algorithm. Ever heard of Stellar coin, the guys at Pi have built on the Stellar Network algorithm by allowing devices of individuals, mobile and personal computers to contribute on the protocol level and get rewarded.
According to their White Paper there are four roles a Pi user can play, as a Pi miner.
a Pioneer. A user of the Pi mobile app who is simply confirming that they are not a “robot” on a daily basis. This user validates their presence every time they sign in to the app. They can also open the app to request transactions (e.g. make a payment in Pi to another Pioneer)
a Contributor. A user of the Pi mobile app who is contributing by providing a list of pioneers he or she knows and trusts. In aggregate, Pi contributors will build a global trust graph.
an Ambassador. A user of the Pi mobile app who is introducing other users into Pi network.
a Node. A user who is a pioneer, a contributor using the Pi mobile app, and is also running the Pi node software on their desktop or laptop computer. The Pi node software is the software that runs the core SCP algorithm, taking into account the trust graph information provided by the Contributors.
You can be all 4 of the above roles. All roles are necessary, and all roles are rewarded with Pi on a daily basis as long as you have participated and contributed during that given day.
So with the Pi Network alterations to the Stellar algorithm it allows everyday people to contribute to the network with the 4 roles, earning you Pi. The network remains decentralized and in the hands of everyday people, with a fair distribution of Pi regardless of the capacity of your mobile phone or personal computer.
The Pi network is simple enough for anyone to get started. Just log on once a day to prove that your are not a robot.
Use the invitation code Fisheyes
If you know of any other cryptocurrencies that want to keep mining decentralized and allow everybody access, please list them in the comment section.