Top 5 Interesting Ethereum Decentralized Applications
by Andrew McGuinness Jul 16, 2019
Unlike Bitcoin, Litecoin, and other cryptocurrencies, Ethereum does not fall under the same “peer-to-peer electronic cash system” that was first started by Bitcoin creator, Satoshi Nakamoto. Ethereum is a platform built on the same blockchain technology developed by Nakamoto, allowing developers to create decentralized apps that offer a kind of functionality never before possible.
Users on these apps use the Ethereum token, Ether, to buy, sell, and trade for services and products. The strength of Ethereum’s value relies entirely on widespread adoption of apps built on the Ethereum platform, and how many people trade with the Ether token. Here are the top 5 Ethereum decentralized applications:
1) Vevue
Vevue is similar to Google Street View, in that it allows users to look at the world from the street’s point of view. However, there’s a slight twist: contracts can be placed on Vevue, in which users can request others to take a video or picture with their smartphone of a certain area. If you need to see a certain place, you just have to pay a few Bitcoin or Ether to a smart contract, and someone will accept it.
2) WeiFund
WeiFund is the blockchain solution for online crowdfunding, similar to Kickstarter and Indiegogo, but working on the trustless Ethereum system. WeiFund claims to provide “world-class, open-source modular and extensible” utilities for crowdfunding. Everything about this system is decentralized.
The unique aspect of Weifund is the use of smart contracts: instead of simply donating money as you would do with Kickstarter, you can write up a smart contract, which will donate an indicated amount of money only once certain criteria have been fulfilled. This gives both the investors and the company more interesting possibilities to work with.
3) 4G Capital
4G Capital is one of the more unique decentralized apps on the Ethereum platform, and one of the most world-changing: it allows small business owners in Africa to ask for and receive instant credit with the use of smart contracts. Donors can use the app to fund small businesses in Africa with Ether, and this money can be used immediately by the business owners. Businesses can find the funding that they’ve been looking for, with no trouble of cross-continental money exchange or money transfer, which usually carry with them long transaction times and heavy fees.
4) Etheria
Etheria is by far one of the more powerful decentralized applications, in which users can buy and “own” tiles in aa virtual world, and use these tiles to farm for more blocks with which to build things. Etheria is unique in the virtual world landscape because the world is not controlled by any single company; instead, the world is an “agreement” between all of its users, and any time someone wishes to change something in this world, the “owner-players” can band together to change it. The creators of Etheria claim that it is just as much a social experiment as it is a game, in which they want to see how we manage with a virtual world that we can change on our own.
5) Eth-Tweet
Eth-Tweet is a simple platform that is quite similar to Twitter, but unlike Twitter, it runs on its own decentralized network, allowing users to have full control of their own profiles. Accounts and messages can only be manipulated or deleted by their owner. While many may not see the need for such an app now, there could come a time in the future where we require a more free and accessible platform for microblogging needs. Users can also send and receive Ether donations, which can incentivize others to build content for the platform.