Bitcoin Forum

So I was thinking about a nice little 'promotion' tool for BitCoin which would actually serve some use out of it.

Basic idea is to use the BitCoin logo as a real life touchable coin like keyring, with hidden inside a little flip out/slide out USB drive.
On that USB drive like 128MB room for data. The idea is to put your wallet.dat file on there as backup.

Much like the MSN Key rings from the past: http://i42.tinypic.com/wi65uh.jpg (http://i42.tinypic.com/wi65uh.jpg)

Guess some manufacturer in China should be able to create something like this :)

Then sell these for like 1BTC a pop or so.


Thoughts?


I'd say: Use this as a front:
http://blog.orbitingpluto.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/bitcoin-logo.jpg

Even better would be one of those usb drives in the form factor of a credit card, so that you can actually keep it in your wallet.

I'd by that for a bitcoin.

I looked into this (briefly) and for small scale production it ended up being cost prohibitive.  More power to you if you can find someone who can produce them cheap enough though!

It would be neat if it was packaged with some sort of autorun batch file to automatically encrypt and copy the wallet file from the typical storage location in the appdata folder.  That way, you just plug it in, run the batch file (or it'll autorun if you're on an older version of Windows), and you're done!

There's plenty of companies who'll put a custom logo on a USB stick for you, but they do it in batches of 100, so for single users it's not cost-effective.
However, if you want the advantage of a removable medium that can be stored in your physical wallet the logo is just showing off ;)

Don't bother copying wallet.dat to the harddrive - that increases security risks needlessly. Stick windows, linux and mac builds  of the client on a USB stick with all the settings also on the USB stick using relative pathnames - you can skip having all 3 platforms if you only use one of them. Personally i'd stick an encrypted filesystem image and a script for decrypting it on there and manually decrypt+mount it as needed, though right now I have no need for moving my wallet.dat around.

you know the Bitbills? http://bitbills.com/

they are more cheaper... try it!

Oh, that's an excellent idea.  Then you can just plug it in and run it on any computer.

I like.  :D

Yeah, maybe see how many ppl would actually want a BitCoin USB stick :)

Agreed, I've love to have something like this and I'd pay around 10-20 USD for one. Bonus points for making it thin enough to fit in a wallet.

I'd be willing to make this happen in the UK but I don't have the money, I'd need to take pre-orders. Unfortunately I haven't done any trading in BTC yet so I can't prove I'm legit. I could charge something like 5BTC each but I'd need to get the coins, exchange them for pounds, order the cards once I have money for 10 orders, then ship them all out. During all this you'd pretty much just have to trust me.

I could show you eBay feedback though, if that helps at all. :P

I've found a company in the UK that will do credit card sized USB sticks with a minimum order of 10 so it's doable, but I think the trust issue is going to stop this one before it happens.

That thing would be awesome in a postcard mailer form factor.  Talk about a real postalnet.

don't use thumbdrives.

use SD or microSD cards.  buy a bunch without labels.

and you can print up logos on an inkjet using sticky-back, high-gloss paper.

Do both, and let people buy whichever one they want.  I can see the advantages of an SD card, but I don't always have a card reader handy, so would prefer a USB stick.

as long as it use flash-memory SSD, my answer was "No!"
when FRAM[produced by Ramtron], RRAM[TSMC ?Panasonic? Samsung ? in this year end/2012/Q1], MRAM[some Russian and EU fabs] storage used - i will buy one-two, probably.

so ... if you had you wallet.dat file on a USB stick, you would not mind putting it into a strangers computer, knowing full well they could easily have a virus or spy ware that copies your information instantly???

Have you never heard of a personal mobile device, blackberry, etc .. will some security? ... just connect to your 'bank' where ever you keep your wallet and securely send/recieve BTC when/where you want???

repeat:


:-|?

proprietary OS-powered device ? RIM ? PIM ? security ? hardly.

? what about Android .. isn't that Open?

Yes, android is a version of Linux.  Notice that none of the open source programmers here have released anything bitcoin related for the closed source OS's for smartphones.

a version of Linux? hmm... yeah, just the Linux Kernel, as far i know, Linux is not a OS.

and with http://bitbills.com you no get viruses or trojans :-|

No! Not a usb stick!


What we need is an MP3-player-ish Bitcoin dispenser Fallout style. ;^)

It should have a LCD display to show balance/transfer status etc, and two dispensers should have syncing ability (wired or wireless).

Another requirement would be dual flash chips and/or memory cardslot for redundancy.

Obviously this would take some development by a company with deep pockets.

better idea, have a version in java of the bitcoin official's client for cellphones (like for my Nokia 2730 Classic, for example) wich you have a bitcoin address and you can charge it with some money, so, you go to a..... idk, a Cafe, for example, and plug the bluetooth on to receive the bitcoins address of the Cafe and pay what you eat...

anyway, there exist the Bit bills too! :D

Awesome, awesome idea. If you can, try and get it to work with the Android client, maybe drop them a message. https://github.com/bitcoin-labs/bitcoin-mobile-android

So you take your android with you, but if you know you need money, you also take the USB key with you, which can be attached to your keyring.

Keys are easier to keep on you than an android or a usb key because they can (and are) clipped to clothes.

A cellphone client with NFC support is going to be required if we ever want bitcoin to be seriously considered in the third world. Everyone has a cell phone, but a lot of people lack computers or even electricity.

Android is a linux kernel and a custom JVM (Java Virtual Machine) that uses its own bytecode rather than standard java bytecode. The whole system is indeed open, but a lot of manufacturers lock it down with tricks like locked bootloaders to prevent reflashing a custom firmware.

hardly Android is "open", let alone talks about "freedom".
its so outdated/crippled/twisted so it back to Linus tree only after Google pressure.
its based on Linux kernel. but thats almost all.
difference between Google and Microsoft[&Apple. for example] is mainly imaginary - same HR resources, same money behind,  same ideology, similar technology/strategy. why someone consider then "Open" ? just because they "good" ? and/or exploit/crowdsource FLOSS-related things little more intensive than Microsoft[yes, Microsoft use Linux. years ago]? unlikely.

You can build your own android firmware image yourself, all the source is available. How is that not open?

keeping a spending wallet with you is okay.  Bitbills is more elegant though.

you can do same with WM SDK[with or without source]. or QNX[same]. does it make it "open" ?

check out https://www.plugwallet.com/whatIsPlugWallet.jsp

WM = Windows Mobile? Where's the source?
QNX: source is only available for pay

How precisely is android less open than any other open source project? How are you defining "open"?

who care about source ? we're talk about freedom.
re-release GPL-dependent content under Apache-alike license[whichs against GPL and effectively invalidate Google rights to use/access to it] ? its about "Freedom" ? unlikely.
p.s. how much/how big part of their "OS" sources codes Goodle ACTUALLY contribute back/publish ?

By all means, continue to rage against the machine, but I have a feeling that no available mobile operating system will satisfy your high standards.  As for the rest of us, we really need to find a practical solution to the bitcoin portability problem, and Android seems to be the best fit.

yeah, Android look like the best option, but, in Zimbabwe can buy a android phone? even can they buy a Nokia 2730?
we have to think in a nation with the worst technology to make something useful starting there, idk if you understand me! :p

some people say Open Source open minds i preferred Free software for free society is more transcendental !

Sansa Clip+ can run the Open Source firmware replacement Rockbox.  http://www.rockbox.org/ (http://www.rockbox.org/).  Perhaps it's possible to add bitcoin related functions?  It has a microSD slot as well.

LaCie makes coin-shaped USB Drives.

http://www.lacie.com/us/products/product.htm?id=10342 (http://www.lacie.com/us/products/product.htm?id=10342)

And there are customizable credit-card shaped usb drives available: http://www.customusb.com/products-flashcard-carddiskflip.html (http://www.customusb.com/products-flashcard-carddiskflip.html)

"best fit" ? IMO, no.
does Android 1st Linux OS for mobile devices ? No.
does Android affect other Linux-based OS development ? Yes.
why not let break Linux itself into market ?
Nokia fail ? but thats Nokia fail and not 1st one. due to HRM error. similar mistake cost SGI too much too[for example], as well [many-many]other companies too.

so, IMO, even if developers too lazy, picking Maemo or MeeGo[in worst case]way better than Android.

I thought about a bitcoin device using this:
http://www.webupd8.org/2011/05/25-usb-stick-pc-running-ubuntu.html

It needs a screen and networking, but maybe something?

yep, its closer to Subj goals/req's, IMO.
IMO, any ultra-cheap SoC with MIPS/Arm core and decent connectivity/IO interfaces and mainstream Linux distro [Debian ? Slackware ? CentOS ? Fedora ?] can do it.
and yes, smallest SoC will smaller than USB port and fully capable computer itself.
trick is to buy enough, to make it econimicaly attractive[in small batches its isn't]

An Arduino-based device with a screen wouldn't cost too much or be too unwieldy. You could connect it to a wifi network and send payments on the go. It would also serve as a stand-alone wallet.

Alternatively, you could make a small bitcoin instance run on an Arduino-based device which would update itself with a few minutes connected to a computer. Sort of a portable wallet.

If somebody's willing to work on the software with me, I'd do with the hardware design. I design Arduino-based devices with a friend.

http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2011/05/swapping-goes-high-tech-with-panini-video-trading-cards/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+GearFactor+%28Blog+-+Gadget+Lab+%28Gear+Factor%29%29


struck me as relevant