Launch of BitPay, worlds first smartphone-ewallet for bitcoins

[realnowhereman]

Yep, added this in the issue below
https://github.com/warpi/BitPay/issues/13

I will come back to comment the other ideas aswell, but now I have to leave for work. Cya

No problem at all; I'm sorry I didn't use the issue tracker directly.  I will do from now on.

None of those suggestions were show-stopper criticisms.  I think the core functionality of the app is perfect: a simple wallet, that doesn't require any effort to begin using it.  While I always love extra features, that core principle is what's important.  Anyone could have that on their phone and use it without any technical understanding of bitcoin at all.

In short: I like your app very much.  It's a permanent resident on my phone now.

Here's why I think apps like this are important: I could show this to merchants, and friends and not have to explain anything about block chains, transactions or anything else.  It's easy to see how this one little app could replace the credit card machine in the local newsagent.

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[kwukduck]

crashes when i try to send btc
after i scanned code with the barcode scanner it gives Force Close

so i can receive money but not get it out :/

[warpi]

• Updating balance should be done in a different thread.  During update the UI freezes, changing tabs isn't possible.

Yes, we have been thinking about this aswell, but it requires a little rethinking when it comes to the userinterface, so its probably more work than one could think at first.
https://github.com/warpi/BitPay/issues/14

• When selecting the "amount" field on the receive tab to enter a number, the keyboard is in alphabetic mode.  We're never going to want to put letters in an amount field; set the keyboard to numeric mode

Good point
https://github.com/warpi/BitPay/issues/15

• The "amount" field on the send and recieve tabs should be in the same physical position on screen

Agree, me myself is a pedant so I will naturally make sure these things will be solved in future, no need of issue.

• The screen real estate used by "Account: instawallet.org" is a bit of a waste; can't that be on the credits page?  We don't need to see it all the time.  Perhaps you're planning multiple account support in the future?  In which case I withdraw this point.

Yes, we have in vision to have multiple accounts, but showing where the eWallet is located is not important on every page (more important is what account is selected). But as of now, I just wanted to make some advertising for InstaWallet.org for making this application possible at this time, but in future, I dont think its necessary.

• The amount fields should all have more than two decimal places shown when they are showing zeros (or any other number)

As of now, we just display what is on InstaWallet.org without interpretation. This issue will naturally be solved when doing that.

• A widget that can be dropped on the home screen to show current balance

That would be awesome. I dont know exactly how android works, maybe its possible to integrate a widget into the application?
https://github.com/warpi/BitPay/issues/16

No problem at all; I'm sorry I didn't use the issue tracker directly.  I will do from now on.

Great. Its also possible to comment the issues to make a better description or purpose better solutions.

None of those suggestions were show-stopper criticisms.  I think the core functionality of the app is perfect: a simple wallet, that doesn't require any effort to begin using it.  While I always love extra features, that core principle is what's important.  Anyone could have that on their phone and use it without any technical understanding of bitcoin at all.

In short: I like your app very much.  It's a permanent resident on my phone now.

Thanks, same here I love the feeling of always being able to send money to anyone with a android telephone from now on

Here's why I think apps like this are important: I could show this to merchants, and friends and not have to explain anything about block chains, transactions or anything else.  It's easy to see how this one little app could replace the credit card machine in the local newsagent.

Yes, regarding replacing credit card machine. Me and leifi have been discussing how to make this application both supporting people 2 people transaction, but aswell enabling easy for merchant use. Hopefully, this is possible with the same application.

crashes when i try to send btc
after i scanned code with the barcode scanner it gives Force Close

so i can receive money but not get it out :/

Hello kwukduck,

If you want to withdraw you money, just to go "credits" tab, and write the InstaWallet.org url displayed at the bottom at your computer. At this homepage, you could easly withdraw your money to another account.

It seems there is something wrong with the QR-reader. Have you downloaded this from the market?

[dooglus]

Acumulated ask/bid graph over mtgox depth of market
http://warpi.net/bitcoin/

Code:

Forbidden

You don't have permission to access /bitcoin/ on this server.

Additionally, a 404 Not Found error was encountered while trying to use an ErrorDocument to handle the request.
[code]

[/code]

[kwukduck]

Thanks Warpi

I reinstalled the barcode scanner but it still makes bitpay crash...

[warpi]

Code:

Forbidden

You don't have permission to access /bitcoin/ on this server.

Additionally, a 404 Not Found error was encountered while trying to use an ErrorDocument to handle the request.

Hello dooglus, read what I wrote at the end of this thread
http://forum.bitcoin.org/index.php?topic=6967.msg317910#msg317910

Thanks Warpi

I reinstalled the barcode scanner but it still makes bitpay crash...

This is very interesting, we need to find what makes your phone crash when running bitpay. Is it possible for you to make a video about it? Please write what version of Android and QR you are using.

[warpi]

Now bitpay version 0.12 is released and a lot of the issues we discussed is now solved
https://github.com/warpi/BitPay/tree/v0.12

[realnowhereman]

Good improvements.  Already better.

Crash after "From Camera" returns seems fixed; and I tried it and it read a QR code successfully.

[warpi]

Good improvements.  Already better.

Crash after "From Camera" returns seems fixed; and I tried it and it read a QR code successfully.

Thx. Please add issues or post comments to github.
https://github.com/warpi/BitPay/issues?sort=created&direction=desc&state=open

I think that the gui sucks right now, so if you have any ideas, please post these here.

[dooglus]

Code:

Forbidden

You don't have permission to access /bitcoin/ on this server.

Additionally, a 404 Not Found error was encountered while trying to use an ErrorDocument to handle the request.

Hello dooglus, read what I wrote at the end of this thread
http://forum.bitcoin.org/index.php?topic=6967.msg317910#msg317910

OK.  Maybe don't link to it in your signature for now then, if you know it's not working.

[warpi]

OK.  Maybe don't link to it in your signature for now then, if you know it's not working.

Oh, sorry. I forgot that, now its about BitPay instead

[TECSHARE]

Please excuse me for being an ignorant newb here... but what is stopping people from just making a wallet file encoded in a QR code?

[Reikoku]

Any chance of a Blackberry version?

[willphase]

Please excuse me for being an ignorant newb here... but what is stopping people from just making a wallet file encoded in a QR code?

private keys are 256bits long.  default wallet generates 100 pool keys plus whatever keys you've manually created - so say, 110 keys.  That's 3250bytes.

Maximum data storage of a QR code is 2953 bytes¹

Will

[warpi]

Please excuse me for being an ignorant newb here... but what is stopping people from just making a wallet file encoded in a QR code?

I dont understand what you want to use this for?

Any chance of a Blackberry version?

B£ackBerr¥ is as proprietary as Mi$ro$oft and App£e so I have no interest of developing for thoes platforms.

[im3w1l]

Wow, this is a really great app! Thanks alot for making it! Here in Sweden time is growing really short for this: a rival application not using bitcoin just came online. If it becomes popular than the moment may be lost. Are there mobile pay apps in other countries too?

[warpi]

Wow, this is a really great app! Thanks alot for making it! Here in Sweden time is growing really short for this: a rival application not using bitcoin just came online. If it becomes popular than the moment may be lost. Are there mobile pay apps in other countries too?

What "rival application" are you refering to?

[bogeyman]

Please excuse me for being an ignorant newb here... but what is stopping people from just making a wallet file encoded in a QR code?

private keys are 256bits long.  default wallet generates 100 pool keys plus whatever keys you've manually created - so say, 110 keys.  That's 3250bytes.

Maximum data storage of a QR code is 2953 bytes¹

Will

There was a thread about a single address + private key encoded qr code (http://forum.bitcoin.org/index.php?topic=3716.20), so you can scan and own that bitcoin address (+private key!) . First thing you'll do is to transfer the coins, because the guy who generated the private key could could transfer the coins, if you wants to...

But this won't work for BitPay, because it is not a fully bitcoin node, so some web service would have to offer a "private key spend coins service" it could use.

working with bitcoin uri, just containing the address and a web service like instawallet.org is simple, easy and fast. I like it for smart phones.

I am working on a BitPay clone, that would be easily portable to android and Iphone (well, don't know what the apple market will say ) and some other, if I'll find alternatives for the ZXing QR code scanner library...

[BitcoinBug]

Feature suggestion: an option to enter value in other currencies (EUR, USD) with automatic conversion

[TECSHARE]

Please excuse me for being an ignorant newb here... but what is stopping people from just making a wallet file encoded in a QR code?

private keys are 256bits long.  default wallet generates 100 pool keys plus whatever keys you've manually created - so say, 110 keys.  That's 3250bytes.

Maximum data storage of a QR code is 2953 bytes¹

Will

Thank you for clearing that up for me sir.

Please excuse me for being an ignorant newb here... but what is stopping people from just making a wallet file encoded in a QR code?

I dont understand what you want to use this for?

If this were possible you could print a pseudo-wallet on paper and hand it to some one like cash. You could also conceivably use it like a debit card for BTC, but as previously noted security would be minimal.

One additional question I had is, could a minimal wallet file be created that would fit within a single QR code? If this were possible, this could help take the responsibility for the security of BTC exchanges off of the exchange services and leave it completely up to the end users. As a retailer my main apprehension in taking bitcoin is the fact that if my server was compromised I would then be responsible for all the lost BTC. This places the risk back onto the user and frees up service providers resources for development, and also has the additional benefit of decentralizing the system with an open physical exchange platform.