Much of the speculative interest in bitcoin is gone and will stay gone. Once people get burned they are not chomping at the bit to get back in.
Bitcoin will continue lower and lower since the negative feedback loop is a vicious one and just when you think there is a bottom it can and will go lower.
It's simple what bit coin needs.
1. ACTUAL licensed exchanges inside the United States. I want recourse for my money if the exchange just decides to pull a runner. If MTGOX decided to be "haxed" tomorrow not only could they steal all your bit coins they also now have many members personal documents for "verification" purposes that could be sold on the black market for much more then their entire bit coin business.
Not saying they will I am saying they CAN and there is not a damn thing you can do about it.
So yeah get some LEGIT exchanges.
2. We need actual merchants to accept the currency. Ponzi schemes and rigged gambling sites do not count. I am aware that more and more sites accept bit coin but the majority of them are unknown and are just using bit coin as a gimmick. We need bit coin to be accepted in broad marketplaces such as a mmorpg or a massive online retailer.
but none of that will happen since the speculative bubble has burst and very little big money will even raise an eyebrow at using bit coin now.
It's to bad, there's always the future for some other currency to do it right.
I hold 0 bit coins