Keystone 3 HW talk

[dkbit98]

I want to buy a Keystone, just for use with Metamask and to store altcoins, like ETH, Sol, USDT, USDC.
Considering that they only communicate through QR codes, and the firmware of Keystone and the Metamask app are both open-source, and come from different companies, wouldn't that make it more secure?

It would make it safer to use that way, but I just never liked Metamask wallet and I don't care much about ethereum and all it's tokens, but Rabby.io wallet  is much better eth alternative for metamask.

Watch out for Keystone wallet battery, you have to charge it on regular basis or it could stop working and die, this is the weak spot of new Keystone 3 devices, and it's not easy to replace batteries like in older version.

[andnapu]

Keystone is the first hardware wallet brand whose Black Friday deals I have come across. There is a 20% discount for all purchases across their shop. To get it, you don't need to enter any discount codes. The Keystone 3 Pro is now $119.20 instead of $149. Use promo code "BFFORX" to get another 10% off. The Keystone 3 Pro will then cost you $107.28. Pretty good deal if you are considering purchasing this hardware wallet.

I cannot purchase directly from the official website, and bought from the Chinese reseller(https://keyst.one/resellers). Today I checked the price and it is only $111 (799 RMB). The reseller was kind to refund me $14 (100 RMB).

I want to buy a Keystone, just for use with Metamask and to store altcoins, like ETH, Sol, USDT, USDC.
Considering that they only communicate through QR codes, and the firmware of Keystone and the Metamask app are both open-source, and come from different companies, wouldn't that make it more secure?

It would make it safer to use that way..

Thanks for your suggestions.

...but I just never liked Metamask wallet and I don't care much about ethereum and all it's tokens, but Rabby.io wallet  is much better eth alternative for metamask.
Watch out for Keystone wallet battery, you have to charge it on regular basis or it could stop working and die, this is the weak spot of new Keystone 3 devices, and it's not easy to replace batteries like in older version.

In the Google Store, Metamask has been downloaded 10 million times, while Rabby has been downloaded 100,000 times.
I may use hardware wallets very rarely, and the battery will die. At that time, it will be charged through a USB cable while using.

[Pmalek]

...but Rabby.io wallet  is much better eth alternative for metamask.

I have never tried it but I remember reading a little about Rabby's security features a few months ago. I know that they introduced and had their own form of clear signing for on-chain transactions early on. The wallet also engages in some type of transaction screening where it checks if there could be some security implications with the transactions you are trying to make. What do you like about it, and why would you recommend it over Metamask?

I may use hardware wallets very rarely, and the battery will die. At that time, it will be charged through a USB cable while using.

Turn it on every now and then and flick through the options and settings while you are resting or watching TV. You don't have to make any transactions, just let it run and use its battery.

[andnapu]

...It would make it safer to use that way, but I just never liked Metamask wallet and I don't care much about ethereum and all it's tokens, but Rabby.io wallet  is much better eth alternative for metamask.
...

The metamask mobile app is extremely stuck and basically unusable. The chrome web extension can be used normally. But when connecting to keystone, the QR code of keystone cannot be scanned. Maybe it's because I used a poor quality USB camera（Nominal resolution 4K, but very cheap）, and replaced it with a laptop camera and it worked fine.

[dkbit98]

Keystone developers just added support for Monero and other privacy coins in their new Cypherpunk firmware!
This firmware provides distraction-free experience and they added support for Feather wallet, Sparrow wallet, Unisat and Zeus LN wallet.
They also released Keystone Nexus wallet for Multi-Coin Firmware, but Monero is not available in that version of firmware.


https://keyst.one/firmware#gen3-upgrade-multi-coin

[dkbit98]

Keystone is making significant changes with the way they are using different firmware.
Until recently you could not change back to multi-coin firmware after you switched to Bitcoin-only firmware, but that will change starting firmware v2.0.4.
After firmware v2.0.2 you can easily switch between Multi-coin and Cypherpunk fiormware.
For maximum security you should always use Bitcoin-only firmware.

You can follow firmware updates on Keystone github page:
https://github.com/KeystoneHQ/keystone3-firmware/releases

And Changelog:
https://github.com/KeystoneHQ/keystone3-firmware/blob/master/CHANGELOG.md
https://github.com/KeystoneHQ/keystone3-firmware/blob/master/CHANGELOG-BTC.md

[DaveF]

I like the way they are adding features / coins to the wallet.
But, they still need to work on their customer service and hardware quality.

People are still having issues with the non replacable batteries not charging and not everyone has had success with getting their units replaced.
The flip side is that they are cheap. Got my last one on sale delivered for under $100 so there is that.....

-Dave

[Raytheon]

People are still having issues with the non replacable batteries not charging and not everyone has had success with getting their units replaced.

Fact is you don't need to charge Keystone 3's battery, it will drain out after a couple of days. Plug it in a USB cable when you use it instead. Keystone 3's batteries are a joke.

[DaveF]

People are still having issues with the non replacable batteries not charging and not everyone has had success with getting their units replaced.

Fact is you don't need to charge Keystone 3's battery, it will drain out after a couple of days. Plug it in a USB cable when you use it instead. Keystone 3's batteries are a joke.

That's what I did till I dropped it.

BUT, you then always have the worry of the battery dead shorting as some lithium batteries will do when dead and then the unit will not work at all.
Have had that with some rarely used test equipment. Once you pulled the battery you could power it with the AC adapter.

-Dave

[Pmalek]

Keystone offers a 10% discount on their Keystone Tablet, the stainless steel plate for storing and protecting seed phrases. The discount is valid today only with the promo code "PIZZA". I checked if the code can be used for the Keystone 3 Pro but unfortunately it doesn't work and is only meant for the Tablet.

https://x.com/KeystoneWallet/status/1925537133420229049

[Pmalek]

Keystone is celebrating Bitcoin's rise above $120,000 by offering a 24-hour flash sale of their Keystone 3 Pro hardware wallet. To take advantage of it, you need to enter the promo code "BULLNOW" during checkout. With this code you can buy the Keystone 3 Pro for $134.10 instead of $149 in the next 24 hours only.

https://x.com/KeystoneWallet/status/1944713488435462450

[Pmalek]

Those who like special-edition hardware wallets can order a Genesis Block Keystone 3 Pro Edition until 6 January for $149. This is a limited edition device. To take advantage of the discount, you need to enter promo code "BTC2026." The regular price without a discount is $199.

[satscraper]

The latest 2.4.4 firmware release for the Keystone hardware wallet ^{which appeared a few moments ago} brought no changes to the Bitcoin‑only version of Keystone3, so users running firmware 2.4.2 may not need to update. This release mainly provides update incentives for the Multi‑Coin and Cypherpunk editions.

Both  relevant source code and firmware checksums for all release flavors can be found here.

[satscraper]

Today Keystone firmware was elevated to v.2.4.6

Their GitHub note for this release states that it is primarily focused on "Support babylon derive context hash call," which ^{to me} is not relevant to Bitcoin-only version, but according to the announcement on the official site, that version received security improvements via code optimization. Therefore, in my view, it’s worth upgrading even devices dedicated entirely to Bitcoin.

[satscraper]

Keystone firmware has been elevated to v.2.5.0 featuring  improvements relevant to both entropy generation ^{via Dice rolling} and verification over passcode unlock.

Entropy related part has intrigued me, so I have checked the relevant commit ^7bc4d7d, and it seems that 256-bit phrases now require at least 100 rolls compared to the previous 50 rolls regardless of SEED length.