Launch of BitPay, worlds first smartphone-ewallet for bitcoins

Leon

newbie

Activity: 14

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Quote from: warpi on June 29, 2011, 03:18:48 PM

Hello,

Today me and leifi wrote the last piece of code to make BitPay work. It will be the worlds first working smartphone application for sending and receiving bitcoins using ewallets. It uses 2D barcode using the camera for transfering the bitcoin address of the receiver.

The project is licensed as Apache V2 which is completely open source and easily accessed at https://github.com/warpi/BitPay. The code sucks but it works Wink

Please notice that we really prioritized that the application should come up at market as soon as possible before beauty or usability

This is how you download it and install it
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OW7Y7eAqBXY

More information:
https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/BitPay
https://github.com/warpi/BitPay
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.bitcoin.bitpay

If you have any ideas or comments, please write it here or add issues to github.
https://github.com/warpi/BitPay/issues

Happy bitcoining!

https://ssl.gstatic.com/android/market/com.bitcoin.bitpay/ss-320-0-0
https://ssl.gstatic.com/android/market/com.bitcoin.bitpay/ss-480-1-0

Wow this actually looks legit and useful!

TECSHARE

legendary

Activity: 3318

Merit: 2008

First Exclusion Ever

Quote from: willphase on July 10, 2011, 05:24:08 AM

Quote from: TECSHARE on July 10, 2011, 03:41:03 AM

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.

Quote from: warpi on July 10, 2011, 12:19:55 PM

Quote from: TECSHARE on July 10, 2011, 03:41:03 AM

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.

BitcoinBug

full member

Activity: 196

Merit: 100

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

bogeyman

newbie

Activity: 8

Merit: 0

Quote from: willphase on July 10, 2011, 05:24:08 AM

Quote from: TECSHARE on July 10, 2011, 03:41:03 AM

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 Cheesy

) and some other, if I'll find alternatives for the ZXing QR code scanner library...

warpi

newbie

Activity: 26

Merit: 9

Quote from: im3w1l on July 10, 2011, 01:43:43 PM

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?

im3w1l

sr. member

Activity: 280

Merit: 250

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

newbie

Activity: 26

Merit: 9

Quote from: TECSHARE on July 10, 2011, 03:41:03 AM

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?

Quote from: Reikoku on July 10, 2011, 04:41:21 AM

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.

willphase

hero member

Activity: 767

Merit: 500

Quote from: TECSHARE on July 10, 2011, 03:41:03 AM

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

Reikoku

full member

Activity: 140

Merit: 100

firstbits: 1kwc1p

Any chance of a Blackberry version?

TECSHARE

legendary

Activity: 3318

Merit: 2008

First Exclusion Ever

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?

warpi

newbie

Activity: 26

Merit: 9

Quote from: dooglus on July 10, 2011, 01:09:30 AM

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

dooglus

legendary

Activity: 2940

Merit: 1333

Quote from: warpi on July 08, 2011, 10:04:19 AM

Quote from: dooglus on July 07, 2011, 12:59:07 AM

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

newbie

Activity: 26

Merit: 9

Quote from: realnowhereman on July 09, 2011, 01:15:40 PM

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.

realnowhereman

hero member

Activity: 504

Merit: 502

Good improvements. Already better.

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

warpi

newbie

Activity: 26

Merit: 9

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

warpi

newbie

Activity: 26

Merit: 9

Quote from: dooglus on July 07, 2011, 12:59:07 AM

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

Quote from: kwukduck on July 07, 2011, 08:36:44 AM

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.

kwukduck

legendary

Activity: 1937

Merit: 1001

Thanks Warpi

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

dooglus

legendary

Activity: 2940

Merit: 1333

Quote from: warpi on July 06, 2011, 02:10:23 PM

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]

warpi

newbie

Activity: 26

Merit: 9

Quote from: realnowhereman on July 05, 2011, 04:27:01 PM

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

Quote from: realnowhereman on July 05, 2011, 04:27:01 PM

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

Quote from: realnowhereman on July 05, 2011, 04:27:01 PM

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.

Quote from: realnowhereman on July 05, 2011, 04:27:01 PM

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.

Quote from: realnowhereman on July 05, 2011, 04:27:01 PM

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.

Quote from: realnowhereman on July 05, 2011, 04:27:01 PM

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

Quote from: realnowhereman on July 06, 2011, 03:37:41 AM

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.

Quote from: realnowhereman on July 06, 2011, 03:37:41 AM

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

Quote from: realnowhereman on July 06, 2011, 03:37:41 AM

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.

Quote from: kwukduck on July 06, 2011, 06:25:27 AM

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?

kwukduck

legendary

Activity: 1937

Merit: 1001

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 :/

Topic: Launch of BitPay, worlds first smartphone-ewallet for bitcoins (Read 9968 times)