Nano S

Ledger Unveils Bluetooth-Enabled Hardware Wallet

07/01/2019 by Idelto Editor

Hardware wallet manufacturer Ledger has unveiled its newest cryptocurrency wallet. The Ledger Nano X is Bluetooth-enabled and can hold up to 100 different cryptocurrencies at a time. A mobile app is also being launched for both iOS and Android to pair the device to smartphones.

Also read: Indian Supreme Court Moves Crypto Hearing, Community Calls for Positive Regulations

Newest Ledger Wallet

Ledger unveiled its new cryptocurrency hardware wallet on Sunday at the annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. The company then wrote on its website on Monday:

The Ledger Nano X is Bluetooth enabled. Connect it to your smartphone with Ledger Live Mobile app and safely transact anywhere. All Bluetooth communications are encrypted end-to-end to protect against any security threat.

The new wallet has been redesigned and can be pre-ordered starting on Monday. It is priced at $119 and is expected to start shipping in March. The company will also launch a mobile app, the Ledger Live Mobile, for both iOS and Android platforms.

The Nano X joins Ledger’s two existing consumer hardware wallets: the Nano S and the Ledger Blue. The former currently retails for $59 and the latter $269.99. The company claims in its Monday’s announcement that over 1.5 million Ledger Nano S devices have been sold worldwide. The Nano X is only available in one color at present while the Nano S comes in six colors.

About Ledger Nano X

According to Ledger, up to 100 cryptocurrency apps can be installed on the Nano X at the same time. The device also supports over 1,100 assets with more to be added each month. In comparison, the Nano S can simultaneously run up to 18 cryptocurrency applications with support for only 40 assets in total.

Unlike its predecessor which draws power through a USB cable, the Nano X has a 100mAh built-in battery to power it for wireless use. Several security improvements are listed on Ledger’s website for the latest model, and the company explained that private keys stored on the new device are isolated inside its EAL5+ certified secure storage chip.

With dimensions of 72mm x 18.6mm x 11.75mm, the Nano X is shorter but slightly wider than the Nano S which measures 98mm x 18mm x 9mm. However, at 34g, it is over twice as heavy as the Nano S which weighs 16.2g, Ledger’s website details.

Navigation on the new model is also improved due to its larger, round buttons on the face of the device compared to two small buttons located at the top of the Nano S. Ledger further described that the new device has “Bigger screen for an improved experience.”

In addition to the wallet itself, the Nano X will come with a USB cable, a getting started leaflet and a recovery sheet.

What do you think of the Ledger Nano X? Let us know in the comments section below.

Images courtesy of Shutterstock and Ledger.

Need to calculate your bitcoin holdings? Check our tools section.

The post Ledger Unveils Bluetooth-Enabled Hardware Wallet appeared first on Bitcoin News.

Which Cryptocurrency Hardware Wallet is Best for You?

12/08/2018 by Idelto Editor

The number of hardware wallets has proliferated with the number of cryptocurrencies in recent years. Today, consumers enjoy an unprecedented choice of hardware devices on which to store their bitcoin and altcoins, though market-leaders Ledger and Trezor still dominate. For anyone agonizing over the best device for their needs, the following models are worthy of consideration.

Also read: Bitcoin’s Return to Innovation: Changing the World Through Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash

Best Portable Wallet: Coolwallet S

While all of the devices featured here are small enough to be portable, only the Coolwallet S is small enough to slip into your wallet alongside your credit cards. A marvel of engineering, its wafer-thin design and e-paper display enables you to check your balance and send and receive BTC, BCH, ETH, LTC, and XRP on the go. The device connects to the Coolbitx mobile app via Bluetooth, obviating the need for a desktop computer altogether. Its slender profile and mobile-friendliness make the Coolwallet S the best of the major hardware devices for choosing and using in everyday life.

Best Multi-Currency Wallet: Ledger Nano S

No other hardware wallet can match Ledger’s trusty Nano S for multi-currency compatibility. The French manufacturer is constantly adding new coins, with the latest additions now earmarked for release on the first Tuesday of every month. The inaugural edition of #FirstTuesdayCrypto saw PoA, Icon, Vechain, Wanchain, Ontology, Kowala, Particl and RSK added. In addition to supporting ERC20 tokens, Ledger’s Nano S has support for an ever-growing list of cryptocurrencies. If you carry a diverse portfolio of coins and desire the convenience of storing them on one device, the Nano S is your best bet. Despite some grumbles with its Chrome software and Ledger Live desktop software, the Nano S remains a highly regarded device.

Best No-Nonsense Wallet: Keepkey

Keepkey’s hardware wallet is no nonsense in that it works straight out the box, and is robust enough to handle most things life may throw at it. Its angular design makes it less pleasing to behold than the Coolwallet, and its basic features mean it’s less elaborate than the Ledger Nano S. There’s strength in simplicity though, and while the Nano S is prone to connectivity issues, depending on the desktop device and wallet you’re using, the Keepkey gets the job done at the first time of asking, storing your BTC, BCH, ETH, LTC, DOGE, DASH, and ERC20 tokens. It’s also got integration with Shapeshift, its parent company.

Best High-Security Wallet: Trezor Model T

All of the hardware wallets featured here are highly secure and, if used correctly, should be safe from common attack vectors. It is hard to say categorically, therefore, that one particular device is more secure than another. What can be stated with confidence, however, is that Trezor’s new Model T comes bearing an impressive range of security features including a write protected bootloader that verifies the firmware signature and BIP39 passphrase support. For the ultra cautious, Trezor’s Model T is a very safe bet.

Whatever hardware device you choose, remember that it’s only as secure as you make it. This includes keeping your recovery seed in a very safe place with an additional copy stored elsewhere for redundancy. While Ledger, Trezor, Keepkey, and Coolwallet aren’t the only options, their flagship models cover most bases and set standards for other manufacturers to meet.

What’s your favorite hardware wallet and why? Let us know in the comments section below.

Images courtesy of Coolwallet, Trezor, Ledger, and Keepkey.

Disclaimer: Bitcoin.com does not endorse nor support these products/services.

Readers should do their own due diligence before taking any actions related to the mentioned companies or any of their affiliates or services. Bitcoin.com is not responsible, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with the use of or reliance on any content, goods or services mentioned in this article.

The post Which Cryptocurrency Hardware Wallet is Best for You? appeared first on Bitcoin News.

Ledger Live Desktop Wallet Manager Reviewed

11/07/2018 by Idelto Editor

On Monday, wallet manufacturer Ledger released its eagerly anticipated new desktop software. Ledger Live is meant to be a more reliable and user-friendly version of the Chrome app, which has come in for criticism, not least from this reviewer. To determine whether Ledger Live is an improvement on its predecessor, I put the French firm’s flagship new software to the test.

Also read: Review: Ledger Nano S Put to the Test

Can Ledger Live Software Live Up to the Hype?

Ledger has been teasing the release of its proprietary desktop software for weeks. Its hardware devices are the most popular cryptocurrency wallets of their kind, but not everyone has been as convinced by the software they ship with. I’m one of them. After reviewing the Ledger Nano S a few weeks ago and raging hard at its capricious Chrome app, I concluded: “If I’m to be honest, I intend to lob the Nano S in a drawer and never use it again. It simply wasn’t worth the hassle.”

Up until today, I kept my pledge, but with the release of Ledger Live, it only seemed fair to give the setup another shot. Ledger have a good reputation within the industry, and their attention to detail and customer service are highly regarded. I wanted to love my Nano S just as I wanted to love the new Ledger Live software.

All Your Ledger Accounts in One Place

Ledger Live promises to serve as a universal hub for all the Ledger devices a trader may own. I downloaded the Mac build, which came in at around 70 MB. While Ledger will still maintain its Chrome apps, its desktop software is clearly intended to be the primary means of accessing its ecosystem from now on.

Upon firing up the software for the first time, you’re given the option of setting a password for accessing the desktop client. It’s not essential, since your hardware wallet will already be password protected, but it provides an added layer of protection, preventing your addresses and transactions from being seen.

Something Old, Something New

When I install Ledger Live on my 2015 Macbook Pro, I’m greeted by this screen:

No amount of coaxing will fix the error, but it’s possible my laptop is to blame. Thankfully, my 2017 Macbook Pro makes it past first base and I’m soon scrutinizing the Ledger dashboard.

Visually, Ledger Live is a significant improvement over its Chrome predecessor, with a layout that’s clean and intuitive. Everything is where you’d expect it to be and everything works as expected. Well sort of. Almost. Okay, not really. When I previously used my Nano S, for the first and last time, I succeeded in creating a bitcoin cash wallet and sending a few dollars’ worth of crypto over to it.

When I try to re-access my BCH wallet via the Ledger Live dashboard, I run into a bunch of issues due to some basic UX flaws in the software’s design. Along the way I’m greeted by screens such as this:

If at First You Don’t Succeed, Give Up

Eventually, I successfully retrieve my BCH account, but it takes a lot of trial and error to get there. I’ll skip the convoluted process for the sake of brevity, and will cut Ledger some slack since their fledgling software is bound to improve with each subsequent iteration. What happens next – or rather doesn’t happen next – when I try to create a new cryptocurrency wallet is harder to fathom.

To finish the review I decide to create an ethereum wallet and send some crypto over to it. Try as I might, I cannot get a wallet to create and the ethereum app to launch. After trying everything I can think of without any joy, I revert to the Chrome app instead to install an ethereum wallet that way. My quest proves to be equally fruitless.

So many Ledger apps. If only one of them would work

I’m not the most technically gifted person in the world, but I’m not a noob. I’ve survived Mt Gox and Btc-e. I’ve downloaded the entire blockchain to run the original bitcoin core wallet. I can trade on Etherdelta, run a virtual machine and handle web design. But I cannot for the life of me get Ledger’s damn software to work. I’ll update this review should Ledger update their software and reach out to me, but until such a time, the verdict from my original review still stands: I intend to lob the Nano S in a drawer and never use it again.

Have you tried Ledger Live and if so what were your thoughts on it? Let us know in the comments section below.

Images courtesy of Shutterstock, and Ledger.

Need to calculate your bitcoin holdings? Check our tools section.

The post Ledger Live Desktop Wallet Manager Reviewed appeared first on Bitcoin News.

Review: Ledger Nano S Put to the Test

01/06/2018 by Idelto Editor

With over one million units sold, the Nano S is the world’s most popular hardware wallet. A combination of first mover advantage – until recently Ledger had only really had Trezor to compete with – coupled with excellent security and usability have made the Nano S ubiquitous. This week, news.Bitcoin.com took delivery of a brand new Nano S and put it to the test.

Also read: A Hands-On Review of the Keepkey Hardware Wallet

The Ledger Nano S Reviewed and Rated

When it comes to judging hardware wallets, there’s no such thing as “best”: everyone has their preferences, and provided the wallet they’ve chosen does the job with the minimum of fuss, it’s likely to become a favorite. Despite the fact that most hardware wallets are little more than glorified USB sticks, cryptocurrency users reserve unusual affection for them. In a digital space, they’re one of the few physical manifestations of the assets we own.

After covering the new limited edition Nano S while writing about Pizza Day recently, I FOMO’d into buying one. The “Laszlo’s Pizza” edition is just a regular Nano S in a prettier box, but symbolically it serves as a reminder of how far bitcoin’s come, and of the early adopters who gave BTC the utility that led us to where we are today. Just 1,337 units of the device were released, and I took delivery of mine on Wednesday. Like all Nanos, it comes bearing Ledger’s faux wax tamper-proof seal, reminiscent of the sort of seal that once adorned the king’s letters. As skeuomorphisms go, this one’s pretty neat.

What’s in the Box?

Inside the fetching pizza box, the device itself comes tucked into the “sachet” of red chilli pepper oil, and is finished in a fitting pizza base red. In every other respect, this is just a regular Nano S. News.Bitcoin.com last reviewed one of the devices in 2016, and a lot has changed under the hood since then. Two years ago, BTC, ETH, and ETC were the main currencies it stored; today that list has grown to over 30 cryptos including BCH, ZEC, and ZEN. It also takes ERC20 tokens, which can be managed with the aid of Myetherwallet.

Initializing the device is as simple as plugging in the USB cable (to a thunderbolt port adapter in the case of my Macbook Pro) and then pressing the two buttons to begin. Despite the tiny OLED screen, the text prompts are very easy to read. Ledger’s Get Started page guides users through the setup process. There’s the option to set a PIN code of up to eight digits, but you can settle for less if you’d prefer. Next, you’ll be prompted to write down your recovery phrase.

The 24 Most Precious Words in the World

Most wallet recovery phrases are 12 words long; Ledger’s is 24, displayed one word at a time on the tiny screen. I jot down the miniature essay and am then prompted to confirm it, one word at a time, by selecting from the various words displayed on screen. Each word in the sequence comes with a dozen possibilities to cycle through, so the whole process takes forever to complete. From a security perspective, this is understandable. From a user perspective, it’s a little frustrating, the equivalent of web forms that prompt you to enter your email address twice because they don’t trust you to type it correctly the first time.

Once done, I head over to Ledger’s Apps page and select the Chrome app titled “Bitcoin & Altcoins”. There are separate ones for ethereum and ripple. I install the Chrome app and that’s where I draw a blank. In theory I should just connect and unlock the device to open the wallet management software on my laptop. Nothing happens though, and it’s the same when I try the Ledger Ethereum Chrome app. There’s nothing in Ledger’s instructions to explain what should happen next, but after playing around for a while I work out that I need to first install the Ledger Manager app. It’d be helpful if Ledger added this step to their setup guide.

The Spinning Wheel of Death

Via the Ledger Manager, I click to install the BCH app, but it fails to load and I’m met with the spinning wheel of death. Then the software stops even recognizing the wallet altogether. As with Keepkey, the Ledger S is proving a hassle to set up, exacerbated by the difficulty of finding apps you’ve installed in Chrome. That’s due to the poor design of Chrome, which hides apps and extensions away beneath submenus so that retrieving them takes ages. In the end, the only way I can retrieve the Ledger Manager app is by clicking back onto the Ledger site, following the link to the Chrome webstore and then searching for and clicking to launch Ledger Manager app. It shouldn’t have to be this way.

When I finally succeed in launching the Ledger Manager app, it still won’t recognize my Nano S as being connected. I disconnect and reconnect it but still nothing. For the purposes of brevity, I’ll skip the next hour of my life. Suffice to say it involves switching between laptops, Chrome apps, Ledger webpages and various other pop-up windows in a quest to get the wallet working. I eventually manage to install the BCH wallet and send over $10 from my Bitcoin.com wallet. It arrives almost instantly, but then the Nano S stops connecting again and I lose interest.

I know I’m meant to advocate that everyone should store their crypto in a wallet they hold the keys to and keep the bulk of their portfolio off centralized exchanges. And I know that the setup experience for most Ledger users was probably a lot smoother than mine. If I’m to be honest though, I intend to lob the Nano S in a drawer and never use it again. It simply wasn’t worth the hassle.

At €140, my limited edition Nano S might just be the most expensive pizza box bought with BTC since Laszlo Hanyecz.

What’s your favorite hardware wallet and why? Let us know in the comments section below.

Images courtesy of Shutterstock, and Ledger.

Need to calculate your bitcoin holdings? Check our tools section.

The post Review: Ledger Nano S Put to the Test appeared first on Bitcoin News.

Bitcoin Hardware Wallet Nano Ledger Most Popular Holiday Purchase in This US State

02/04/2018 by Idelto Editor

Bitcoin Hardware Wallet Nano Ledger Is the Most Popular Holiday Purchase in Nevada

Americans are known around the world for their love of over-the-top holiday shopping. But recently at least some have actually made a smart and sensible purchase around Black Friday and Cyber Monday. In fact, people in Nevada acquired so many Ledger Nano wallets, to better protect their cryptocurrency holdings, it became the most bought item in the state during the holidays.

Also Read: Cobinhood Delists Six Tokens Susceptible to Pump and Dump, Limits Tether Pairs

Bitcoin – the Gift That Keeps on Giving

In a recently published analysis, which identified the top selling items in every US state, it was found that the bitcoin hardware wallet Ledger Nano was the most popular holiday purchase in Nevada. The cryptocurrency security-enhancing tool has been able to beat out gadgets such as Amazon Fire tablets as well as daily necessities which were more popular in other states.

The research was conducted by personal shopping assistant app, Earny, using data from more than 100 million online purchases between November 1st, 2017 and February 1st, 2018. The app directly monitors users’ email inboxes for receipts to find price drops and thus was able to get cross-industry data held separately by many individual online shopping websites such as Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart, Zappos and more.

Why Nevada?

Ledger was founded in 2014 by a team of eight and now employs 82 people in San Francisco, Paris and Vierzon. The company, which says it is already profitable, claims to have sold over one million cryptocurrency hardware wallets across 165 countries. In January 2018 it raised $75 million (EUR 61 million) in a Series B funding round, led by venture capital fund Draper Esprit.

The research does not give an indication as to why Nevada is the American leader in hardware wallets purchases, but one possible reasons is that the state offers more interesting spending opportunities for bitcoin holders. For example, earlier this year we reported about a Las-Vegas strip club where patrons can pay by scanning QR tattoos with wallet addresses the dancers wear on their naked bodies.

What makes Nevada a top market for bitcoin hardware wallets? Share your thoughts in the comments section below!

Images courtesy of Shutterstock, Earny.

Do you like to research and read about Bitcoin technology? Check out Bitcoin.com’s Wiki page for an in-depth look at Bitcoin’s innovative technology and interesting history.

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