I recently learned about Ripple and its crypto-currency, XRP.
At first I thought XRP could potentially outclass bitcoin with Ripple's efficient alternative to proof-of-work (Consensus).
But recent reading has lead me to believe that XRP will never become anything more than a mechanism for limiting abusive transactions.
It seems they (Ripple) are marketing themselves as some kind of virtual decentralized Western Union, where the primary currencies being transferred are fiat (or Bitcoin for now).

I guess my question is: Does Ripple present the same opportunity to compete against central banks as Bitcoin does, or is it just trying to be the next PayPal?  Also: Will XRP ever be traded the same way bitcoin is?