The picture is cool and inspiring.
I wish our bitcoin wallet could be in our palms like this... in few years who knows if we will not have small electronic chip in our bodies with our health history, bank account, passport and so on...

Something similar already exist right !

Texas-based computer technology giant Dell became the largest merchant to join the bitcoin ecosystem late last week when it announced a partnership with Coinbase and launched a 10% discount for bitcoin customers.

The news was greeted with applause by the bitcoin ecosystem and proliferated widely through the mainstream media given Dell’s strong brand recognition and status as an early success story from the PC computing era.

Now, speaking to CoinDesk in a new interview, Paul Walsh, CIO of Dell Commerce Services, has provided more insight into his company’s decision to begin accepting bitcoin payments, a first of what he acknowledged could become his company’s more extensive involvement in the space.

Perhaps most notably, Walsh indicated that Dell doesn’t consider itself to be an early adopter of bitcoin. Rather, he suggested that Dell believes merchants are already broadly moving toward accepting digital currency as a payment option, and that the decision simply finds Dell keeping pace with the times and the needs of its existing customers.

Walsh told CoinDesk:

“We’ve got to ensure we know where the market is going and what’s happening everywhere. We have regular communication with our customers, we understand exactly what they’re looking for [and] where they may have friction in their path, we look to see if there are any big innovations that would benefit our customers.”

Dell became the largest public company to go private last year when original founder Michael Dell closed a $25bn deal to regain its leadership.

According to the company’s last public filing, it earned $56.9bn in 2013, with the largest gain in revenue increase in its enterprise solutions and services business.

Serving customers better

For now, Walsh said the company’s main goal for its bitcoin program will be to remove friction during the customer purchasing process and make it easier for its existing customer base to transact with Dell.

Walsh suggested that Dell believes many of its existing customers already use bitcoin, and that the partnership with Coinbase simply allows the company to better serve these customers.

“I think that customer feedback was one of the reasons we started doing it. That to me says that our existing customers have been using bitcoin, so we want to make sure we’re satisfying those,” Walsh said.

His comments also suggest that Dell believes bitcoin to be a payment method on par with other, more widely used tools, as he added:

“We provide whatever payment offerings you need, whether it be your credit card or PayPal and now with bitcoin, we’re just trying to answer to customer demand.”

Extending services globally

Embracing a similar model as online travel booking giant Expedia and electronics retailer TigerDirect, Walsh confirmed Dell will initially trial bitcoin payments with only US-based customers.

However, Walsh suggested that his company is open to expanding the program, though he did not provide details about any proposals that may be in the works or what metrics Dell will evaluate before coming to this decision.

Walsh explained:

“We wanted to start up with the US base, and from that, we’ll see where we wanted to move next. The big thing here is being able to be a lot more agile in terms of addressing our customers’ needs.”

Emphasizing innovation

Walsh also framed the decision as one that would help return Dell to its roots as an innovator in technology. Throughout the conversation, Walsh emphasized how it is prioritizing innovation, and how bitcoin simply provided the latest way that Dell can show its dedication.

Walsh said:

“The first thing to provide a payment method for our business and bitcoin is a great example of how we can show some innovation. We’re always going to be looking for new, innovative ways to ensure we’re driving the right experience.”

In recent years, the company has come under fire in the mainstream financial press for failing to adjust to the decline of PC sales that has resulted from increased smartphone use.

Possibilities ahead

While Walsh gave the impression that Dell is primarily focused on bitcoin as a payments play, the company may be uniquely positioned to exploit other potential market opportunities in the space.

For example, Dell has a professional Data Center Solutions team currently working on cloud computing and optimizing hyperscale data centers, tools that could no doubt position Dell to enter or serve the now booming industrial bitcoin mining space.

Still, while Dell could have an evident competitive advantage in the space, Walsh suggested the idea is not currently on the company’s radar, saying:

“We’re familiar with [bitcoin mining]. It’s not something we’re looking at at this time, but we are familiar with it.”

Notably, Dell recently decided to shelve plans to build additional data centers in Europe, choosing instead to focus on data center management.

The company had earlier planned to purchase $1bn worth of data centers as recently as 2011.

Image via TechnoBuffalo

Shanghai-based bitcoin and litecoin exchange BTC China has announced the launch of USD and HKD deposits and withdrawals, becoming the latest China-based exchange to publicly extend its services to the international community.

The news follows Beijing-based OKCoin’s announcement at The North American Bitcoin Conference (TNABC) that it would be adding USD deposits this week as part of a broad push to court an international market that, for now, remains absent of large, professional US exchanges.

Addressing the announcement, BTC China CEO and Bitcoin Foundation board member Bobby Lee framed the product as a way for the company to give back to its users and the community, saying:

“As a global company, BTC China is pleased to accommodate the demands of our users, both domestic and international.”

The launch was preceded by an invite-only testing period, during which BTC China says it “collected several million USD worth of deposits”.

The first bitcoin exchange in China, BTC China recently also expanded its product offerings for international users, launching a mobile bitcoin wallet in June.

Updated account offerings

BTC China indicated that the move was its first step in what could be broader support for additional currencies, as exchange users had been previously limited to deposits and withdrawals in Chinese yuan. As such, the company expects the new offerings to resonate in its home market.

Current users who want to take advantage of the newly supported currencies will need to open an international account in addition to a domestic account, the company said.

Hong Kong emphasis increases

The announcement also finds BTC China leveraging its position in Asia to work around the restrictions imposed in China. The company says all orders on the service will be processed via its registered Hong Kong affiliate, as Hong Kong has to date been more accommodating to digital currency businesses due to its status as a special administrative region.

The Chinese bitcoin market has faced continued uncertainty in recent months, following statements from the country’s central bank, the People’s Bank of China, that aimed to separate the companies from the traditional financial services sector.

Owing to the country’s unique regulatory structure, formal guidance such as the kind proposed in New York may not ever be drafted to ease uncertainty. However, representatives from the central bank have stated publicly that they do not seek to ban digital currency altogether.

China courts US market

The announcement is notable given the recent emphasis bitcoin’s China-based businesses are placing on the international market.

Speaking to CoinDesk at The North American Bitcoin Conference (TNABC), representatives from both OKCoin and Huobi suggested that given that restrictions of China’s market, the country has emphasized bitcoin’s use as a financial instrument rather than a payment method, and that because of this demand, they are uniquely suited to extend services internationally.

Further, OKCoin CTO Changpeng Zhao stated at TNABC that the company aims to provide 24-hour phone support to international customers, though it stopped short of openly encouraging US consumer use of its platform, saying that it is not registering for a money transmission licence in the US at this time.

BTC China has not commented on whether it will offer this guidance.

http://www.coindesk.com/world-bank-report-bitcoin-naturally-occurring-ponzi/
Do you believe it ?

Bitcoin is an option among others. I`ll take bitcoin for anything money can buy cause it is the same to me.

A criminal justice service based in the Netherlands has been granted the power to confiscate digital currency holdings.

As originally reported by Dutch newspaper Trouw, the Openbaar Ministerie, a national public prosecution service within the judiciary, now has the legal ability to seize the contents of bitcoin wallets from suspected or convicted criminals. It can also sell acquired bitcoins for fiat currencies soon after they are confiscated. According to DutchNews, citing original reports, the Openbaar Ministerie has already used this power to sell several hundred thousand euros worth of bitcoin.

This authority stems from recent court opinions that have deemed bitcoin a kind of asset that can be seized. Previous arguments that digital currency falls outside of that definition owing to its inherent digital nature were deemed invalid, opening the door for the Dutch government to legally confiscate bitcoin during investigations. Roy Appels, a senior official with the Dutch Fiscal Intelligence and Investigation Service (FIOD), was quoted as saying of the new bitcoin confiscation authority:

“If you want to confiscate something, it has to be an actual object.”

The recent US government auction of roughy 30,000 BTC also suggests that the view that bitcoin should be treated as a tangible asset is growing in popularity globally, as the coins were sold in a similar manner as traditional confiscated goods.

Dutch community reacts

The development suggests that the Dutch judiciary – as well as the broader national government – continues to maintain a cautious stance on bitcoin. But, according to members of the bitcoin community in the Netherlands, this move isn’t necessary a bad one. The decision to deem bitcoin a seizable asset may in fact be a sign that governments and legal authorities are beginning to take a more nuanced view on digital currencies. Carl Kuntz, a board member for Stichting Bitcoin Nederland, one of the latest approved Bitcoin Foundation affiliate programs, echoed this sentiment, saying:

“We are glad that the Dutch government is taking bitcoin serious.”

Paul Buitink, owner and operator of bitcoin information site deBitcoin.org, told CoinDesk that the confiscation authority means regulators are waking up the bitcoin’s growing role in the Dutch economy. What we’re seeing now, he said, is a policy alignment to recognize digital currency as a tangible, governable asset.

Buitink said:

“In a way, it’s positive because it’s further legitimizing bitcoin as something that has value and is taken seriously.”

Buitink added that despite the new powers, law enforcement officials may have a hard time actually acquiring confiscated bitcoins. He suggested that multisig wallets and other means of restricting the movement of owned bitcoins could be tapped in the future.

Dutch bitcoin law evolves

The Netherlands is home to a diverse ecosystem of digital currency companies, and even hosted this year’s Bitcoin2014 conference. However, its government has not always been as openly welcoming of bitcoin, echoing concerns raised by regulators and lawmakers around the globe. Government regulators continue to be wary of digital currency, advising financial institutions and investors about the risks involved. Last month, the country’s central bank issued a warning on digital currencies to banks based in the Netherlands.

This whole regulation thing is kind of scary... that`s just one step. What will be the next one ... worse case scenario will e : Ok now you must store your Bitcoin wallet in a official banking system ... BACK TO ZERO.

don`t want the gouvernment to get too much involved bitcoin.

Bitcoin brokerage provider Trucoin has announced the introduction of its first service offerings to customers in Florida, Massachusetts, Missouri, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, South Carolina and Texas.

Consumers in these eight US states can now receive instant access to the platform, which boasts social login integration for Facebook, LinkedIn and Google+ as well as previously advertised MasterCard and Visa payment options.

Speaking to CoinDesk, Trucoin president and cofounder Chris Brunner, suggested that company officials have been seeking to provide services to the US market for roughly three years, but that legal compliance requirements were a consistent roadblock.
How much better will the world become if this actually happens and drags some hesitant forces into Bitcoin`s world.

CEO of Bitcoin Vietnam Co. Ltd., Nguyen Tran Bao Phuong, told CoinDesk the Southeast Asian region had seen rapid grown in bitcoin infrastructure in the past months, with the Philippines probably leading the way. She stated:

“It is time for Vietnam to catch up in order not to miss out this upcoming technological mega-trend. There is a strong wish in the leadership of our country, to establish Vietnam as a kind of technology hub in South East Asia.”
The key in any industry is to be one of the first to embrace reality. It is possible for Vietnam to become the Technology Hub in Asia ! time will tell

With all the big brands embracing bitcoins, i don`t think it is unrealistic to believe we will be able to use bitcoin in shopping malls soon. 2014 ? can`t tell for sure. same time next year ? HELL YEAH

I can`t wait to see Paypal integrate the bitcoin community.
I know it will happen, just a matter of time.

quote :
I think we’ve already seen what we’ve needed to see, now it just comes down to timing. The primary [goal] would be to get it up globally for our hotels.

it`s just a matter of time before bitcoin becomes global. Impossible to resist.
Can`t escape reality.

Can they do that ? i know they can. Do they want to do that ? i don`t think so.
what if debt could be payed in bitcoins ?

24
Mentalist

Hate when people comment on post they don`t take the time to read

Will bitcoin ever replace currenries we have today ?

Belgium had easy games since days one. Not impressed yet ! liked USA better.
Belgium is going home next any way ! good bye boys 

never used facebook socially. I only use it for business purpose... more people on facebook now than there was few years back SO bigger plateform for those using it as a tool rather than social platform.

it`s normal to have doubts on bitcoin. I want to address the part you mentioned media bad rep, child porn, gambling etc... bitcoin hasn`t created that part of society it exist before bitcoin and people did that before bitcrane. Don`t think that the fact people link BTC with those ... will destroy it.

One think remains scary about bitcoin (speaking for myself), the price is too speculative, you can get over night as well as loose what all you BTC investment. I believe bitcoin will keep getting more popular till it price changes dramatically, then people will start re-thinking their opinions of BTC.