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Re: Zinc Save - Buy on Amazon, Wal-Mart, Macy's, Target using Bitcoin
When will it be supported for Amazon UK?
Yes, we will be adding support for international Amazon sites in the next several months. Stay tuned!
Zinc Save - Buy on Amazon, Wal-Mart, Macy's, Target using Bitcoin
Hello friends!
I'm proud to announce that our service Zinc Save now accepts Bitcoin! This provides a seamless way to purchase using Bitcoin on Amazon, Target, Wal-Mart, Macy's, and many more to come.
Zinc Save, which until recently only accepted credit cards, is the best way to buy online. We provide guaranteed savings and zappos-level customer support on most orders placed at common online retailers. Here's how it works:
We're able to provide the savings by intermediating the order. This allows us to order the items from a lower cost vendor (when available, and always ensuring that item quality and shipping speed are met or surpassed). When we can't find a lower cost vendor for the order, we order on your behalf from the original retailer, while using all available coupon codes, credit card rewards, etc. But we guarantee you a set, lower price right when you checkoutregardless of whether we're actually able to fill it at that price. We are currently helping over ten thousand users save on their purchases, and we're excited to now open this up to the Bitcoin community!
See the full details on our blog
Please let me know what questions you have. We're very much looking forward to hearing your thoughts and feedback!
Doug
I'm proud to announce that our service Zinc Save now accepts Bitcoin! This provides a seamless way to purchase using Bitcoin on Amazon, Target, Wal-Mart, Macy's, and many more to come.
Zinc Save, which until recently only accepted credit cards, is the best way to buy online. We provide guaranteed savings and zappos-level customer support on most orders placed at common online retailers. Here's how it works:
- Install our chrome extension or bookmarklet
- Click the "Order with Zinc" button at the very end of checkout at a supported retailer
- You'll be redirected to Zinc, where you can finalize your order using Bitcoin, and with guaranteed savings!
We're able to provide the savings by intermediating the order. This allows us to order the items from a lower cost vendor (when available, and always ensuring that item quality and shipping speed are met or surpassed). When we can't find a lower cost vendor for the order, we order on your behalf from the original retailer, while using all available coupon codes, credit card rewards, etc. But we guarantee you a set, lower price right when you checkoutregardless of whether we're actually able to fill it at that price. We are currently helping over ten thousand users save on their purchases, and we're excited to now open this up to the Bitcoin community!
See the full details on our blog
Please let me know what questions you have. We're very much looking forward to hearing your thoughts and feedback!
Doug
Re: Bitbill Patent Published - Encompasses Physical Bitcoins and Paper Wallets
You may read the claims here:
http://appft1.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PG01&p=1&u=/netahtml/PTO/srchnum.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=20130166455.PGNR.&OS=DN/20130166455&RS=DN/20130166455
If the images don't load, those may be gotten from the Public PAIR site.
The application covers the technology we use to create and secure Bitbills. It does not cover "bit checks" that you print from your computer. It does not cover putting private keys on a flash drive and putting that in a safe. It does not cover NFC-type smartphone wallets. This is misinformation that I believe has been unintentionally spread by people who have not read the application.
Any serious company in this industry that feels like they do not need lawyers is going to have a bad time.
http://appft1.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PG01&p=1&u=/netahtml/PTO/srchnum.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=20130166455.PGNR.&OS=DN/20130166455&RS=DN/20130166455
If the images don't load, those may be gotten from the Public PAIR site.
The application covers the technology we use to create and secure Bitbills. It does not cover "bit checks" that you print from your computer. It does not cover putting private keys on a flash drive and putting that in a safe. It does not cover NFC-type smartphone wallets. This is misinformation that I believe has been unintentionally spread by people who have not read the application.
Quote
Assuming this is not their intent then I would guess the problem is that they feel they "need lawyers" (something it seems is in the blood of most USA citizens) who will advise you only in the way that they think they will be able to make the maximum amount of fees from court cases (so the more court cases the better in the mind of a lawyer - thus the advice to make the patent as wide reaching as possible).
Any serious company in this industry that feels like they do not need lawyers is going to have a bad time.
Re: Bitbill Patent Published - Encompasses Physical Bitcoins and Paper Wallets
Hey folks. I'm glad to see some of the conversations that have been happening lately on this subject. I think it's extremely important to have these discussions regarding how bitcoin will interact with intellectual property law in the US and internationally, and what, if anything, can be done about it. We've all recently seen IP litigation that we do not like, and there is a growing consensus that US IP law needs to be updated to better suit modern innovation.
Though I know little about IP law, we registered our name as a trademark and filed a patent on the Bitbills production process on the advice of our lawyers and advisors. As far as we've been advised, it is standard process for a small company with a single flagship product to seek these kinds of protection.
If you haven't already, I encourage you to read the parts of our patent application that have been published [1]. There's a lot of debate going on about what it does and does not say, and the best way to fix that is to read it for yourself. I also strongly encourage you to read some of the other patents dealing with bitcoin products and innovations, of which there are hundreds [2]. Note that many of these have been in fact issued, which makes them more interesting than the applications. In fact I'm a bit bewildered at how much attention this particular application has gotten in light of the others, but I'm certainly glad that the community is beginning to have these discussions about bitcoin and IP law.
[1] http://portal.uspto.gov/pair/PublicPair
[2] http://www.google.com/patents?q=bitcoin
Though I know little about IP law, we registered our name as a trademark and filed a patent on the Bitbills production process on the advice of our lawyers and advisors. As far as we've been advised, it is standard process for a small company with a single flagship product to seek these kinds of protection.
If you haven't already, I encourage you to read the parts of our patent application that have been published [1]. There's a lot of debate going on about what it does and does not say, and the best way to fix that is to read it for yourself. I also strongly encourage you to read some of the other patents dealing with bitcoin products and innovations, of which there are hundreds [2]. Note that many of these have been in fact issued, which makes them more interesting than the applications. In fact I'm a bit bewildered at how much attention this particular application has gotten in light of the others, but I'm certainly glad that the community is beginning to have these discussions about bitcoin and IP law.
[1] http://portal.uspto.gov/pair/PublicPair
[2] http://www.google.com/patents?q=bitcoin
Friends,
We are going to begin producing Bitbills once again. The next generation product will feature a revised design, new denominations, and easier redemption. We will be releasing all the details in the next couple weeks, but I wanted to share this exciting news with you now.
If you'd like, you can sign up for email updates on our site.
Bitbills.com
Thanks.
We are going to begin producing Bitbills once again. The next generation product will feature a revised design, new denominations, and easier redemption. We will be releasing all the details in the next couple weeks, but I wanted to share this exciting news with you now.
If you'd like, you can sign up for email updates on our site.
Bitbills.com
Thanks.
Yep, we're still around. We do have a few outstanding backorders, but we've mostly caught up. Some people are also missing their bitbills because we required signature on the delivery, and they weren't around to sign and they were ultimately returned to us. We are contacting those people as we get their bitbills back.
As always, if you have a question about your individual order, please email us at support@bitbills.com or feel free to PM me.
As always, if you have a question about your individual order, please email us at support@bitbills.com or feel free to PM me.
Bitbills here, want to address a few things.
I won't address the security of our products or their manufacturing process, as we've covered this elsewhere.
On the topic of our SSL certificate, we find it hard to believe that a community as skeptical as Bitcoin holds much faith in the security theater that is the modern Public Key Infrastructure. Recent events have shown that none of the "authorities" can be absolutely trusted. We believe that a CACert, WOT based certificate is better than any commercial offering, but due to requests from the community we've moved to a commercial solution. If anybody has any doubts about whether the public key is truly ours, I'd be happy to personally send them a postcard with a copy of our public key.
Regarding bitcoin storage, there is absolutely no perfect solution. There are advantages to home-grown storage solutions, but also to solutions that do include an element of trust. While there's certainly a risk of a webwallet turning criminal, there's also a risk that you accidentally left the bitcoin client open when you backed up your wallet and corrupted your coins. Indeed, others have lost nearly as many bitcoins as Bruce did to MBC simply because they didn't encrypt their home-stored wallet.dat file, or made some other small mistake. At some point, people need to honestly ask themselves whether its more likely that a reputable bitcoin service will turn out to be a massive conspiracy, or that their flash drive will get stolen.
There's a very good historical precedent here: traditional currencies. There's no theoretical reason why somebody couldn't store their entire net worth in their basement as cash, but they don't do it. Why? Trusted banks provide services that they need, and probably more security too. Being a digital currency, bitcoin doesn't have many of the problems that banks solve (e.g., bitcoin has no need for huge storage vaults or ACH). But bitcoin is not a miracle currency. For example, offline transactions between parties untrusting of each other are not generally possible with bitcoins, but with Bitbills this becomes possible.
I'm sorry I didn't have time to make this post shorter, but here's the big idea: every method of using bitcoins has risks, and sometimes trusting somebody else just a little bit is actually the least risky solution. Choice is better than no choice.
On a different, but related note, we're working very hard on a new product that we think will be a huge step forward for bitcoin storage: trustless bank cards. Details are forthcoming.
I won't address the security of our products or their manufacturing process, as we've covered this elsewhere.
On the topic of our SSL certificate, we find it hard to believe that a community as skeptical as Bitcoin holds much faith in the security theater that is the modern Public Key Infrastructure. Recent events have shown that none of the "authorities" can be absolutely trusted. We believe that a CACert, WOT based certificate is better than any commercial offering, but due to requests from the community we've moved to a commercial solution. If anybody has any doubts about whether the public key is truly ours, I'd be happy to personally send them a postcard with a copy of our public key.
Regarding bitcoin storage, there is absolutely no perfect solution. There are advantages to home-grown storage solutions, but also to solutions that do include an element of trust. While there's certainly a risk of a webwallet turning criminal, there's also a risk that you accidentally left the bitcoin client open when you backed up your wallet and corrupted your coins. Indeed, others have lost nearly as many bitcoins as Bruce did to MBC simply because they didn't encrypt their home-stored wallet.dat file, or made some other small mistake. At some point, people need to honestly ask themselves whether its more likely that a reputable bitcoin service will turn out to be a massive conspiracy, or that their flash drive will get stolen.
There's a very good historical precedent here: traditional currencies. There's no theoretical reason why somebody couldn't store their entire net worth in their basement as cash, but they don't do it. Why? Trusted banks provide services that they need, and probably more security too. Being a digital currency, bitcoin doesn't have many of the problems that banks solve (e.g., bitcoin has no need for huge storage vaults or ACH). But bitcoin is not a miracle currency. For example, offline transactions between parties untrusting of each other are not generally possible with bitcoins, but with Bitbills this becomes possible.
I'm sorry I didn't have time to make this post shorter, but here's the big idea: every method of using bitcoins has risks, and sometimes trusting somebody else just a little bit is actually the least risky solution. Choice is better than no choice.
On a different, but related note, we're working very hard on a new product that we think will be a huge step forward for bitcoin storage: trustless bank cards. Details are forthcoming.
Well, with a message at least. Site text copied below. Discuss.
Edit 8/5 by Maged: A second press release has been issued. Discuss it in the thread linked below:
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=34770.0
Quote
Thursday, August 4th, 2011
From the desk of Tom Williams, operator of MyBitcoin.com
For immediate release.
As you have probably noticed, MyBitcoin.com had been down for almost a week due to an unfortunate event.
On Friday of last week we noticed that one of our pooled holding servers was missing a large amount of Bitcoins. After a prompt investigation we realized that the security of our SCI (Shopping Cart Interface) system had been breached by an unknown attacker.
Our response was rash, but necessary. We simply switched the system off until we could have system-wide forensics performed. The forensics took some time, as the system is quite complex by nature.
After weighing all of our options, we have realized that we have no option but to go into receivership. We will settle all accounts with a online claim process that we are currently in the process of working out.
We will release more detailed information about the security breach, the claim process, and our balance sheet in the next few days.
Tom Williams
From the desk of Tom Williams, operator of MyBitcoin.com
For immediate release.
As you have probably noticed, MyBitcoin.com had been down for almost a week due to an unfortunate event.
On Friday of last week we noticed that one of our pooled holding servers was missing a large amount of Bitcoins. After a prompt investigation we realized that the security of our SCI (Shopping Cart Interface) system had been breached by an unknown attacker.
Our response was rash, but necessary. We simply switched the system off until we could have system-wide forensics performed. The forensics took some time, as the system is quite complex by nature.
After weighing all of our options, we have realized that we have no option but to go into receivership. We will settle all accounts with a online claim process that we are currently in the process of working out.
We will release more detailed information about the security breach, the claim process, and our balance sheet in the next few days.
Tom Williams
Edit 8/5 by Maged: A second press release has been issued. Discuss it in the thread linked below:
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=34770.0
I second the question about the debit card. Something like that would really interest me.
So right now we have:- Bitbills - Allow people to trade bitcoins between each other offline, without trusting the other party. Also doesn't not require time to verify.
- Bank Cards - The safest way to store bitcoins. Lets you take your bitcoins offline, so they're as safe as the location you keep it.
- Payee Cards - Right now, only available with bank cards (bundled for free). Have a QR and text form of the address, so anyone can send bitcoins to your safe bank card.
Things we are working on:
- Trustless Bank Cards - Same as usual bank cards, but require zero trust!
- Point of Sale solutions - Details aren't final, so we aren't saying much now. We have some very cool plans here.
We're also making a ton of progress on software, our website, new Bitbills denominations, and other non-product things, so stay tuned!
We did use mybitcoin for payment processing, and only payment processing. Fortunately, we withdraw most transactions almost immediately, so we had only a trivial balance on mybitcoin when they closed up shop.
Orders have been paused while we setup our own, in-house payment processing. We realize this is the safest solution moving forward.
All orders will ship out as expected. Orders for just Bitbills are still generally shipping within 3 days. Orders with bank cards included are backlogged slightly as we scale production, but should be shipping out by Friday.
Please email us if you have any questions about your individual order, and feel free to post any general questions in this thread!
Orders have been paused while we setup our own, in-house payment processing. We realize this is the safest solution moving forward.
All orders will ship out as expected. Orders for just Bitbills are still generally shipping within 3 days. Orders with bank cards included are backlogged slightly as we scale production, but should be shipping out by Friday.
Please email us if you have any questions about your individual order, and feel free to post any general questions in this thread!
We've got some big updates for Bitbills, including brand new bank cards! They're super cool, and we think they're another great step towards making bitcoin usable in our everyday lives. They'll be ready to order soon, and pics are coming even sooner!
Read on about bank cards and other updates in our press release below. Check out the shiny site redesign too. Can't wait to hear your thoughts and feedback!
Quote
Bitbills Update
Press Release
7/9/11
Since our release on May 9th, the demand for Bitbills has been tremendous. We received preorders for thousands of Bitbills, and we're proud to say that right now every single one of them has been shipped. Simultaneously, we've gotten a new production process up and running that will allow us to make Bitbills much faster, so from now on all Bitbills will be shipped "live", within 3 business days of the order.
With the recent wave of hacks that have shaken the Bitcoin community, everybody has been worried about the safety of their bitcoins. Although Bitcoin is the best way to make payments online, permanently storing bitcoins in your desktop client or on a website service leaves them susceptible to hacking. People love being able to store their bitcoins securely offline using Bitbills, and today we're announcing a new product that will make permanent bitcoin storage even easier: bank cards.
A bank card is a metal card engraved with a bitcoin address and the private key necessary to redeem bitcoins sent to that address. You can think of a bank card as a tangible "piggy bank" for your bitcoins. Bank cards do not come with a stored balance, but once you receive a card you can send as many bitcoins as you like to be stored on the card. As long as your bank card is secure in a private location, you can rest easy knowing that there's no way for your bitcoins to be hacked or stolen. When you're ready to spend the bitcoins on your card, you can "crack open the piggy bank" by simply scanning the private key and importing it into your bitcoin client. With every bank card purchased, we will also include both a metal and plastic payee card, which only displays the bank card's address, making it easy to accept payment on the go while your bank card remains in a safe location. We will begin accepting and shipping orders for bank cards next week!
Another thing customers have asked us for is lower fees. Beginning today, we're cutting our fees in half. Our newly lowered fees have made it possible for us to begin discussions with several third parties on bulk orders for resale. It is our hope that with such deals in place, Bitbills will soon be available for purchase through multiple channels, making it easier than ever for people to use bitcoins in their daily lives.
We have many more exciting announcements to come in the next few weeks, as we continue working to make Bitbills the safest and easiest way to hold and trade bitcoins.
Press Release
7/9/11
Since our release on May 9th, the demand for Bitbills has been tremendous. We received preorders for thousands of Bitbills, and we're proud to say that right now every single one of them has been shipped. Simultaneously, we've gotten a new production process up and running that will allow us to make Bitbills much faster, so from now on all Bitbills will be shipped "live", within 3 business days of the order.
With the recent wave of hacks that have shaken the Bitcoin community, everybody has been worried about the safety of their bitcoins. Although Bitcoin is the best way to make payments online, permanently storing bitcoins in your desktop client or on a website service leaves them susceptible to hacking. People love being able to store their bitcoins securely offline using Bitbills, and today we're announcing a new product that will make permanent bitcoin storage even easier: bank cards.
A bank card is a metal card engraved with a bitcoin address and the private key necessary to redeem bitcoins sent to that address. You can think of a bank card as a tangible "piggy bank" for your bitcoins. Bank cards do not come with a stored balance, but once you receive a card you can send as many bitcoins as you like to be stored on the card. As long as your bank card is secure in a private location, you can rest easy knowing that there's no way for your bitcoins to be hacked or stolen. When you're ready to spend the bitcoins on your card, you can "crack open the piggy bank" by simply scanning the private key and importing it into your bitcoin client. With every bank card purchased, we will also include both a metal and plastic payee card, which only displays the bank card's address, making it easy to accept payment on the go while your bank card remains in a safe location. We will begin accepting and shipping orders for bank cards next week!
Another thing customers have asked us for is lower fees. Beginning today, we're cutting our fees in half. Our newly lowered fees have made it possible for us to begin discussions with several third parties on bulk orders for resale. It is our hope that with such deals in place, Bitbills will soon be available for purchase through multiple channels, making it easier than ever for people to use bitcoins in their daily lives.
We have many more exciting announcements to come in the next few weeks, as we continue working to make Bitbills the safest and easiest way to hold and trade bitcoins.
Re: BitBills order / May 9 / 100 BTC / NON-DELIVERY / NON-RESPONSE
Mike, we did reply to your messages, we're sorry that there was a delay in our response. Your Bitbills were shipped on May 25th via USPS insured mail with delivery confirmation.
Since this forum post, we've emailed you the tracking number. It looks like delivery was attempted on May 27th, but you were not home so a notice was left. Please let us know if you have any more questions.
Since this forum post, we've emailed you the tracking number. It looks like delivery was attempted on May 27th, but you were not home so a notice was left. Please let us know if you have any more questions.
I received mine today as well. I'm quite happy with them, understanding that this is the first batch. It would be nice if the private key didn't cause a bump in the lamination (at least, it appears to be laminated), but it's not a deal breaker.
Jim, I'm definitely interested in the results of your security test.
llama, if you read this... A smartphone app to go with bitbills would be awesome. There are only two necessary functions, I think.
1) verify the balance of a scanned address
2) send a transaction using a scanned private key
Jim, I'm definitely interested in the results of your security test.
llama, if you read this... A smartphone app to go with bitbills would be awesome. There are only two necessary functions, I think.
1) verify the balance of a scanned address
2) send a transaction using a scanned private key
The first function is now on the tools section of the site! Stay tuned for the second!
If I understand that well, it means that you hide a code behind a sticker. With the code, you can get the bitcoins on your virtual wallet.
So, my questions are:
1) How do you guarantee the holder of the card that the coins are still available? Currently, we have to trust you (the emitter) *and* the fact that the sticker has not been removed, which looks a bit gross (it shouldn't be that hard to replace a sticker with another one).
2) How could the user be sure that the card was emitted by you? I mean, I could print a bunch of cards with QR code and stickers, sell them for 1 or 5btc. The holder will exchange them and a the time someone try to cash them, nobody will be able to trace the card to me.
The idea is interesting but could you elaborate on those two points?
So, my questions are:
1) How do you guarantee the holder of the card that the coins are still available? Currently, we have to trust you (the emitter) *and* the fact that the sticker has not been removed, which looks a bit gross (it shouldn't be that hard to replace a sticker with another one).
2) How could the user be sure that the card was emitted by you? I mean, I could print a bunch of cards with QR code and stickers, sell them for 1 or 5btc. The holder will exchange them and a the time someone try to cash them, nobody will be able to trace the card to me.
The idea is interesting but could you elaborate on those two points?
Good questions. I've grouped the security concerns into three classes: Counterfeiting, tampering, and source-trust.
Source-trust means that you have to trust me, and I haven't thought of a good way around that. I promise that I put the bitcoins on the cards, delete the private keys, and use a secured manufacturing process. My hope is that as people begin buying, using, and redeeming Bitbills, they will form a trusting relationship with me the same way you might have a trusting relationship with MtGox and other companies.
Counterfeiting is the problem of others copying our cards and passing them off as real (presumably without even including the private key). Our cards are fundamentally hard to manufacture. When handling Bitbills, always check that the design matches the one shown on our website to make sure it's an authentic card. We use holograms that are very difficult to replicate. As our business grows, we plan to implement more and more security features.
Tampering is the problem of people extracting the private key without it being visible. We put the private key actually inside of the layers of plastic, so it's not just a simple matter of carefully peeling off a sticker or anything. The hologram is directly on top of the private key, also within the plastic. Even if it is somehow covertly extracted (once you see one of these, you'll see just how impossible that seems), the hologram destructs when removed.
We're working hard to make sure Bitbills are as sound as bitcoins themselves (if not better, since they clear instantly). But remember, like all the best stuff, they are BETA
Check it out, after months of effort I'm proud to announce I've released my new bitcoin product: Bitbills!
www.bitbills.com
Bitbills are the first physical incarnation of bitcoins, and I'm selling them starting now! Let me know what you guys think, and if you have any questions or comments!
www.bitbills.com
Bitbills are the first physical incarnation of bitcoins, and I'm selling them starting now! Let me know what you guys think, and if you have any questions or comments!
The bot on MtGox is mine. It runs nearly all the time, but it's not always making trades. I brought it online the day Jed opened up the API.
Mt. Gox is the only exchange with enough volume to justify trading in right now. Sorry, source will remain closed
Mt. Gox is the only exchange with enough volume to justify trading in right now. Sorry, source will remain closed