In the early years bitcoin was mainly thought off as money for geeks and libertarians. It was affectionately known as “magic internet money” and the bitcoin exchange Mt.Gox that was famously hacked even got its name from the card trading game “Magic: The Gathering”. Despite its geeky beginnings, bitcoin is slowly becoming popular, as more consumer friendly apps appear that don’t require a Comp Sys degree to use them. These new iOS and Android bitcoin apps allow you to do a whole lot more than just store and send bitcoin.
XAPO VAULT
Xapo is a Silicon Valley funded bitcoin company that has developed one of the best bitcoin wallets.The app has a slick interface that makes sending and receiving really easy, even for the biggest of technophobes.
You can also buy and sell bitcoin from inside the app so you don’t have to go to the hassle of creating a separate account at a bitcoin exchange. You can even order a Xapo debit card that is linked to your bitcoin wallet and allows you to spend your BTC in any store that accepts Visa or Mastercard.
These are all really cool features but what makes Xapo stand out from the crowd is their “Vault” that allows users to keep their bitcoin safe. Xapo have gone to extreme lengths to protect your bitcoin by storing them in military bunkers deep underground in different locations around the globe. What’s amazing is that they provide this service free of charge and it is available via both their iOS and Android apps.
PURSE.IO
Everybody loves a bargain and if there is one thing that is sure to get the average online shopper interested in bitcoin, it’s the promise of a large discount. Purse.io does just that by allowing Amazon shoppers to enjoy savings of up to 50% when they shop using the Purse.io iPhone and Android apps.
Here’s how it works.Amazon has a global network of employees that get paid in Amazon Gift Cards.Many of these employees live in countries that are not serviced by Amazon so they are unable to spend their wages.What Purse does is seamlessly link up Amazon shoppers with anyone that wants to sell their gift cards at a heavy discount.
You create a wish list on Amazon and add any products that you would like to purchase.You can specify via the Purse.io app discounts ranging from 5% to 50%.Gift card owners then make the purchase on your behalf and the product arrives at your door a few days later.Orders that specify lower discounts of 5% to 20% are usually filled within a couple of days.
You may have to wait a little longer if you are expecting a 40% to 50% discount.The money is held by Purse.io until you have received your product from Amazon and you are happy to release the funds to the gift card purchaser.
BITCOIN GAMBLING APPS
If you live in the United States then you’re probably already aware that online gambling can be very frustrating and expensive. When you try to make a deposit at your favourite sportsbook or poker room, your transaction is frequently blocked. If you are lucky and your transaction is processed, you still have to pay crazy Mastercard and Visa fees of 6% or 7%.
This puts a huge hole in any online gamblers bankroll but thankfully there are a new breed of bitcoin gambling apps that charge zero fees when you bank with bitcoin.Sites like Nitrogen Sports, BetCoin and CloudBet allow you to play poker or wager on sports from your smartphone or tablet.
Bitcoin gambling companies are also far leaner that their fiat currency counterparts because they do not need large payment processing and KYC/AML departments.a result, they are able to offer lower rake to their poker players, lower house edge on their casino games and more competitive betting lines on sporting events.
SHAPESHIFT
Bitcoin is great but it’s not the only crypto-currency out there. Other popular options include Dash, Monero, Litecoin and Ethereum. These alt-coins all have different properties that make them attractive.Some offer lower fees and faster settlement, while others are more fungible and are far more difficult to trace.
Signing up at a crypto-currency exchange and jumping through the AML/KYC hoops can be a time consuming process, which is why we love the ShapeShift app for iOS and Android.ShapeShift essentially operates as a crypto-currency vending machine. You pop your bitcoin in, select which other crypto-currency you want to purchase, and out pops the alt-coin a few seconds later.This all happens anonymously as you don’t need to create an account at ShapeShift to use their service.