Mobile payments are the way forward for both customers and retailers, and Bitcoin payments have to provide some excellent competition in the mobile space before it is too late. Whether you use iOS or Android, there are plenty of mobile Bitcoin wallets to choose from. However, AirBitz is the very first to offer Bluetooth LE support for making a Bitcoin payments – giving it a distinct advantage over their competitors.
Iphone users have been able to enjoy the Bluetooth LE support for their AirBitz wallet for nearly four months now, whereas Android users had to wait a little longer. That wait is finally over, assuming you can run Android 5.0 Lollipop on your device that is. Most Android 5.0 devices – including the new Nexus 6 and Nexus 9 – will be able to use the BLE technology implemented in the AirBitz Bitcoin wallet.
Contrary to several other mobile Bitcoin wallets, which seem to focus on NFC (Near Field Communication) payment options, AirBitz is clearly focusing on ease-of-use by implementing technology used by as many people as possible. Bluetooth LE will be used by far more people than NFC ever will, which also gives it a better chance at adoption by merchants and retailers.
Speaking of ease-of-use, Bitcoin payments via Bluetooth also remove the need to generate and scan QR codes, which can be prove to be quite a burden in their own right. While generating and scanning these codes is relatively fast, you do need a camera that can focus quickly and properly, a screen with anti-glare, and so forth. Most Bitcoin users are not experiencing issues with QR codes, but it can be quite a different story when novice users are involved.
Furthermore, AirBitz is one of the few mobile Bitcoin wallets offering cross-platform payments, thanks to the Bluetooth LE integration. Android and iOS users can send each other Bitcoin via Bluetooth without any issues, and the devices do not even have to be paired either. Close proximity between two devices will establish the required connection to finalize the Bitcoin transaction.
The protocol making payments via Bluetooth LE possible is an open standard which has caught the attention of multiple Bitcoin Core developers. It will be interesting to see whether or not these developers will reach out to AirBitz in order to integrate the protocol in other mobile wallets, and maybe even existing payment gateways. AirBitz is definitely willing to collaborate with interested parties.
About Airbitz
Airbitz was founded in January 2014. We aim to bring bitcoin to the next billion users through an amazingly simple yet feature rich mobile wallet focused on ease of use and ease of security. Our focus is to deliver software with an amazing user experience, both visually and functionally, simplifying this advanced technology and delivering it to the masses while still retaining Bitcoin’s core principles of decentralization and privacy. For more information, visit www.airbitz.co and follow us at www.twitter.com/airbitz
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Source : Press release
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