Are Bitcoins the new Beanie Babies, or is there hope in 2019?
Bitcoin skyrocketed in value from less than a penny in 2010 to nearly $20,000 in late 2017. Then it spent 2018 in a freefall crash. So, what happened? Is it dead? Can Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies survive in 2019? Government backing may be the key to their resurgence.
The first Bitcoin was born 10 years ago today. How far we’ve come
The Bitcoin genesis block was mined 10 years ago today, bringing the first 50 Bitcoins into existence. Since then more than 17 million more have been mined and the hardware used to create new tokens is thousands of times more capable. It's also having a dangerous environmental impact.
Canada’s winters inspired a startup to warm homes with cryptomining heat waste
Consuming massive amounts of electricity and generating tons of waste heat has become the price we’re paying to use cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin. It’s a problem that gets worse at scale. But Quebec-based Heatmine thinks there may be a way to replace existing hot water heating systems with mining rigs, solving two problems at once.
Mining cryptocurrency for Razer Silver isn’t worth your computing power
Razer has launched its own cryptocurrency mining scheme, but instead of offering hardware to mine with, it's paying those who use its mining software with Razer Silver, which can be traded for hardware and loot crate codes. The trade-off is unlikely to be worth it, so consider carefully before joining.
This cryptocurrency wallet for kids isn’t nearly as stupid as it sounds
So you’ve taught your 6-year-old child to read, write, and play nice with others. What’s next? Give them a basic understanding of how cryptocurrencies function, of course. Called Pigzbe, this Kickstarter smart wallet for youngsters aims to help. Here's how it all works.
Cryptocurrency investor Ian Balina sees a comeback for cryptocurrency in 2019
Today on Digital Trends Live, we chatted with cryptocurrency investor Ian Balina about what the future holds for cryptocurrencies and Bitcoin. He also gave a quick recap of what happened in 2018, as well as a few pointers on what to look for when thinking about investing our own money.
415,000 routers worldwide reportedly infected with cryptojacking malware
A cryptojacking malware that was initially discovered affecting more than 200,000 routers in Brazil now has grown to infect more than 415,000 routers worldwide. The malware's goal is to steal resources from computers to mine cryptocurrency in a scheme known as cryptojacking. Fortunately there is a fix.
Russia goes all-in on buzzwords, builds solar-powered blockchain drone boat
A new Russian solar-powered drone boat is designed to take smart sensor readings and save them to the Ethereum blockchain. That might sound like buzzword bingo, but it's doing it for a good reason: To keep tabs on water pollution in one of the world's largest reservoirs.
Sirin Labs’ Finney is no token effort — it’s a full-fledged crypto-phone
The Sirin Labs Finney phone is unusual. Rather than being about the camera or a bezel-less design, it's all about cryptocurrencies and the Blockchain, and that makes it about as cutting-edge as tech gets. The $1,000 phone is for the cryptocurrency crowd at the moment, but that may change in the future.
Digital Trends Live: Stablecoin expert discusses all things cryptocurrency
Today on Digital Trends Live, we talked with the CEO of Pareto Network, Eric Lamison-White. His company is a market-insight platform that is focused on cryptocurrency. We discussed Stablecoin, which is a way to protect your cryptocurrency, as well as what the future holds for Bitcoin.
‘Blockchain gaming’ startup gets $16 million in Series A funding
A new gaming startup, Mythical Games, has raised $16 million in Series A funding to work on their concept of blockchain gaming. The aim is for the startup to develop games for the PC, console, and mobile markets which use the blockchain for the distribution and tracking of in-game items.
Hublot’s newest luxury watch costs $25,000, and you can only pay in Bitcoin
The Hublot Big Bang Meca-10 P2P is the latest luxury timepiece from the watch brand, and is a special limited edition made to commemorate the 10th anniversary of Bitcoin. Eager buyers must use the cryptocurrency to buy one, and they'll need substantial virtual wallets to afford the $25,000 price tag.
As Amazon turns up the volume on streaming, Spotify should shudder
Spotify, Apple, Amazon, and others are all looking to capitalize on the popularity of streaming music. But, as Spotify's quarterly revenue has shown, it's nearly impossible to make a profit under the current structure. Could major tech companies like Amazon be primed for a streaming take-over?
10 years of Bitcoin: How a geeky cryptocurrency changed the world
From its birth 10 years ago, Bitcoin has grown from fledgling cryptocurrency proof-of-concept into a real world cash alternative that's taken seriously by everyone from technologists to governments. How did it get to that point? Check out our handy potted history to find out.
If we want to slow down climate change, we should change how we mine Bitcoin
Bitcoin mining isn't good for climate change. According to a new study coming out of the University of Hawaii Manoa, provided that Bitcoin continues its current trajectory it could produce enough emissions to raise global temperatures by 2 degrees Celsius as soon as 2033.
What’s the point of a blockchain phone? We asked an expert
We cut through the hype and look at the reasons behind the current wave of blockchain phones, what they can do, and what they might be do in the future. You’ll find out what exactly what a blockchain phone is, how it can handle crypto assets, and who might want to buy one.
Ripple cryptocurrency jumps 70 percent in 24 hours after news of bank deal
A tease that the Ripple (XRP) cryptocurrency might soon be adopted by a number of banks to speed up and ease international money transfers has sent its value skyrocketing. In 24 hours, it reached its highest value in 2018, jumping more than 70 percent in some cases and XRP trades even top Bitcoin in the past 24 hours.
Giant wind farm in Morocco will help mine cryptocurrency, conserve energy
One of the windiest parts of Morocco is set to get a $2 billion, 900MW wind farm power plant, which could help power eco-friendly cryptocurrency mining in a more environmentally friendly way. Here's what is being planned -- and why this is an important step for the future.
Crazy vending machine swaps computer art for your permanent selfie
Coder artist Matthias Dörfelt has created a camera-equipped vending machine called Face Trade, which promises to swap unique prints of computer-generated faces for the rights to upload your selfie onto the main Ethereum blockchain. Here's what it says about privacy in 2018.
A vigilante botnet is taking out crypto-jacking malware
A new botnet with links to the Satori botnet has been spotted in the wild by security researchers. Known as Fbot, it doesn't look to spread malware though. It destroys it. It searches websites for a particular piece of crypto-jacking malware, takes it over, and then destroys it, deleting itself in the process.
Those $1 Bitcoins at Walmart have one big catch — they’re made of chocolate
Walmart's new Bitcoin chocolate coins are priced at just $1 a pack, giving cryptocurrency investors the chance to hold something real in their hands for the first time. Better yet, if they ever get tired of 'holding' their investment, they can always just tear off the faux-gold wrapper and eat them.
Cat got your wallet? CryptoKitties virtual feline fetches $170K in crypto cash
If you thought you paid a lot for in-app purchases to enjoy your latest mobile game, think again. A CryptoKitty named Dragon was recently sold on Etherum-based CryptoKitties, a game that's based on blockchain, for the equivalent of $170,000. In case you were wondering, that's a record.
The browser-based Monero miner Coinhive generates around $250,000 each month
A report reveals that despite a dramatic fall in cryptocurrency mining, the Coinhive JavaScript-based miner is still highly active, generating around $250,000 worth of digital Monero coins each month. Coinhive also contributes 1.18 percent of the total mining power behind the Monero blockchain.
Researchers hack John McAfee’s ‘unhackable’ Bitfi cryptocurrency wallet
John McAffee had teamed up to promote the security of Bitfi's cryptocurrency wallet by inviting hackers to attempt to break in with a bug bounty reward. It seems that researchers took the bait, and McAffee's Bitfi wallet can now be deemed successfully hacked.
Police bust a massive interstate SIM card hijacking ring
Law enforcement agents in Flordia and other states have joined to break up an interstate cybercrime ring that used hijacked SIM cards to steal cryptocurrencies and cash from victims. The group's biggest score came in May of this year when members worked together to steal 57 Bitcoins from a single victim.
Hacker plays ‘Doom’ on John McAfee’s ‘unhackable’ BitFi Bitcoin wallet
A hacker has managed to get Doom running on John McAfee's allegedly unhackable Bitcoin wallet by rooting the device. Although that didn't qualify him for the $250,000 award for stealing the coins from the wallet's storage, it does suggest that hackers aren't far from completing that supposedly impossible feat.
Valve bans Steam game that was installing cryptocurrency mining malware
A cheap Steam game called Abstractism appeared to be infecting users' computers with a program that mines cryptocurrency. Valve has since removed it from Steam and banned the developer for shipping unauthorized code and intentionally tricking players into buying fake in-game items.
Google bets on blockchain technology with two new Google Cloud partnerships
Google will support distributed ledger technology, aka blockchain, on the Google Cloud Platform. The reveal arrives by way of the company’s announcement regarding the Google Cloud Next ’18 conference in San Francisco. Google will have a 50-minute session talking about developing blockchain apps.
Photo FOMO: Fujifilm ramen, KodakCoin DOA, and Nikon’s secret sensor lab
In the latest photo industry news, Fujifilm has released a limited-run of Provia-branded instant noodles as a promotional stunt, Kodak's 'Kashminer' and KodaCoin cryptocurrency is DOA, and Imaging Resource takes a detailed look inside the 'super-secret' sensor development lab at Nikon.
Congressman says we should be banned from mining, using cryptocurrency
Congressman Brad Sherman believes the government should prohibit U.S. citizens from mining and using cryptocurrency. He made the statement Wednesday, adding that as a medium of exchange, cryptocurrencies accomplish nothing except facilitating narcotics trafficking, terrorism, and tax evasion.
Chinese authorities break up billion-dollar cryptocurrency gambling ring
Chinese law enforcement authorities have broken up a more than 1.5 billion-dollar gambling ring that made use of the dark web and cryptocurrencies to facilitate betting on the outcome of the World Cup.The action was part of a larger crackdown on illegal betting on the World Cup tournament.
Hackers allegedly used cryptocurrency in attack against Clinton campaign
An 11-count indictment filed against 12 Russian military intelligence officers reveals that the group allegedly used cryptocurrency to remain anonymous in a scheme against the Clinton campaign in 2016. They used these digital coins to pay for the website used to release stolen election-related documents.
Money-laundering ‘Bitcoin Maven’ receives one-year prison sentence
Theresa Tetley of Los Angeles, also known as the Bitcoin Maven, gets sentenced to one year in prison. The prison term is down from the 30 months that she faced for running an unlicensed money transmission business and, in at least one instance, exchanging Bitcoin for cash that came from illegal means.
Sirin Labs’ crypto-phone could change the way we pay
If blockchain technology, tokens, hot and cold wallets, and all the other cryptocurrency buzzwords have put you off learning about and using this fascinating technology, Sirin Labs is making the phone for you. It’s called the Finney, and it wants to make cryptocurrency as easy as Apple Pay.