Meet KeepKey: a $239 Hardware Wallet for Your Bitcoins
| Updatedby Tatsiana Yablonskaya · 3 min read
KeepKey offers a new, more secure way to keep your bitcoins – a separate device connected to a personal computer.
KeepKey decided to simplify the process of storing bitcoin and came up with new gadget. The pocket-size device which repeats the name of the company is intended for generating and storing bitcoin private keys.
KeepKey project became possible thank to Darin Stanchfield, founder of the company. He wasn’t satisfied with available wallet options and quite correctly foresaw that his idea of creating brand-new way of bitcoin storage will find many supporters. Started in 2014 the company officially presented the new product yesterday.
“I decided at that moment that instead of waiting for a device to be built by someone else, I was going to take up the initiative myself,” he said in a press release. “And so the seed of the idea for KeepKey was born. My goal became to create a device that bridged the gap between hot wallets and cold storage, without sacrificing security.”
The highest level of KeepKey’s security is achieved because you don’t have to share your private keys with online wallet and don’t keep them on your personal computer any more. Now the device fulfills storage function. When you need to make a transaction, it first of all appears on KeepKey’s screen. Only after the confirmation of the owner the request is sent to the bitcoin network.
The process of personal confirmation protects bitcoin stored on KeepKey from virtual attacks and prevents hackers from breaking into your bitcoin wallet. Darin Stanchfield explains that at their work they apply the principle of security: “Our guiding principle is to empower individuals and organizations with bank- grade bitcoin security. This is what our device does, and it is simple to use. Other products that are available require a high level of sophistication to operate. With KeepKey, it is very difficult to do the wrong thing.”
Ken Heutmaker, a software engineer at KeepKey, echoes: “Our security model was designed to ensure that the user always has complete control over their private keys. We feel that relying on trusted third parties degrades the security and privacy that the bitcoin ecosystem offers.”
KeepKey operates with Google Chrome and is connected to personal computer with USB cable. Moreover the producers promise that the device is also supported by some bitcoin wallets like Electrum and MultiBit. You use a unique PIN code to get access to your funds before every transaction.
KeepKey is already available for $239. The developers offer two ways to order the device as for now. You can either purchase it for bitcoin on the official website www.keepkey.com, or on Amazon. Free shipping worldwide is guaranteed.
