Day: August 18, 2017

In a perfect world, we would succeed in making computers both incredibly cheap and extremely fast. For the longest time, reaching this goal seemed well out of reach. Thanks to new research, it turns out that graphene-based computers use far less power while boosting computer performance by as much as 1,000%. It is a discovery that could have major consequences for all computer-related activities.

Graphene Has Many Exciting Traits

Science and technology have never been more fun since graphene was discovered back in 2004. At that time, researchers from all over the world started looking into this material’s properties and how it could be used to make products cheaper to use and more powerful simultaneously. We determined that graphene was a much better conductor of electricity compared to copper. It is also a better conductor than silicon, especially in terms of the transfer rate achieved. Both of these developments alone are significant on their own.

However, it turns out graphene may have additional effects of which we were previously unaware. Researchers from four universities in the U.S. have come up with a way of using graphene as a transistor. That means this material can be applied to computers and other types of technology in common use today. The research was documented in Nature Communications and shows how graphene-based transistors beat the silicon transistors found in most modern computers by a large margin. While that may not sound like much to the average person, it is sure to have major consequences.

Every computer circuit we use today contains transistors, which are the tools needed to transmit and receive electronic signals and electrical power. By combining transistors, one creates a logic gate, which is the key component in microprocessors. It is these microprocessors which allow us to operate computers, smartphones, tablets, televisions, and all other gadgets one commonly uses these days. Pushing transistors forward has been a major objective in recent years, as it seemed there was very little progress being made.

Indeed, the speeds achieved by microprocessors really have not advanced much since 2005. That means that computers have not gotten faster or more efficient, although they do use slightly less electricity now. The rate at which signals and power can be transmitted through silicon transistors is fairly limited. With graphene, on the other hand, those limits are much higher. This will allow for significant progress to be made in making computers more powerful while requiring less power to do so.

During the initial test, the graphene transistor-based logic circuits improved the microprocessor clock speed by one thousand times. That means a microprocessor running at 4 GHz today would be capable of achieving speeds of up to 4 TH/s. No one needs that kind of computing power just yet, but it is nice to know the rate can be achieved regardless. Amazingly, that speed is achieved using just one percent of the current power requirements for silicon transistors. The latter point is especially significant where smaller electronic devices are concerned, as it will give tiny devices more functionality and allow their batteries to last much longer.

It should be noted that this research is still in its early stages. So far, the scientists have built a graphene ribbon, which is not even remotely comparable to microprocessors in computers. However, it certainly shows that the potential is there. Making computers more powerful while reducing their power requirements at the same time will yield some interesting results. If this can be applied to Bitcoin mining hardware as well, big changes will be coming in the not-so-distant future. Graphene may be the material the technology sector has sought after for so long. 

TREZOR has hit back at concerns its devices could be insecure, calling them “misinformation” and “FUD.”

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As Revain prepare to launch their crowdsale, is there value in the Revain platform and does their model permit future price appreciation of the token?

Cryptocurrencies analyzed: price review and predictions.

We are moving toward more decentralized solutions altogether in cryptocurrency. The 0x protocol heralds an entirely new era in the world of cryptocurrency exchanging. It is designed to allow the exchange of ERC20 tokens in a frictionless and decentralized manner. However, the full potential of this platform has yet to be realized, as it seems the possibilities are nearly limitless.

The 0x Protocol Is a Game Changer

It is due time people stopped relying on centralized exchanges for exchanging value. Cryptocurrency and digital tokens have always been about decentralization first and foremost. When it comes to exchanging them for different values or currencies, however, users have often been forced to rely on a centralized platform acting as a custodian of consumer funds. Finding a decentralized way to trade currencies and tokens has not been easy, as few such platforms have any volume right now.

That may all change in the near future, thanks to the newly unveiled 0x protocol. This particular project specializes in decentralizing the way people convert ERC20 tokens. Considering how every cryptocurrency ICO has its own native ERC20 token, there is a huge market here waiting to be tackled. The major exchanges have been pretty slow when it comes to adding most tokens, mainly due to their desire to avoid scams and pump-and-dump schemes.

With the 0x protocol in place, anyone in the world can exchange his or her ERC20 tokens for whatever else they wish. With the number of tokenized assets growing every single month, a dedicated platform had to be created sooner or later. This particular project checks a lot of the right boxes, especially considering that it is not a centralized platform. Instead, it is a decentralized platform that can be integrated into any existing software solution presently known to cryptocurrency users.

The differences between 0x and centralized exchanges are quite stark. 0x does not require user registration, as it is a protocol rather than a user-oriented trading application or software platform. There is no central party to be hacked or subjected to regulation. Given the recent scrutiny shown by the SEC and similar institutions around the world, not being subjected to government influence is a big bonus. Plus, 0x is public infrastructure that is free to use. It does allow for-profit solutions to be built on top of it, though.

The choice to support ERC20 tokens is significant as well. Ethereum’s blockchain is the go-to solution when it comes to creating tokenized digital assets. However, if these tokens cannot be exchanged freely, it is hard to attribute any value to them. With centralized exchanges taking their sweet time to vet individual tokens, the 0x protocol welcomes any of these tokens the same day they become transferable. As long as they adhere to the ERC20 token standard, the protocol will support them regardless.

All things considered, the 0x protocol is exactly what the cryptocurrency world needs right now. It is important not just to promote the value of ERC20 tokens created through cryptocurrency ICOs, but also to move away from centralized trading solutions. Decentralization is the way forward, even if it is less convenient than centralized platforms are for the time being. A decentralized business model has no order book or trading engine to match buyers and sellers like we are all used to. Nor is there an opportunity to enable margin trading. Such a business model will bring speculation to a halt, which can only be beneficial to cryptocurrency in general.

CLIMATECOIN, is a new cryptocurrency created for Climate change action. Its Organization has announced the launch of its “CO2” Token Sale, that will allow users to perceive a percentage of the benefits of the Organization for its participation in companies that fight Climate Change. The Organization will become a Sectoral Investment fund focused in companies … Continue reading CLIMATECOIN

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Cryptocurrency exchanges all over the world see major growth these days. This is especially true for Bithumb, South Korea’s largest trading platform to date. Their customer base has grown so much they decided to launch an in-person support center. Customers can walk up to the building and get support around the clock. An interesting decision, … Continue reading Korea’s Bithumb Exchange Launches In-person Support Desk due to Customer Base Growth

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A virtual reality project built using blockchain technology has raised $26 million in ether via an initial coin offering.

Given the recent influx of cryptocurrency ICO projects, it can be quite difficult to know everything that is going on these days. OmiseGo is one of those new digital assets which has seemingly taken the world by storm. Its market cap is growing quickly, and it appears the Thai Ministry of Finance is publicly advertising one of the company’s products. Now is a good time to take a look at what this project is about and why the value of OMG is going up so quickly.

OmiseGo Price Surges Amid News From Thailand

The Omise platform is quite an interesting concept, as we covered before. Rather than banking the unbanked, the team aims to unbank the banked. An ambitious goal on paper, but in a way, most consumers are already doing this themselves. Although it appears we rely on banks more often than not, cash and alternative investment solutions are pretty popular. OmiseGo wants to take things one step further by providing real-time P2P value exchange and payment services to everyone in the known world today.

Since users of the OmiseGo platform don’t need a bank account whatsoever, the platform is accessible by anyone. Additionally, the company uses the Ethereum blockchain to provide these financial services to the rest of the world. They also successfully concluded a cryptocurrency ICO not too long ago, which resulted in the creation of OMG tokens altogether. This token can be used across all services making up the OmiseGo blockchain, including their decentralized exchange, liquidity provider, and asset-backed gateway.

There is also the white-label OmiseGo wallet SDK, which allows for a diversity of payment solution to be deployed on the OmiseGo network. This means the technology can be integrated into any solution existing today or in the future. So far, the Omise company is active in Indonesia, Japan, Thailand, and Singapore, as it has done since 2013. They have attracted a lot of investors these past few years, including SBI Investment and Golden Gate Ventures. Moreover, their advisors include Joseph Poon, Gavin Wood, Vitalik Buterin, and Vlam Zamfir, among others.

It is pretty uncommon to see established companies host their own cryptocurrency ICO. Then again, the crowdsale has been a success, as they raised $25m in quick succession during their sale. Quite an impressive amount, to say the least, and one that shows how valuable the OmiseGo platform can be in the long run. Considering they raised $25m in funding and the market cap has grown to $777m in recent weeks, it is evident ICO investors got their hand on a bargain. The bigger question is what is driving this sudden price jump and how long it will last.

More specifically, OMG reached an all-time high of $9.3 not too long ago. Right now, that price has come down to $7.9 and is still falling, by the look of things. This resembles a traditional pump-and-dump scenario, although it is still too early to tell what is going on exactly with OmiseGo in this regard. It is evident there are plenty of people who are taking profits right now, with others buying in in the hopes of seeing the price go up even further. Considering how it almost reached $10 already less than a week ago, there is certainly room for gains, to say the least.

#Omise #Facepay successfully launch at Ministry of Finance in Thailand. Will be on TV. pic.twitter.com/6cA5jjmO2C

— JUNΞ (@JUN_Omise) August 18, 2017

There has been some news regarding Omise, the parent company. According to the tweet above, the Thai Finance Ministry is now advertising the use of Facepay, a solution developed by the Omise company.  FacePay was introduced some time ago, and uses artificial intelligence for user identification and verification purposes. It is quite an interesting program that certainly has a lot of potential. This news is quite good for Omise, which could explain the recent OMG price increase as well. Then again, it wouldn’t necessarily explain why the price has come down all of a sudden.

All things considered, OmiseGo is one of the promising ICO tokens these days, as the company behind it is more than solid. Omise has a strong reputation and their venture into the world of cryptocurrency ICOs is a gamble that pays off so far. It will be interesting to see how things evolve in this regard, as OMG certainly has a lot of potential. Unbanking the banked will not occur overnight, but the parent company is in a good position to make such things happen. It is worth keeping an eye on OMG, but do not get caught up in the hype train to chase a pump either.

In the world of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, one would almost forget there are other projects which have been around for many years. One of these projects is Dash, a cryptocurrency focusing on anonymity and privacy. Although there is some competition in this space, a lot of people like Dash.  The Dash price has risen quite a bit over the past few days, as the popular altcoin reached a value of $235.

Dash Price Reaches A New All-time High

Every cryptocurrency in the world can reach a new all-time high these days. That is not a bad thing by any means, as those currencies with actual potential deserve a lot more praise than they are getting. One of the currencies with such potential is Dash, a cryptocurrency which as been around for quite some time now. With a solid team of developers working on various features to improve anonymity and privacy, Dash has been a lot of people’s radars over the past year.

It is important to remember Dash had a good run earlier this year, as the value of this particular cryptocurrency showed sudden signs of life. More specifically, In February of 2018, one could purchase a single Dash for around $20. Today, that same Dash would be worth $235, result in an effect 1,075% increase in value over the past six months. People who have this currency in their portfolio didn’t have to do anything to obtain this value increase. Instead, the market price adjusted automatically, partially thanks to Bitcoin’s price going up by quite a margin.

After setting a new all-time high of $205 in early July of 2017, Dash started dropping in value again to around $133. A sharp value increase is often followed by a correction, which is something no currency or asset can avoid. However, contrary to what most people expected, the Dash price bounced back pretty quickly and brings us to the current price of $235. This is not the all-time high for this currency, though, as that price was hit earlier this week when Dash was valued at almost $250.

All things considered, this year has been pretty solid for Dash. With under 7.5 million coins in circulation, there is still a lot of room left for future price gains. Keep in mind large number of coins are locked up in network masternodes, which provide service to users such as the InstantSend feature. Additionally, the iOS wallet for Dash was finally approved a few weeks ago, which bodes well for the future of this currency. All it needs now is more trading volume, even though South Korea’s Bithumb exchange is generating its fair share so far. With just $81m in 24-hour volume, though, Dash is well behind most other top cryptocurrencies.

The good news for Dash is how their upcoming conference may attract a lot of positive momentum moving forward.  According to the information we have received, the Dash Conference takes place in London, England on September 24. It is a precursor of the World Blockchain Forum, which takes place over the following two days. During the conference, we will see various panels and speeches regarding Evolution, the Dash Debit Card, and the new Dash Labs hardware tech brand. This first global conference will be quite significant for this particular currency, to say the least.

In the end, it is hard to predict what the future will bring for Dash. A lot of puzzle pieces are finally falling into place, which is a good sign. Bitmain recently announced a new ASIC miner to support the network as well, which will get more people interested in this currency. If Dash can somehow find a way to increase its global exposure and improve the trading volume ahead of their conference, interesting things will keep happening. For now, the $235 price is more than respectable, although no one should rule out a potential increase to $300 or more.

Union Square Ventures partner Albert Wenger has said he will fund a prize aimed to incentivize the creation of blockchain-powered blogging platform.

Various cryptocurrencies are getting their fair share of the upward momentum as we speak. Although most people don’t look beyond the Bitcoin price, there are plenty of other currencies and digital assets to take into account as well. Bitcoin Cash, for example, is going through a much-needed uptrend as we speak. After nearly a full week of hovering around the $300 mark, things are heading toward $500 and beyond.

Bitcoin Cash Price Eyes $500

It has to be said, not too many people gave Bitcoin Cash a fighting chance when the separate ecosystem was created.  That is only normal, as many Bitcoin users felt this was an attempt at a hostile takeover. Making Bitcoin scale has been very problematic this past year, mainly due to different sides arguing over political reasons and their own reasons as to why specific implementations of a solution would not work as expected. The dust has finally settled, yet we have two different types of Bitcoin to contend with as we speak.

On paper, there is no reason why we can’t have two different versions of Bitcoin duking out over one another. Although Bitcoin Cash and Bitcoin are very similar, they aren’t identical by any means. The people running the Bitcoin Cash system have no vast development expertise on the same level as the Bitcoin Core contributors. Moreover, Bitcoin Cash has no SegWit activation or Lightning Network implementation. Instead, the supporters chose for a straight-up block size increase to 8MB. This will not necessarily be the final block size of that blockchain either, as tests are conducted to support up to 32MB if needed.

Whether or not Bitcoin Cash will fare better or worse than Bitcoin, is everybody’s guess right now. The Bitcoin network will see Segregated Witness activate, although its scaling capacities have never been tested in a live environment on the Bitcoin network. Should the scaling solution fail to clear up lingering Bitcoin mempool issues, it is not unlikely some people will default to Bitcoin Cash. After all, making Bitcoin scale is one thing, but if the scaling solution still leaves much to be desired, things aren’t advancing by any means. We will know more in the coming weeks, as the activation will occur in the not-so-distant future.

All of this creates a very speculative environment as far as Bitcoin Cash is concerned. The “Bitcoin Altcoin” has successfully hit the $500 price mark for the first time in a while. Although BCH has not been around for all that long just yet, the Bitcoin Cash price drop from $1,100 to nearly $200 caught a lot of people by surprise. At that time, most users assumed that would be the end of BCH, but nothing could be further from the truth. Speculation on the future of the BCH price will become a lot more popular over the coming days and weeks, to say the least.

Looking over the exchanges, it seems South Korea is showing an incredibly high demand for Bitcoin Cash. Bithumb, the exchange which keeps surprising everybody every single week, recorded over $669m in trading volume for BCH/KRW. That number may not be entirely accurate, though, as it is five times as high as the second exchange on the list, which is Korbit. Then again, both Korean platforms, alongside Coinone in fifth place, generate the vast majority of BCH trading volume right now. It is surprising to see this altcoin get a trading volume of nearly $1.7bn in the past 24 hours, to say the least.

The rest of the world has to follow these exchanges and it looks as if fiat currency markets are taking a strong lead over the BCH/BTC markets right now. Bitfinex’s USD market is showing some strong volume as well, which is unprecedented for this market. Now that most people have dumped their coins, Bitcoin Cash may start to enjoy some real growth. At this rate, both Bitcoin and Bitcoin Cash will reach mining profitability parity in a few days from now. If that were to happen, all future bets and expectations can be thrown out of the window completely.

Canada-based fintech vendor D+H Corporation has filed several patent applications relating to the creation and use of private distributed ledgers.

CNBC has predicted Bitcoin dropping to $3,600, at which point it recommends purchasing.