Block,
the
Jack
Dorsey-led
payment
company,
has
released
its
long-in-the-works
Bitcoin
hardware
wallet
—
but
you
can’t
use
cryptocurrency
to
buy
it.
You
can
only
purchase
the
$150
Bitkey
wallet
with
your
credit
or
debit
card,
a
sign
that
crypto
might
not
be
as
prevalent
as
its
designers
had
anticipated.
Block
first
introduced
a
prototype
of
the
wallet
in
2022
before
opening
preorders
last
December.
The
self-custody
Bitcoin
wallet,
which
Dorsey
nicknamed
“rockey,”
lets
users
store
cryptocurrency
outside
of
an
exchange
to
protect
the
funds
from
a
potential
collapse.
Bitkey
is
paired
with
a
mobile
app
and
recovery
tools
in
case
users
lose
the
wallet
or
their
phone.
There’s
a
fingerprint
sensor
on
top
of
the
device,
a
USB-C
charging
port,
and
an
NFC
chip
to
transfer
funds
between
the
app
and
the
wallet
(or
vice
versa).
Bitkey
also
integrates
with
Coinbase
and
the
Block-owned
Cash
app
to
transfer
and
buy
Bitcoin
through
the
wallet’s
accompanying
mobile
apps.
Block
says
it
will
add
“additional
payment
options”
that
people
can
use
to
purchase
the
device
in
the
“very
near
future.”
(Originally posted by Emma Roth)
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