This is Blockstream’s new hardware wallet

The Blockstream company, founded in 2014 and focused on developing infrastructure and technologies linked to Bitcoin (BTC), presented Jade Plus, its new hardware wallet exclusive to store holdings of this crypto asset.

Like its previous model, it is a hardware wallet which allows the self-custody of bitcoin and which, in turn, is open source. The latter allows the community review possible bugs and contribute to improvements of the software, providing transparency to its development.

Given the information extracted from the Blockstream site, the main differences between the new version and the old version of Jade lie in aesthetic issues and improving the user experience.

To this end, Jade Plus, a larger model than the previous one, “fits comfortably in the hand for effortless interaction with the wallet,” according to the manufacturer.

Jade Plus has dimensions of 65 millimeters long, 30 millimeters wide and 12 millimeters thick, being like this wallet 66% larger than its predecessor. Furthermore, it was elaborate using a combination of plastic and metal and the weight varies depending on the color version. In black it weighs 25 grams, while in white or genesis gray they weigh 30 grams each.

Jade Plus is equipped with a 2.89 centimeter LCD screen which uses a 16-bit RGB (red, green and blue) color production system, with a resolution of 240×135 pixels. Control of the interface is carried out through buttons.

For its part, the previous Jade model has dimensions of 60 mm long, 24 mm wide and 17 mm thick. The device weighs 21 grams and is made of plastic. To control the device, it has a click wheel and an application button.

Another difference is that the manufacturer has provided that users can load the new version of the firmware on an external storage device without an internet connection and then transfer it to the Jade Plus for installation. In this sense, the site of the previous Jade model does not mention possessing this feature.

In relation to prices, Jade Plus is worth 169 US dollars, while Jade costs 79 dollars.

In terms of internal components, both models incorporate a USB type C connector for connection and charging, as well as wireless connection via Bluetooth. They also share the same battery capacity, 240 mAh (milliampere-hours).

How does Jade Plus secure bitcoins?

Regarding security, the new wallet by Blockstream uses encryption hardware ““solid and top-notch security protocols,” which, according to its website, protects bitcoins from hackers, malware (malware) and unauthorized access.

Nevertheless, retains the same qualities as the previous version of Jadesuch as multi-signature passphrase recovery, unlock PIN, and support for Liquid Network, a Bitcoin second layer (L2) network, developed by Blockstream.

To reduce the risks in transactions, these devices rely on the use of a camera to unlock Jade and sign transactions.

This means that the wallets They have a built-in camera that allows you to carry out bitcoin transactions in a «air-gapped» or «with air space». A process air-gapped It implies that the device is not connected to the Internet or any network during the signing of the transaction, which increases security by avoiding possible cyber attacks.

Transactions are prepared on an internet-connected device, then transferred to Jade Plus or Jade using QR codes, they are signed there without connectionand are finally returned to the connected device for transmission to the Bitcoin network.

This would allow users to avoid exposing private keys to internet-connected devices during bitcoin transfers.

Additionally, both Jade Plus and Jade offer “SeedQR support for stateless signing.” SeedQR is a method for encoding retrieval phrases (seed phrases) in QR codes. The “stateless signature” means that the wallet no need to permanently store information of the account or private keys in its internal memory.

Instead, every time you need to sign a transaction, you can temporarily enter the seed (via the SeedQR QR code) into the walletsign the transaction, and then the wallet I would “forget” the seed once the operation is completed, aiming to improve security by not having a persistent record of the seed on the device.

Ultimately, both wallets are compatible with other walletssuch as Specter, Sparrow, Nunchuk, BlueWallet, Electrum and Keeper.