The world’s most popular bitcoin site and online wallet, Blockchain.info, today announced it has acquired ZeroBlock LLC, makers of the leading mobile bitcoin app.
ZeroBlock’s developer, Dan Held, will also join the Blockchain team as a Product Manager.
Released in summer 2013, ZeroBlock has become one of the most popular mobile and web apps for bitcoin enthusiasts. It combines live Bitcoin exchange data with up to the minute breaking news and charts, both on mobile devices and its website ZeroBlock.com.
It displays prices in bitcoin’s three most-traded currencies (CNY, USD, EUR) with up-to-date data from the largest exchanges (BTC China, Mt. Gox, Bitstamp, BTC-e, and Coinbase). There are also statistics for miners such as block times, hash rates and difficulty increases. A basic grayscale version of the app is free to download on iOS, and users who donate $2 can see charts and graphs in color.
As of December 2013, ZeroBlock is the most-reviewed and highest-rated bitcoin app on the Apple iOS App Store. It is on track to surpass 1,000,000 impressions (people opening the app) in the month of December and in the same month has been downloaded 9,000 times. In November it launched a version for Android, gaining thousands more users.
Blockchain said ZeroBlock fits in with its “very ambitious future goals in the bitcoin space,” and will play a pivotal role in helping bitcoin users follow market trends and hopefully open up new revenue sources.
“When I’m asked what’s the killer app for Bitcoin right now I always recommend ZeroBlock,” said Nicolas Cary, Blockchain’s CEO.
“What Dan Held and Kevin Johnson have accomplished is truly remarkable. ZeroBlock has created an enduring design aesthetic that elegantly filters the signal from the noise in the bitcoin ecosystem. I’m completely obsessed with it.”
Though Blockchain is keeping the price of the acquisition confidential, in keeping with its image as a “non-fiat company” the deal was done entirely in bitcoin.
Both Blockchain and ZeroBlock have experienced massive growth in the past couple of months, as bitcoin’s value and appeal suddenly skyrocketed. The companies have taken a more analytical approach to bitcoin, presenting its statistical nuances to the public in a well-designed way to make it approachable to newcomers and professional analysts.
“I want entrepreneurs to know that we’re serious about seeing their projects succeed, and we’re looking to form partnerships with bitcoin thought leaders,” Cary concluded.