Bitcoin Browser: Extension Turns Google Chrome Into Digital Wallet [VIDEO]

At the first North American Bitcoin conference in Miami, a Canadian software engineer revealed a new extension for the Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) Chrome browser that makes it easier for new bitcoin users to make payments with their digital currency.

The extension, “Bitcoin Wallet,” automatically generates a wallet address and integrates into every page the browser loads. Users can easily accept bitcoin payments through the address, and Bitcoin Wallet will also generate visual QR codes to accept bitcoins from a mobile device.

To send bitcoins, users just need to right-click any bitcoin address in a page. Bitcoin Wallet adds a new option to the drop-down menu that allows users to instantly pay that bitcoin address.

If a website has an established “Pay With Bitcoit” payment link, Bitcoin Wallet adds a pop-up window that has the payment amount and the bitcoin address of the receiving account automatically filled out. The user simply needs to click “send.”

Bitcoin Wallet will also encrypt the wallet with a password that is required before every transaction to prevent a stranger getting on a computer and spending away someone’s bitcoin fortune.

Bitcoin Wallet also has information about current exchange rates from bitcoinaverage.com, which is helpful considering bitcoin’s ability to rapidly fluctuate in value.

Forbes points out that the downside of the extension is that the wallet can only be accessed through the web browser. Users can access it from other devices if they allow Google to sync apps and extensions across all Chrome browsers, but this obviously opens up some security risks.

Bitcoin Wallet joins other bitcoin-related Chrome extensions like SpareCoins and KryptoKit. Bitcoin Wallet’s creator, Andrew Toth, said the app is meant to be an easier-to-use alternative.

Do you use a bitcoin extension for Chrome or any other Browser? Let us know in the comments.