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The Masterful Audio of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

February 12, 2019Gaming & Monetization StrategiesAudio, BOTW, Breath of the Wild, Design, Game, Hajime Wakai, Koji Kondo, Music, Nintendo, Shigeru Miyamoto, Sound, Soundtrack, The Legend of Zelda, Zeldaadmin

The original Legend of Zelda came out in 1986 on the NES. Games were evolving from endurance tests to simple narratives in the Socratic tradition. Having recently stunned the world with Super Mario Bros in 1985, legendary game designer Shigeru Miyamoto set-out to create a game with a world. Miyamoto grew up in Japan exploring the fields, woods, and caves of Kyoto. He designed the first Legend of Zelda to be “a miniature garden that players can put inside their drawer.” He combined Peter Pan, Tinker Bell, and the Arthurian legend of the sword in the stone to create what would become one of Nintendo’s greatest franchises.

31 years and over 18 iterations later, Nintendo released The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild for Nintendo Switch to widespread critical acclaim—many publications have declared BOTW to be among the greatest games ever created.

As any game designer knows, audio is vital to providing an audience with feedback. As with every element of the game, Nintendo has taken Zelda’s audio to a new level with Breath of the Wild. Here is our review and breakdown of what makes the audio of BOTW so special:

MUSIC

Nintendo composer Koji Kondo initially intended to use Maurice Ravel’s Bolero as the theme music for the original Legend of Zelda in 1985, but upon learning the copyright was intact, he composed the legendary “Zelda Theme”. Nintendo has always dedicated a large amount of time and care to the music of Zelda, but with BOTW, they’ve taken things to the next level.

Acute Zelda-philes will recognize the integration of electronic and orchestral instrumentation as innovative to the franchise. Music has always been used to give the user feedback regarding the setting— Dungeon Theme, which plays when Link is in a dungeon level.

In music, this technique is called a leitmotif: a recurrent theme throughout a musical or literary composition, associated with a particular person, idea, or situation.

In BOTW, music is used to delineate location, themes, characters, and even special enemies! While the combat theme plays fighting most baddies, anyone who has played BOTW will recognize the infamous Guardian Theme and of course the Hinox Theme.

The first time the player hears these songs come on, it is scary and immediately invests you with a bombastic sense of imminent danger.

Music changes by location and by time of day, as demonstrated by the Gerudo Town Day and Night songs.

In the Korok Forest, when entering uncharted territory, the user hears an eerie tune that gradually increases in volume until the user is transported back to the start of the forest, as demonstrated in this video:

https://youtu.be/7FgZw1geaHw

Shards of stories are told through musical sequences sung by Kass, dispersing exposition about the world and clues to the puzzles the user must solve.

All told, The Legend of Zelda Soundtrack has about 211 songs! Dedicated players can easily invest hundreds of hours into an open-world RPG, so diversifying the music is vital to keeping players engaged and preventing the game from feeling repetitive. Big, sweeping orchestral soundtracks like these are saving symphony orchestras, according to the Wall Street Journal.

SOUND DESIGN

Longtime composer and sound supervisor Hajime Wakai oversaw the sound of BOTW. While audio cues for sound effects in the Zelda series traditionally have had a very lo-fi electronic feel, BOTW uses fully orchestrated, live-performed instruments, investing the user with the feeling of watching a live performance. Wakai recorded over 10,000 different sounds for the game. In the Nintendo blog, he explains the many different types of footsteps.

“I mixed various kinds of sand so to get good footsteps. We searched for a combination of materials and how to apply them for the sound of the equipment. Ice boards melt and crack each time they walk and have to be replaced. The studio is full of stinky smells as you continue stepping on the grass. There were various hardships.”

Check out these photos from inside the sound studio:

The intricacies of the sound design are on full display in BOTW, with different sounds for hitting flesh creatures, hitting bone creatures and the very notable sound of the Master Sword clashing against a Guardian:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXkmknLZiFE&feature=youtu.be

The sound of BOTW enhance the experience and helps the user FEEL the game. Perhaps no better example of Sound Design doing this is the sound effect made when a user breaks their weapon:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9QLzmH4CFI&feature=youtu.be

Perhaps the biggest departure from the Zelda series is the use of voices. While Zelda games traditionally only represents dialogue with text and strange grunts, BOTW includes cut-scenes with fully-voiced Zelda, Daruth the Goron, Mipha the Zora, and more. BOTW incentivizes accruing these cut scenes or “Shattered Memories” by having them be collectable. Only after collecting all of the “Shattered Memories” can the user watch the story of the game in full from front to back.

OVERALL

Given the grand scale of BOTW, it’s no surprise that the game overdelivers when it comes to its soundscape. Nintendo’s first major entry into the Zelda series in 6 years is a masterpiece. Game designers take note of what is perhaps the best sound design ever created for a video game.

How 5G Will Inspire a Technological Revolution

February 4, 2019Internet of Things4G, 4th Generation, 5G, 5th Generation, android development, AR, Autonomous Vehicles, Cellular, Communication, Economy, Healthcare, Internet, LTE, Speed, VR, Wirelessadmin

In our last blog 5G: Exploring the Fifth Generation of Cellular Mobile Communications, we explored an overview of what 5G is and when it will be rolling out in your city.

Now, it is time for the fun stuff! 5G will change the way we interact with technology on a daily basis. Here’s a rundown of some of the revelatory applications enabled by 5G which will shape the future of our world:

THE INTERNET OF THINGS

In 2016, we wrote about how the Internet of Things will eventually enable smart-worlds. 5G is necessary in order to facilitate those changes. Most of the biggest innovations enabled by 5G are related to the Internet of Things. The world currently has sensors that are embedded in devices and objects and can communicate with each other, but they require a great deal of resources and quickly deplete LTE’s data capacity. 5G will give these sensors the ability to transmit data at speeds necessary to operate more efficiently. It will save lives by enabling smart bridges to communicate with cities and municipalities about when they require maintenance, among many other potential applications.

AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES

The world is at a cross-roads when it comes to autonomous vehicles. The demand is here, but in order to justify legislation, autonomous cars must be ostensibly fool-proof. 5G will enable the speed necessary for autonomous vehicles to communicate with other vehicles on the road, saving lives in the process. According to Joy Laskar, CTO of Maja Systems, self-driving cars of the future will generate an estimated two petabits of data—that’s two-million gigabits! When dealing with automotive vehicles, people’s lives will be dependent on the transmission of data. Put it simply, until 5G receives a mass roll-out, it’s unlikely that autonomous cars will become the primary vehicles on the road.

HEALTHCARE

Imagine remote diagnoses that enable people worldwide to have access to expert doctors. Imagine robot-assisted surgery that is more precise and cost-effective. Imagine 5G-powered Augmented Reality applications allowing physical therapists and patients to communicate remotely.

These are just a few of the innovations that 5G will enable within the healthcare space. 5G will eventually enable much more precise and efficient hospitals. It will give patients more personal care. Consulting firm IHS Markit reported that “5G-enabled” output between 2020 and 2035 will total at $12.3 trillion. Of that amount, roughly $1.1 trillion will encompass sales enablement in healthcare.

VIRTUAL REALITY AND AUGMENTED REALITY

Experts within the VR and AR industry believe 5G will unlock the full potential of VR and AR technology. 5G will enable VR devices to offload intensive computational work to the cloud, making VR devices smaller and increasing the fidelity of VR experiences. AR displays in autonomous cars will likely become the norm. 5G will enable VR live streaming of sporting events, creating a revolutionarily immersive viewing experience. As with autonomous cars, we will not see the full potential of VR until 5G receives mass adoption.

TAKEAWAYS

5G will permanently change the global economy. 5G will generate new revenue, facilitate new growth, and accelerate innovations beyond our wildest dreams. Dr. David Teece wrote that 5G will put mobile technology at the center of a global economy characterized by the Internet of Things turning into a true general-purpose technology. While each evolution of the cellular generation has brought amazing advancements to society, 5G promises to bring the most radical breakthroughs of any of previous generations. Ready or not, 5G is about to bring interconnectivity to a whole new level.

5G: Exploring the Fifth Generation of Cellular Mobile Communications

January 8, 2019Android Development, iOS Development4G, 4th Generation, 5G, 5th Generation, AT&T, Cellular, Communication, Internet, Latency, LTE, Speed, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon, Wirelessadmin

In December 2018, AT&T made history by becoming the first mobile carrier to roll out 5G service. The average person probably thinks that 5G is merely a high-speed cellular service, however, technology aficionados know it’s much more than that—5G has the potential to facilitate major technological shifts in the way our world works. In our two-part series, the Mystic Media Blog will take a look at what 5G is and how it could shift our society.

WHAT IS 5G?

Let’s start with the basics. The G in 5G stands for Generation. 5G is the 5th generation of wireless technology. 5G will bring exponentially faster download & upload speeds with reduced latency, enabling many practical high-tech innovations across many different industries, in addition to many new consumer applications.

SPEED

4G has been the prevailing cellular technology for the past 5-8 years. 4G is currently responsible for the high speeds powering your phone. While 4G speeds average about 16.9 megabits per second (Mbps), 5G promises to deliver speeds at the Gigabit level, greatly enhancing the things your devices can do. For example, while 4G allows for streaming in HD, 5G will make it possible to stream 4K HDR content.

ACCESS

The appeal of 5G is not just speed, but access as well. 5G will allow many more devices to connect to 5G networks at once. In order to facilitate this, carriers will have to use more cell sites. Currently, there are about 25,000 200-foot cellular towers blanketing large portions of the US with cellular service. 5G will change that, in fact, there will be far more 5G cell sites in the future, each covering a smaller region. These are called “Small Cells” and function differently from large cellular towers.

Check out Verizon’s awesome breakdown of what “Small Cells” are and their importance below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0oqITdNQfsg

LATENCY

5G will also greatly reduce latency, or the amount of time it takes for devices to communicate with each other’s wireless networks. For online gamers, reduced latency has a great deal of applications, as well as in healthcare, autonomous vehicles, and many other examples which we’ll cover in our next blog on what 5G can do for the future.

SPECTRUMS

Unlike 4G LTE, 5G operates on three different spectrum bands.

Low-band spectrum is a sub-1GHz spectrum. It is primarily used by carriers in the US for LTE and offers great coverage area, great building penetration, and peak data speeds of 100Mbps.

Mid-band spectrum provides faster coverage and lower latency than low-band, but fails to penetrate buildings as well as LTE. Peak speeds are up to 1Gbps on mid-band spectrum.

High-band spectrum, also known as mmWave, can offer peak speeds of up to 10Gbps with lower coverage area and weak building penetration.

The real innovations facilitated by 5G are happening at high spectrum bands which are less used by cellular companies. Frequencies of 28GHz and 39GHz have large sections of spectrum available to create big channels for high speeds. Those bands have been used for very advanced technologies previously, such as connecting base stations to remote internet links, but they have never been used for consumer devices.

WHEN IS IT ROLLING OUT?

5G’s roll out will be gradual. As mentioned earlier, until there are enough cellular cites for 5G to cover the entire nation, 5G will work together with 4G to augment connection speeds.

AT&T officially become the first carrier to roll out 5G service earlier this month when the carrier began offering 5G in parts of Atlanta, Charlotte, Dallas, Houston, Indianapolis, Louisville, Jacksonville, Oklahoma City, Raleigh, New Orleans, Waco and San Antonio. AT&T will expand 5G in early 2019.

Verizon began offering 5G fixed in homes in October 2018. Verizon’s 5G is currently available in portions of Houston, Indianapolis, and Los Angeles, with plans to roll out standards-based mobile 5G in 2019.

T-Mobile expects to launch 5G in New York, LA, Dallas, and Las Vegas in 2019 with nationwide rollout in 2020.

Sprint will deploy 5G in early 2019 with additional markets in the future.

In our next blog, we’ll explore how 5G will enable innovations that will change the way our world works. Stay tuned!

App Developers Take a Bigger Slice of the Pie with Android P

November 14, 2018Android DevelopmentAdaptive Battery, AI, Android, Android 9, App, App Actions, Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning, Developer, Gestures, Google, iPhone X, OS, Overview, Pie, Pixel, Slices, The Essential Phoneadmin

App developers looking to witness what Machine Learning can do to improve UI should take note of Android 9.0 Pie. First announced in March 2018, Android P was made public in August 2018. Android 9.0 marks a major overhaul of the Android OS focusing on UI and integrating Artificial Intelligence to optimize user experience.

AI HELPS ANDROID PIE HELP YOU

Android’s latest OS takes a big step forward integrating AI into the UI. The Android website advertises that “Android 9 Pie harnesses the power of AI for a truly intuitive experience”.

One of the major implementations of AI in Pie is called App Actions. Android 9.0 monitors your routines, processes data, and offers predicted actions directly in the phone’s app launcher when appropriate. For example, it can recommend a song to you on Spotify when you’re on your morning commute. Android has focused on quality over quantity with regard to App Actions and they are startlingly accurate—when it has enough data collected on how you use your phone, often it predicts exactly what you do next.

In addition to App Actions, Android Pie also offers Adaptive Battery and Adaptive Brightness. Android teamed up with the AI company DeepMind to create Adaptive Battery, an AI-based program that learns how you use your phone and optimizes usage so that inactive apps and services don’t drain the battery. Adaptive Brightness learns your preferred brightness settings and automatically adjusts them to your liking.

Those concerned with privacy should note that Android has stated that all machine learning is happening on the device rather than in the cloud.

ANDROID ADOPTS GESTURES OVER BUTTONS

Perhaps the biggest UI overhaul is the transition from buttons to gestures. Android P is following the iPhone X’s lead in using gestures rather than buttons. This means UI is very home-screen button centric. The overhaul may be jarring to some. Luckily, app users can have it both ways as gesture navigation is adjustable in the phone’s settings.

Check out the video breakdown of the differences between Apple iPhone X and Android P gestures below.

THIS PIE’S GONNA HAVE SLICES

Android has announced App Slices in Android Pie, but has yet to unveil them at this time. When you search for an app on Android, the app icon comes up. With App Slices, Android will not only pull up the icon, but will pull up actual information within apps and allow you to interact with the app directly within the search results. For example, if you search for Uber, it may bring up time & price estimates to go to commonly frequented locations and allow you to set a pick-up without having to open the app directly.

Android Slices present a great opportunity for app developers to create shortcuts to functions in their app. They also constitute the beginnings of Google’s approach to “remote content.” Learn more about Slices below:

APP LIMITS FOR ENCOURAGING HEALTHY USE

Addicted to your phone? Android P not only tracks the amount of time you spend on your phone, it allows users to set time limits for how long an app can be used for a day. App Time Limits prevent you from opening apps when you’ve gone over your limit with no option to ignore—the only way to access them again for the day is to turn the time limit off from the Settings page.

HUNGRY FOR PIE?

As with all Android OS’s, Android Pie will have a staggered release across devices. As of November 2018, it is available on Pixel phones as well as The Essential Phone.

Meanwhile, Android Pie is anticipated to be rolled out on many other phones by December 21st. For a comprehensive, frequently updated breakdown, check out Android Central’s list of the expected roll out dates for each phone manufacturer.

How to Optimize GPS and Background Processes for Android Oreo

May 10, 2018Android DevelopmentAndroid, Android O, API, App, Background Processes, Battery, Developer, Geolocation, GPS, How To, Location, Location Services, Notifications, Oreo, OS, Programming, Softwareadmin

As our past article Android Oreo Serves Up the Sweets will show, Android Oreo lived up to expectations upon release and gave both consumers and app developers plenty of enhancements to enjoy.

However, for app developers, enhancements to the UI aimed to conserve battery life affect GPS services and require changes to the code in order to optimize pre-existing apps for the new OS. Specifically, Android Oreo restricts apps that are running in the background with limited access to background services. Additionally, apps can no longer use their manifests to register for most implicit broadcasts. When an app is in the background, it is given several minutes to create and use services, but at the end of that time slot, the app is considered idle and the OS will stop running background services.

These changes directly affect apps with geolocation functionality. Android Oreo limits how frequently apps can gather location in the background. Background apps can only receive location updates a few times each hour. The APIs affected due to these limits include Fused Location Provider, Geofencing, Location Manager, Wifi Manager, GNSS Measurements and GNSS Navigation Messages.

Apps that currently use location services in previous Android OS’s will require an update to optimize for Android Oreo. Apps that use location services range anywhere from navigational apps like Waze and Google Maps to social media apps like Twitter, and food apps like Yelp and Seamless.

For apps that require frequent location updates, increasing the usage of the app in the foreground will ensure that the app gets frequent access to location information. In order to program this, developers must implement startServiceinForeground() instead of startService() in Activity class.

In Service class in onStartCommand(), developers can use the following code:

Via StackOverflow

When foreground services running in the background consume high energy, Oreo fires an automatic push notification to the user informing them of the battery-consuming service. With the push notification in place, app users are more likely to uninstall apps that track location without conserving battery life, putting the onus on software developers to deliver battery-efficient apps. One of the biggest issues facing some app developers is ensuring that battery life is not sucked as a result of tracking location in apps. Check out our full rundown of how to build battery-efficient geolocation apps for supplementary reading.

The results of the limits put in place with Android O are increased battery life for the user and the necessity for app owners to consider how their apps interact with location information. Retaining a thorough understanding of how location information will be retrieved and used through out the development process ultimately benefits both software developers and consumers with better UI and more energy efficient processes.

How to Safely Encrypt Sensitive Data in Your Mobile App

May 9, 2018Android Development, iOS DevelopmentAlgorithm, Android, App, App Development, Blockchain, Coding, Data, Database, Encryption, facebook, IOS, Programming, Sensitive Data, Softwareadmin

In November 2014, cybercriminals perpetrated one of the biggest cybercrimes of the decade. They hacked into Sony’s computer systems, stole sensitive data, paralyzed the company’s operations, and gradually leaked embarrassing information to the media. The hackers threatened to continue until Sony agreed to pull the controversial comedy The Interview from its theatrical release.

As the headlines will tell you, the encryption of sensitive data is one of the most important investments a company can make. Facebook is currently under heat for data protection practices. The UK National Crime Agency called WannaCry a signal moment for awareness of cyberattacks and their real world impact. With the stakes higher than ever, the encryption of sensitive data in apps has never been more important.

Here are our top tips on how to safely encrypt sensitive data in your mobile app.

TIP #1: Coding and Testing

Writing secure code is fundemental to creating a secure app. Obfuscating and minifying code so that it cannot be reverse engineered is critical to keeping a secure environment. Testing and fixing bugs when they are exposed should be an ongoing investment of resources as it will pay off in the long run.

Tip #2: Scramble Data

Sometimes, the best method of encrypting data is scrambling. Software and web developers often become obsessed with storing every bit of data in databases and logs, assuming it may be useful later, but doing so can create a target for cybercriminals.

Cunning developers will only store a scrambled version of the data, making it unreadable to the outside eye, but still useful for those who know how to query it correctly.

For an in-depth dive into scrambling data, check out this awesome essay on how Amazon does it.

Tip #3: In Transit Vs. At Rest Encryption

There are two types of data to be encrypted: in transit data and at rest data. In transit data is moving data, be it in transit via email, in apps, or through browsers and other web connections. At rest data is stored in databases, the cloud, computer hard drives, or mobile devices. In transit data can be protected through the implementation of robust network security controls and firewalls. At rest data can be protected through systematically categorizing and classifying data with data protection measures in mind.

Tip #4: Secret Vs. Public Key Algorithms

Secret Key Algorithms are algorithms that use the same key for encryption and decryption. Public-key algorithms us two different encryption keys, one for encryption and the other for decryption. The public key is how the data is sent and the private key decodes it. Public-key algorithms are more secure, but require more computer processing power.

Tip #5: Blockchain Cryptography

We’ve covered the Blockchain in our past article on The Revolutionary Mechanics of the Blockchain. Blockchain cryptography has been on the rise because blockchain databases are distributed and thus more resilient in the face of a DOS attack.

Tip #6: Apps that Clean Up after Themselves

Apps that collect sensitive information don’t necessarily need to store it. It is wise to delete sensitive data from mobile apps when the data is no longer in active use.

Tip #7 Choose the Right Algorithm

There are several popular pre-existing algorithms in existence that can be used to encrypt sensitive data in mobile apps. Check out UpWork’s awesome rundown:

Over the last 10 years, enterprise-wide use of encryption has jumped by 22 percent according to the Ponemon Institute. When building a mobile app, investing in encrypting sensitive data will pay off in the long run and haunt those that short-change it.

Integration with Siri and iMessage: Everything Your App Can Do

April 5, 2018iOS DevelopmentAlexa, App, Apple, Application, Design, Development, Features, iMessage, iMessage Apps, Integration, IOS, iPhone, Messaging, Third-Party, Voice Assistantadmin

The upgrade from iOS 9 to iOS 10 was the biggest upgrade iOS has received in its 11 year history. As we covered in our blog How iOS 10′s Open Functionality Can Take Your App to the Next Level, the biggest upgrade to the operating system was the opening up of Siri and iMessage for third-party extensions.

The ability to integrate applications with iMessage and Siri creates a host of new functional possibilities for software developers. Here’s our rundown of the top ways to improve apps through Siri and iMessage integration:

SIRI INTEGRATION

As Alexa has proved, the voice assistant is burgeoning billion dollar business. With Google and Amazon leading the pack, Apple has taken many steps to improve Siri, including opening Siri up to third party integration.

However, Apple is prioritizing quality over quantity when it comes to Siri integrations. Limiting the types of apps that can integrate with Siri enables Apple to build out robust integrations that take into account complex verbal applications. With robust integrations, Siri will be able to fulfill actions without forcing the user to alter the colloquial, natural construction of their spoken sentences. In other words: the integration is comprehensive, but it will only work with the following types of apps:

VoIP (Voice over IP) Calling
Messaging
Payments
Lists and Notes
Visual Codes
Photos
Workouts
Ride Booking
Car Commands
CarPlay
Restaurant Reservations

Siri integrations use “intents”. Apps that fit into the aforementioned categories describe a set of intents, or things the app can do, and Siri categorizes spoken orders by the user into intents to determine the next logical action.

Siri can pull up photos from applications like Vogue Runway through voice command. It can send money to friends through Square Cash and Monzo, and can send messages through WhatsApp and LinkedIn. Siri’s vocabulary can process complex requests like “Hey Siri, show me my best photos of idyllic sunsets taken last summer using The Roll.”

iOS 11 opened up a host of new intents. Siri can now lock smartcars and manage notes and to-do lists in productivity apps, as well as complete on-the-spot language translations.

With Siri integration, app developers can make use of one of the most extensive digital vocabularies on the planet to make life easier for users.

IMESSAGE APPS

iOS 10 not only opened iMessage up to developers, it also spawned iMessage apps: apps designed exclusively for the iMessage platform.

iMessage integration allows make it easy to pull up documents, links, and information right from iMessage and send it on the fly. Productivity apps like Evernote can integrate to allow for updates to be both sent and updated through iMessage. Travel apps like AirBNB make it easy to discuss potential travel plans. Games like Words with Friends and GamePidgeon make it easy to simultaneously play games and text. The Starbucks iMessage app allows users to send digital gift cards using Apple Pay. Dropbox and OneDrive make files stored in the cloud easily accessible and shareable.

Unlike Siri, there is no limitation on what types of apps can integrate with iMessage. Due to limited functionality, enthusiasm for developing apps exclusively for the iMessage platform is fading according to Mac Rumors, but integrating with iMessage can greatly enhance the UI of existing apps.

Litecoin: The Everyday Cryptocurrency

March 20, 2018CryptocurrenciesBitcoin Cash, Blockchain, Coin, Cryptocurrency, Invest, Investment, Litecoin, Paymentadmin

In our last piece, the Mystic Media Blog covered the up and coming cryptocurrency Ripple. This week, we’ll examine another major cryptocurrency player: Litecoin.

Litecoin is a swifter, more nimble adaptation of Bitcoin utilizing the Bitcoin Core protocol. As Litecoin founder Charlie Lee puts it: Litecoin is designed to be the silver to Bitcoin’s gold.

Charlie Lee graphically denotes the relationship between Bitcoin and Litecoin on his Twitter profile using an image of Vegeta wearing the Litecoin insignia, and Goku wearing Bitcoin’s insignia.

Litecoin was created in October 2011 by Charlie Lee, a former Google engineer. When creating Litecoin, Charlie Lee aimed to mimic the Bitcoin protocol while decreasing the block generation time and the maximum number of coins. In doing so, he reduced transaction times and fees. Litecoin processes transactions in only 2.5 minutes while Bitcoin takes about 10 minutes. Additionally, Litecoins are capped at 84 million, quadruple the cap of coins for Bitcoin. As of February 2018, the transaction fee for Litecoin averaged $0.30 while Bitcoin averaged $8.50.

The quicker transaction times, smaller fees, and larger number of coins make Litecoin a faster, more nimble cryptocurrency with more practical usages than Bitcoin. Charlie Lee has stated that his goal was to compliment, rather than compete with Bitcoin.

“The vision has always been that I wanted Litecoin to complement Bitcoin—not compete. Bitcoin can be used for moving millions of dollars between banks, buying houses, buying cars. It’s really secure… Litecoin can be used for cheaper things.” – Charlie Lee

Since Litecoin is modeled off of Bitcoin Core, it will benefit from improvements to the Bitcoin system while serving a complimentary purpose. While Litecoin is not a direct Bitcoin competitor, it does have competitors within the cryptocurrency sphere. Bitcoin Cash essentially offers the same proposition: A cryptocurrency based off of the Bitcoin system, but designed to be mobile for purchasing goods rather than simply functioning as a store of value. Charlie Lee himself has acknowledged the competition between Bitcoin Cash and Litecoin.

Many would say the main advantage that Bitcoin Cash has over Litecoin is not in its technology, but in its marketing. Bitcoin Cash has the Bitcoin name and its founder Roger Ver is the CEO of bitcoin.com, making him one of the most influential personalities in the cryptocurrency sphere.

If Litecoin can beat out Bitcoin Cash to become the ultimate compliment to Bitcoin, then it will be a cryptocurrency to watch. Litecoin has a tradition of adopting advanced technology like Segregation Witness and Lightning Networks early, which will certainly be to its advantage as it vies for consumer usage in the coming years. Whether or not it will beat out Bitcoin Cash in the long run remains to be seen, but there is no question Litecoin will be one of the top cryptocurrencies to watch.

Everything You Need to Know About XRP and the Ripple Payment Network

March 19, 2018CryptocurrenciesCross-Border, Cryptocurrency, Ethereum, International, Internet, Investing, Litecoin, Network, Payment, Processing, Ripple, Trends, XRPadmin

While many cryptocurrencies aim to decentralize the banking system, one currency stands alone in their attempts to collaborate with banks: Ripple.

In our past two articles, we’ve spotlighted the top 10 cryptocurrencies to look out for in 2018 and the top trends to know about to invest wisely in cryptocurrency in 2018. Both articles had one common topic: Ripple.

While Bitcoin was created to decentralize the financial industry, Ripple is the only digital asset actively working with banks to improve rather than undermine their operations. Ripple boasts the ability to process on average over 1,500 transactions per second, making it the fastest cryptocurrency on the market. Ripple has teamed up with Western Union, Santander, American Express, and more to test the fastest cross-border transaction network available.

The process of making cross-border payments is unnecessarily tedious. In the internet era, the only reason why a currency transfer should take a week to process is because of outdated procedures. Ripple attempts to create the currency exchange for the digital age. While traditional international transfers require two banks, two reserve banks, two correspondents, and up to a week to process, Ripple offers a transfer method that reduces the time and costs of traditional methods while also offering less failure points and higher security.

Check out Team KoinOK’s Medium post for a smooth summary of how Ripple changes the traditional transfer process.

The other major difference between Ripple and Bitcoin lies in their ledgers. While Bitcoin has a completely decentralized ledger enabled by proof-of-work, Ripple is owned by a private company. Ripple’s internal ledger does not use proof-of-work, but rather a consensus protocol with an amendment system that enacts all amendments that receive 80% support from developers over the course of two weeks. Ripple’s ledger is internal and therefore centralized.

Ripple consists of two components: the digital currency (XRP) and an open payment network that facilitates the transactions. Ripple markets the payment network toward banks as a way of enacting real-time settlements. Ripple is designed as a currency-agnostic transaction system. In order to avoid a currency exchange, currencies are converted into XRP and then sent to the recipient. Unlike Litecoin, XRP are not intended in the long run to be used by consumers to purchase products, but instead to be a middle-man currency that enables instant transactions. XRP and the Ripple network are designed to create a currency-agnostic value web designed to do for currency transfer what email did for messaging.

Rather than take our word for it, check out this awesome summary by Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse:

WHAT IS THE CONNECTION BETWEEN THE VALUE OF XRP AND THE PAYMENT NETWORK?

The acute investor must ask: if the Ripple payment network is Ripple’s main innovation, then what is the value of XRP? The long-term value of a cryptocurrency will be dictated by the problem that it is solving. If Ethereum becomes the platform for executing smart-contracts for a massive corporation like Amazon, then that ensure it’s existence in the long run, improving its function as a store of value. If Ripple becomes the main transfer network for banks, its existence in the long term will be ensured and the function as a store of value will be greatly enhanced.

BOTTOM LINE

The transparency of the team behind the Ripple network and their vision of the platform instills great confidence in its ability to maintain value as a currency. If Ripple can achieve its goal of creating an internet of value where banks can exchange currency as easily as information, then it will definitely have the staying power to outlast the alt-coins and attain significant value over the coming years.

Top Cryptocurrency Trends You Need to Know to Invest Wisely in 2018

February 26, 2018CryptocurrenciesBitcoin Cash, Blockchain, Coinbase, Cryptocurrency, Ethereum, Fees, Investment, Litecoin, Network, Regulation, Ripple, Segregation Witness, Transaction Fees, Trendsadmin

In December 2017, Bitcoin reached just over $19,000 per coin, its highest all time value. After a brief, precipitous decline to $7,000, the world’s most popular cryptocurrency is now making its way up around $10,400 as of February 26th, 2018.

If last year was any indication, 2018 will prove to be a major year in the further development and stabilization of cryptocurrencies. Here are the top trends to look out for in 2018:

THE TRANSACTION PROBLEM

Slow transaction times and high transaction fees plagued Bitcoin in 2017. According to CoinMetrics, fees started 2017 averaging $0.30 per transaction and eventually peaked at over $40 in December. Bitcoin will implement several potential enhancements to its system designed to lower transaction fees in 2018.

SEGREGATED WITNESS PROTOCOL

The Segregated Witness protocol was first activated in August 2017. It is an upgrade to the Bitcoin protocol replacing Bitcoin’s block size and weight limit to allow for increased transactions and lower transaction fees. While adoption has been off to a slow start, 2018 should see many more wallets and marketplaces adopting the SegWit protocol, including Coinbase, who recently announced they have finished testing SegWit and begun implementing it for customers.

LIGHTNING NETWORK

First proposed by Joseph Poon and Thaddeos Dryja in January 2016, the lightning network is an overlay network which could enable long-term scalability and near-free transactions for Bitcoin. After two years of development by ACINQ, Blockstream and Lightning Labs, the Lightning Network should find more adoption in 2018.

RIPPLE ON THE RISE

Among our top Cryptocurrencies to watch out for in 2018, we featured Ripple. Ripple has gained traction and value fast in 2018. Recently, Western Union revealed they have been testing the Ripple blockchain for cross-border payments. Ripple currently offers two main payment products for banks: xCurrent and xRapid. Over 100 banking clients are testing xCurrent, which does not use the Ripple coin. Western Union’s announcement makes them the fifth customer to test xRapid.

Ripple has always catered to banks. Ripple’s consensus protocol makes it more scalable than other major cryptocurrencies. While Bitcoin can process seven transactions per second, Ripple can process up to 1500 transactions in the same second. Ripple’s network is designed to trade any asset with any other asset. If Ripple can entrench itself as a payment processor for banks, its value may shoot way up in 2018.

REGULATION, REGULATION, REGULATION

Anybody with significant money invested into cryptocurrencies knows that perhaps the biggest threat facing cryptocurrency is government regulation. While the US has not instituted regulations, South Korea recently created a ban on anonymous accounts. Governments all over the world are still in the process of developing regulatory measures. These regulatory decisions can make or break the future of cryptocurrencies.

Check out Bitcoin Magazine’s comprehensive rundown on how countries are regulating cryptocurrency across the globe.

WATCH FOR ALT-COINS

With cryptocurrency fervor at an all-time high, 2018 will no doubt see many new players enter the cryptocurrency game as well as current players making big moves. With over 1,300 alt-coins on the market right now, understanding how to properly research a coin is key. Below, check out our brief guide for evaluating a new cryptocurrency:

THE TEAM: While Satoshi Nakamoto may have chosen to remain anonymous, many other cryptocurrencies are prioritizing transparency. By examining the team behind a cryptocurrency, investors can determine how serious a cryptocurrency really is. For example, having Steven Seagal as a brand ambassador does not contribute any value to a cryptocurrency whatsoever. On the other hand, knowing that Litecoin’s creator Charlie Lee is an engineer at Coinbase only further validates our belief in Litecoin’s capacity for growth.
THE “WHY?”: What is it about a specific cryptocurrency that will ensure it will retain its value and significance in the long run? Bitcoin is the original and most popular cryptocurrency. Ethereum automates smart-contracts. Litecoin and Bitcoin Cash are designed for commerce. Ripple is attempting to establish itself with banks as a lightning quick transaction network. Many coins don’t offer any real long-term value. It’s vital to understand the key benefit of a coin in making the decision to invest.
THE “WHEN”: How far along is the cryptocurrency in the development process? Is there an ICO? Are new features being released? Coins come and go, so it’s best to invest in coins with solid long term plans.

CONCLUSION

After a landmark 2017, all eyes are on cryptocurrencies in 2018 to see if they can sustain their growth or if it will prove to be a bubble soon to burst. It is an exciting time to be a wise investor!