Ha!  So much for that.  I was waiting to be notified that it shipped, but it arrived in my mailbox today.  NICE!

My first impression was...  very good.  Krux seems simple with some powerful features, such as a very clean interface with SeedQR and easy access to testnet.

Then, I loaded the latest binaries for Krux, and...  wow.  Krux is awesome.

I've only started to play with it, but I'm blown away.  In some ways, Krux on an Amigo is the hardware wallet of my dreams.  It has a decently large touchscreen (the Amigo screen is the same size as the screen on an original iPhone).  It's air gapped.  It has SeedQR input, and it forgets the seed the moment the device is shut down.  YES!  It appears to have QR input for passphrases.  YES!!!

Passphrase input by camera is a very big deal that deserves praise.  Honestly, this feature should be in every hardware wallet with a camera.

TANGENT ALERT:  Somebody convinced hardware wallet manufacturers that the BIP39 passphrase is a dangerous feature, so they mostly hide it to discourage its use.  What they should be doing is simplifying the setup and educating users.  A strong passphrase is an incredible form of security that is unique to the user.  More people should be using passphrases.  I have three: One is for personal use.  One is for work.  And one is for testing (which rarely gets used).  One seed.  Three passphrases.  Perfect.  I've had this setup for a few years.

Like I said, I just got my Amigo, so I haven't had much time to play with it yet, but Krux on an Amigo looks like it might be an amazing setup.

I'm so impressed with Krux!

SO IMPRESSED!

You're right.  The more I think about it, the more obvious it is that using Android hardware for Krux would require a lot of work in order to make it secure.  I was just thinking out loud, since there are so many old phones just waiting to be repurposed rather than thrown out.  Hell, I still own an iPhone 4 that I used to use as a bedside clock.  But, yeah, it'd be a huge undertaking to make those kinds of devices truly secure for a hardware signer, whereas something like an Amigo works out of the box.

It took me less than 5 minutes to get Krux up and running on an Amigo, and I could do it again in less than 2 now that I know how.


I don't have any yet, but I found this on Twitter.  That's Krux running on an Amigo.  Note that the text in that pic is orange.  That's one of the theme options for Krux.  I prefer white, and there's also an option for black text on a white background.

Really, the Amigo seems like a perfect device for this.  It's a chunky device, but it has a nice sized touchscreen and you'd only need it to sign transactions.  Well, that and setup stuff, like creating a SeedQR.

Again, I have no experience with this thing yet, other than playing with it for an hour or so...  so I'm trying to keep my enthusiasm in check in case there's some fatal flaw I haven't discovered yet...  but I am truly blown away by this setup.

It's so simple.

I wish these guys had more support though.  Krux has so much potential, so I wish more people were working on it.  For example, I wish each page had an "i" icon to click for more info.  A touchscreen is perfect for that, especially since there are some options in the tools and settings that could be intimidating for new users, such as "Delete Mnemonic" ("Wait, didn't it get wiped out when I shut down the device?"), and at the bottom of each page's info I'd love a "Reset setting to default" option for that setting.

I'm just getting started with testing Krux, but I can't overstate how enthusiastic I am about it.  I've been wanting to get a SeedSigner for a while, but for my needs, this might be much better thanks to the larger screen and how they implemented the passphrase feature.

Really heart warming to see your appreciation of our work on Krux!
About the app, it's very easy to install, just download the and install .apk file (and work around Android complains about not being known source)
Here's the link: https://github.com/odudex/krux_binaries/tree/main/Android
As the app intro screen says, it is intended for learning purposes.

Krux uses standard AES encryption methods, a brief explanation of encrypted QR codes can be found here:
https://github.com/odudex/krux/blob/develop_rc/docs/encrypted-qr-codes.en.md
The encryption for flash and SD card uses the same methods, but the data is available in json text format, so is even easier to know what to do to decrypt.
I have plans to do a simple python script to encrypt/decrypt krux mnemonics from json files and QR codes without the device(it would be very simple and straight forward). The Android app is also a good emergency item to have, specially for encrypted mnemonic QR codes, as they are interoperable between all devices.
It's a new and unique feature, and produces one more key to manage, so must be used with care.

Krux is currently going through a change right now, I'm updating the official repository(selfcustody) with all the features you see in beta, from my repository(odudex), and a new official release is about to be done. But if you're going to do a review please consult the updated documentation from here for now:
https://odudex.github.io/krux/getting-started/

Soon everything will be available on official repository:
https://selfcustody.github.io/krux/getting-started/

The feeling you described about Krux is the same I felt ever since I knew it. The hardware is very well suited for the application, the project architecture and structure were very well thought by Krux's creator, Jeff, and it has a lot of potential to improve.

THAT is a fantastic idea!  It would give confidence for using encrypted QRs.



When I said I'm writing a review, I meant that I wrote a long review for this thread, but I'll polish it up and share it on reddit too.  I have around 15 pictures of various screens to show how intuitive the menus are, and I explained some things along the way.  Krux is incredibly easy to use, especially on a Maix Amigo.

One of the things I'm particularly impressed with is the ability to use QR code input for almost everything.  SeedQR.  Passphrase QR.  If the SeedQR is encrypted, you can type the key or enter it via QR.  Brilliant.

The way Krux was designed is practically oozing with common sense - and I say that because most hardware wallets lack common sense when it comes to input.  The idea that anyone is going to enter a 7+ word passphrase on a tiny device using up/down/select buttons...  one letter at a time, every time they use the device...  any developer who thinks that's a good idea is just plain foolish.  Many hardware wallets even hide the passphrase feature, which discourage users from using a passphrase.  Or, if they DO use one, they use a weak one which can be easily brute forced.

Krux, on the other hand, makes entering a strong passphrase quick and easy.  And rather than hiding the passphrase feature, Krux presents the option as soon as a seed is loaded.  Simple.  Common sense.  Easy.

I feel like I'm some kind of fanboy now, but I've been using hardware wallets for years and they've mostly left me frustrated.  Even if I could comfortably use them, I had trouble recommending them.  But Krux is so well designed that I want more people to try it.

I just realized there's an option in "Tools" to create a hand-made QR code from any text.  Holy moly, what a brilliant idea, which brings me back to my comment about how so much of Krux is designed with common sense.  Everything has an option for QR input, so it just makes sense that you give the option to make QR codes for anything.  Well done!


A few quick thoughts:

1: There's no way to get back to the Settings and Tools options after loading a mnemonic.  I learned that the hard way by lowering the touchscreen responsiveness down to 10.  At 10, my Amigo went nuts with phantom clicks.  I had to reboot to get back to the settings.  That being said...  loading a mnemonic on this thing takes less than 5 seconds, so rebooting is no biggie.  Did I mention how fast and intuitive Krux is?

2: It would be helpful to make it clear what is saved on the device and what isn't.  I know, for example, that a mnemonic isn't saved on flash on the device after a reboot or shutdown, but while testing I named my mnemonic "test" and I was rattled after restarting the device to see "Print Test QR" in Tools.  "Wait.  I thought that wasn't saved after shutdown."  Then I scanned it and realized...  "Oh, it's just an obvious coincidence."

3: It would be helpful to add a "Reset" option for some settings, such as Encryption.  Those options could be scary for some folks.  It'd be good to have a way to reset them if they get changed by somebody who is testing or...  whatever...  y'know?

Keep up the good work, because this project is fantastic!



Yeah, the Maix Amigo in particular is a perfect device for this.  With a 3.5 inch touchscreen, text is very easy to see and everything is easy to interact with.

I think if more people discover this project, they'll be shocked by how easy and intuitive it is.

1: We would have to remove or change some settings (as Testnet) to offer them after a mnemonic is loaded. But yes, just press the reset button and you'll be on "Login" menu with settings after 6 seconds.

2: You do can save encrypted mnemonics on the device as well as SD card, this is optional, and you will find mnemonics you saved even after reboot on "Load Mnemonic->From Storage", and you can access them by typing or scanning the encryption key. You don't need to encrypt/save your mnemonics to use them for sign, you can just load them from external sources and it will be vanished after reboot. Your can delete saved mnemonics on "Tools->Delete Mnemonic". This feature is meant for convenience, and doesn't replace a physical backup.

3: We definitely need a "reset", I think we will first add a "Wipe Device" feature, it will remove all custom settings and saved mnemonics at once.


IPS x TFT
Some Amigos ship with different displays, which use mirrored X coordinates. Most Amigos have TFT, but if you flash it and notice things are in mirrored places (ex on keypad letter "a" is on the right and letters increase towards left) then you have a IPS screen and should re-flash your amigo with IPS version.

Mac version
We have a lot of issues when flashing from Mac devices, so we offered two options for mac users, one built over OS version 10 other for version 11. Fortunately you didn't seem to have issues.

Hi. We have a website where comparing more than 40 different hardware wallets, feature by feature. Today We added Krux to the website.
Any feedback or correction is welcomed.

https://thebitcoinhole.com/

M5StickV is also cool for people who like minimalist stuff, it works perfectly with Krux and I think they are also sending free sd card in package.

Imgur worked fine for years until they change something recently, but don't worry because we have something better now and it's called Talkimg,
this is bitcointalk forum dedicated service for uploding images:
https://www.talkimg.com/

Uhm...  apparently I messed up the image formatting?  I used BB code.  Why is it showing links instead of the images?

Thank you Meuserna! Really cool this walk through guide! Loved the photos (without reflections)! This kind of content is really helpful for the project and for people who still don't know Krux and how it can be useful for them!
Thank you JayJuanGee for make it possible the pictures to show up among text!

Keep is simple is one of our main goals.
The 3 QR codes method you described makes a cheap, quick and easy to use equivalent to a 3:3 multisig.
Sorry about saying the obvious, but is always good to remind, as any x:x multisig if you loose one of the secrets you'll be doomed, please back up them carefully.
Each individual will have his ideal setup, but what freight me the most is to lose the key, so it's a good idea to have redundancies of these secrets.