DuckDuckGo is a searching engine from a company based in Pennsylvania, US, that was launched in September 2008. Sometimes DuckDuckGo is also described as an alternative to Google Search because it has a no-tracking privacy policy.
Now users who choose a DuckDuckGo as a default searching engine will have easier service to check the balance of their Bitcoin wallet simply by entering the public key in the address bar.
News of DuckDuckGo’s embrace of digital currency spread fast within the Bitcoin community with many considering it as a good step forward.
Nevertheless, Microsoft’s internet searching engine, Bing, has released a Bitcoin friendly tool that displays Bitcoin conversions rates into fiat currencies. Starting February 2014, users can find instant Bitcoin conversions at the top of their Bing results webpage. Just type in the text “BTC to USD” or “BTC/USD” (or any other currency combination) in the address search bar to view the latest rates.
Meanwhile, internet search giants like Yahoo and Google have also warmed to Bitcoin and have made life easier for cryptocurrency users. In order to track cryptocurrency price rates, Yahoo Finance added digital currency historical charts.
A similar tool is also available on Google Finance.
Both Yahoo and Google Finance allow users to see Bitcoin charts and rates to other major currencies like EUR, GBP, JPY, CAD and others. However, viewing the conversion rates of a particular fiat currency and Bitcoin is slightly easier at Google Finance – you may choose the pair you want simply by clicking on it, while on Yahoo Financial you will have to type each one in the search bar.
The main advantage of such search engine tools is to give users the ability to calculate a desired BTC amount right on the spot without having to open up new tabs and log into other online services. Currently, each internet search engine has its own pros and cons with much room for development.
Undoubtedly, as Bitcoin keeps pushing into the mainstream, related services and infrastructure will try and keep pace. However, the biggest thing to take away from this is that the movers and shakers of the Internet are finally not only starting to acknowledge the existence of Bitcoin but are demonstrating that they can quickly adapt to a world with cryptocurrencies, if necessary.