# <center><i class="fa fa-edit"></i> 4.1 How to Store and Use Bitcoins</center>
###### tags: `Blockchain`
The following notes are taken from [Coursera](https://www.coursera.org/learn/cryptocurrency/home/week/2)

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### Goals
- Availability: you can spend your coins
- Security: Nobody else can spend your coins
- Convenience

### Simple Local Storage
- Simplest Approach: store key un a file on phone or computer
- Convenient but is s available and secure as the device -> suboptimal
- *Wallet Software*:
- Keeps track of coins
- Nice user interface
- Separate address/key for each coin
- Benefits privacy
- Bookkeeping done by wallet

### Encoding Addresses
- Econde as text string: base58 notation
- Uppercase letters
- Lowercase letters
- Number 1-9
- Took out confusing ones like O and 0, I and l
- Use QR Code