London-based Flipper Devices is known for its Flipper Zero gadget, used by hackers and tinkerers to access different radios with Bluetooth, RFID, NFC, and a sub-1GHz transceiver. The company today took a different direction and launched a productivity-focused gadget called Busy Bar, which helps you set timers, block apps, and display custom messages and widgets on an LED display.
Flipper Devices announced the device last year, and now it is putting it on open sale next month. The Busy Bar looks like a table clock with many knobs and buttons. On the front, it has a 72×16 LED matrix display with up to 400 nits of brightness, support for 16 million colors, and a sensor to adjust brightness automatically.
On the back, there is a monochrome screen to display status, timer, battery, and connectivity indicators. This lets you look at information if the screen is facing the other side. What’s more, there is a small speaker on the side for playing custom sounds and notifications.
On top, there is a mode selector switch, a start/stop button, an indicator, and a scroll wheel to navigate menus and set the time. The device has Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and USB connection options.
The Busy Bar has a 3250 mAh battery, which can last up to eight hours of active status time and up to two weeks of standby time. The company said that with a 15W adapter, users can fully charge the device in an hour.
The idea behind the device is that you can set a message to indicate to others (and to yourself) when you are doing a task. This is helpful in a work-from-home setup where you might have other people in the house. You can also set Pomodoro-style timers for productivity blocks for you to concentrate on finishing tasks.
Flipper Devices is releasing apps for iOS, Android, and macOS, with support planned for a Windows app. Users can block select apps with different types of timers on iOS and Android. Plus, there is a mic integration with macOS, through which the device shows an “on call” status on the display and mutes notifications when you join meetings or start recording or streaming.
The Busy Bar is also Matter-certified, meaning that it can work with your existing smart home setup across Amazon, Apple, and Google-based smart home ecosystems. This means users can trigger smart home automations based on the bar’s status.
The company has made the device suitable for developers to customize with open firmware. They can use open HTTP API, MQTT, and official Python and TypeScript libraries to build widgets and components. Users can also control the Busy Bar over the internet through its cloud API.
The first 3,000 users will be able to purchase the device at $199. All other users will have to shell out $249 for the device. Shipping and sales will begin from July 14 to the U.S., EU, U.K., and Canada. The company also plans to release accessories, including wall mounts, screen protectors, and custom switches.
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