Flipper Launches $249 Busy Bar Focus Clock as It Pushes Beyond $200 Hacking Gadgets
Updated
Updated · WIRED · Jun 29
Flipper Launches $249 Busy Bar Focus Clock as It Pushes Beyond $200 Hacking Gadgets
2 articles · Updated · WIRED · Jun 29
Summary
$249 Busy Bar went on sale Monday as Flipper’s new hardware productivity device, using a large LED display and one-touch controls to show “BUSY” and run focus timers.
Manual buttons, offline operation and optional phone control are central to Flipper’s pitch that a dedicated device works better than software tools users can easily bypass on their phones.
Matter certification lets the bar trigger smart-home actions such as lights or speakers, and it can automatically signal unavailability when a microphone is active during calls or recordings.
Flipper, known for the $200 Flipper Zero hacking tool that drew security scrutiny and a 2023 US customs seizure of 15,000 units, says the Busy Bar cannot hack devices and is a separate product line.
The company is also stressing repairability and security: the open-source device can be disassembled, already has an iFixit guide, and was designed with tampering attempts in mind.