Flipper has taken a short break from launching wireless hacking tools by introducing the BUSY Bar open-source productivity multitool designed to help people eliminate distractions and be more focused at work.
The device features a customizable LED pixel display and a small monochrome OLED back display, synchronizes with work apps, mutes notifications, and supports the Matter protocol for integration with Home Assistant, Apple Home, Google Home, or other Matter-compatible platforms.
BUSY Bar specifications:
- Microcontroller – STMicroelectronics STM32U5
- CPU – Arm Cortex-M33 @ 160 MHz
- Memory – 2.5 MB SRAM
- Storage – 2 MB Flash
- Storage – 8 GB eMMC flash
- Main Display – 6.35-inch RGB LED matrix with 72×16 resolution, 60 Hz refresh rate, 800 nits, adaptive brightness
- Back Display – 1.54-in monochrome (16 gray scales) OLED with 160×80 resolution, adaptive brightness
- Audio – 0.8W speaker for sound alerts and notifications
- Wireless Connectivity via Silicon Labs SiWG917
- CPU – Arm Cortex-M4 @ 180 MHz
- Memory – 672 KB SRAM
- Storage – 8 MB Flash,
- Wireless
- 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi 6 (IEEE 802.11ax) with WPA3 authentication support
- Bluetooth Low Energy 5.4
- USB – 1x USB Type-C port for power and data
- Virtual LAN adapter
- HTTP API over USB Virtual LAN
- Misc
- 5-position mode selector
- Start/Pause button with Kailh Choc Switch V2
- Scroll wheel with push button
- Back button
- 2x RGB status lights
- Light Sensor for adaptive brightness control for the displays
- Built-in monitor mount
- Power Supply
- 5V charging via USB-C port
- 3,250 mAh 18650 Li-ion battery good for 2 weeks in standby, eight hours of active status
- Dimensions – 168.6 x 55.2 x 40.8mm
- Weight – 250 grams
To get started, you’ll need to download and install the BUSY Bar mobile for Android or iOS to pair the device over Bluetooth and configure WiFi. Alternatively, you can use the Desktop app for macOS or access the web interface via the USB virtual LAN connector. The download page also points to Python and TypeScript libraries for more advanced users and developers.
You can customize the (work/rest) Timer, Theme, and Smart Home modes from the app or web interface, or directly with the buttons on the unit. The BUSY mode enables muting notifications on your phone, and desktop notifications will soon be supported. Other features include a clock, auto ON CALL status, Google Calendar integration, the Draw tool to customize the display, and more. Check out the documentation for more details.
Flipper will sell the BUSY Bar for $179 to people joining the waiting list, and users who order after launch on July 14 may have to pay $249 instead. While the company has already sent samples to reviewers, reviews won’t be published before July 14.
Jean-Luc started CNX Software in 2010 as a part-time endeavor, before quitting his job as a software engineering manager, and starting to write daily news, and reviews full time later in 2011.
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Looks fun but isn’t it just a new solution looking for a problem ?
Indeed and how would people eliminate the distraction of the device and functionality itself?
It has gimmick written all over it.
Restricting reviews to an ‘allowed date’ is also very dodgy.
It really isn’t dodgy at all. Most companies do it, they just call it a review embargo. Why do you think reviews for the new products all tend to drop at the exact same time? That is when the embargo ends. It lets companies get review samples out ahead of time and give reviewers time to actually review it and for the company to sort problems before they are allowed to post a review. It helps prevent information being released before the company wants it whilst giving reviewers time and reducing the time pressure to make a review which can lead to it being rushed or missing information.
An example would be desktop PC components, they give them to reviewers ahead of time for them to benchmark them, test overclocking, stability, cooling, things like that properly rather than rushing to get the review out as quickly as you can to beat other reviewers and get more views.
Looks like the Ulanzi TC001, except that one is $50.
This one has way more pixels. I would replace my Ulanzi, but I can’t justify the price (and the buttons I wouldn’t use).