Flipper Device's new Busy Bar is a customizable display for productivity | TechCrunch

–:–:–:–

The first StrictlyVC of 2026 hits SF on April 30. Tickets are going fast. Register now.

Founder Summit ticket savings of up to $190 end June 26. Join 1,000+ founders and VCs for all-day bootcamp. REGISTER NOW.

Close

SearchSubmit

Site Search Toggle

Mega Menu Toggle

Topics

Latest

AI

Amazon

Apps

Biotech & Health

Climate

Cloud Computing

Commerce

Crypto

Enterprise

EVs

Fintech

Fundraising

Gadgets

Gaming

Google

Government & Policy

Hardware

Instagram

Layoffs

Media & Entertainment

Meta

Microsoft

Privacy

Robotics

Security

Social

Space

Startups

TikTok

Transportation

Venture

More from TechCrunch

Staff

Events

Startup Battlefield

StrictlyVC

Newsletters

Podcasts

Videos

Partner Content

TechCrunch Brand Studio

Crunchboard

Contact Us

Image Credits: Flipper Devices

Gadgets

Flipper Device’s new Busy Bar is a customizable display for productivity

Ivan Mehta

6:00 AM PDT · June 29, 2026

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.

Image Credits: Flipper Devices

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.

Image Credits: Flipper DevicesImage Credits: Flipper Devices

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 complexions. Users can also control the Busy Bar over the internet through its cloud API.

Users can join the waitlist on Busy Bar’s website, and 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.

Topics

Flipper Devices, Gadgets, Hardware, productivity, Work From Home

When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.

Ivan Mehta

Ivan covers global consumer tech developments at TechCrunch. He is based out of India and has previously worked at publications including Huffington Post and The Next Web.

You can contact or verify outreach from Ivan by emailing im@ivanmehta.com or via encrypted message at ivan.42 on Signal.

View Bio

November 4

Boston

Last chance to save up to $190 on TechCrunch Founder Summit. Join 1,000+ founders and VCs at all stages for real-world scaling insights and connections that move the needle.

Savings end June 26, 11:59 p.m. PT .

REGISTER NOW

Most Popular

Ford rehires ‘gray beard’ engineers after AI falls short

Anthony Ha

Govee’s smart nugget ice maker...