Flipper Devices Begins Selling $249 Busy Bar Hardware Timer

Flipper Devices began selling the Busy Bar on Monday for $249. The hardware clock features an LED screen that functions as both a time display and a dedicated timer. Pressing a central button shows a bright red “BUSY” sign or another selected message.

Wired reported that the device integrates with a separate Busy mobile app for productivity features yet can operate completely offline. It includes a physical mode switch, a time-setting dial, and a large top button to start or pause sessions. The bar supports Pomodoro-style work and break intervals and is Matter-certified to interface with smart-home devices such as speakers and color-changing lights.

The Busy Bar can connect to a phone via cable for app control or operate through Wi-Fi for remote mounting on a door or wall. When a microphone activates during a Zoom call or podcast, the device can automatically display a busy status. A front-facing LED screen shows the message while a rear monochrome screen displays remaining time.

Callum Tennent, a creative writer at Flipper, said the product has no connection to the company’s earlier devices. “It's being made by us here at Flipper, but there's no real connection to them,” Tennent stated. He added that some online observers have called the bar over-engineered.

Flipper Devices previously produced the Flipper Zero, a $200 portable device released in 2022 that detects wireless frequencies and can interact with RFID locks. Canada proposed a ban on the Flipper Zero over car-theft concerns, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection seized 15,000 units in 2023 before releasing them.

The company is now developing the Flipper One with more advanced capabilities. Founder Pavel Zhovner conceived the Busy Bar to indicate when he was occupied in the office. Aleksandr Semin, Flipper’s marketing specialist, said the company anticipated attempts to hack the device.