By It wasn’t long ago that Pressy created something we all thought we needed. Here it was, a tiny button that fit itself into your 3.5mm headphone jack, and can be configured to do anything you need with certain button presses. Each action is user configurable to do nearly anything you could want on your phone, and promised Tasker integration took it to another level. Where has this been all our lives?
And then came Xiaomi, who has come up with a “Pressy” of their own. The device is tentatively named (they’re toying around with names like MiKey or MiButton), but this thing is almost identical to Pressy’s design, save for the “holster” the button fits in. It can be configured to perform 10 different actions, which are activated using Morse Code-like short and long clicks. Says ex-Googler-turned-Xiamoi-exec Hugo Barra:
You can plug it into your Xiaomi phone headset jack and turn it into a clickable button to take quick pictures, turn on the flashlight, record phone calls and so on, all without unlocking your phone.
The kicker? This thing will eventually cost less than $1 once it makes its way to retail, a far cry from the $27 Pressy will cost. It’s even more alarming to know that those who’ve backed Pressy on Kickstarter haven’t even received their unit yet, as project creator Nimrod Back has had the displeasure of announcing delays to their original March 2014 ship date.
There might still be some appeal to Pressy, though. For starters, there’s no telling whether this gadget will be compatible with anything but Xiaomi devices. Pressy also seems to be more open, with the developer working to add more functionality based on community requests and suggestions.
Pressy’s Tasker integration alone means it has potential to be infinitely more useful. Whether that level of integration is worth $26 more is up to you, but those are your options for these types of products right now. That, or you could save yourself money and use the QuickClick app to do everything you need with the use of your phone’s volume buttons.
[via Xiaomi, TechInAsia]
Well, I believe the $27 price tag may be a bit much to achieve functions you can otherwise do by unlocking your device. I do recognize its advantages, just not the justification for its price. Maybe after it’s released the price will go down. Let’s see what other devs can do with it also.
The guys name is Nimrod…*snickers*
Actually Nimrod is a common Israeli name
Sweet. I hope this is for “most” android phones. Was going to back on KS, but just didn’t find it appealing enough. Pressy’s price tag is a bit steep for such a tiny, easy to lose device.
As a Kickstarter backer still waiting for Pressy to be delivered I do find this slightly irritating
+1,however, my displeasure is aimed @ PRESSY,not w/XIAOMI.
agreed.
I’m not dreadfully happy with either at the moment. Hopefully Pressy should deliver soon though. Nimrod said yesterday that they should get their first batch of the final Pressy version very soon and assuming no faults they will then be able to go into full production and have them with people within a couple of weeks.
lol
This kinda does suck for Pressy and I don’t know why they didn’t patent it or trademark the design.
$27 was always too much. I could DIY something looking nearly identical from ripping apart a headset from the Dollar Store.
You answered you own question. If you can easily make a DIY equivalent, there’s nothing patentable. And trademark is for branding, not design.
Ouch!
Keep in mind that not only is Pressy developing the hardware piece, they are also developing a deep app that will provide systemwide functionality for their product based on contextual use. So.. it’s really not the exact same thing.
I would have to imagine a lot of the KS funding went toward the app’s development, which hopefully you are not able to obtain without having a registered Pressy device.
All this may be true,however,if the PRESSY team had stuck to the original plan,instead of having “Stretch Goals”,the product would have been released by now.
Many such as myself,who backed this from Day One,find little to no satisfaction from PRESSY,or KICKSTARTER,who took a nice big wet chunk of the original investment & now have no skin in the game to address backers concerns.
NEVER AGAIN KICKSTARTER,& get off your a** already PRESSY & release the product.Further development can come later as you grow sales.
I don’t really need an extra hardware button, so if I were to get something like this it’d mostly be to protect the headphone jack from dust and the like. The ability to have it serve extra functions would be an added bonus. That’s why I didn’t back Pressy, and if I were to purchase such an item, it would likely be Xiaomi’s offering as the price is more in line with what the product is.
So where can I buy this?