Flic: Cute as a Button
A Swedish start-up designs a handy wireless shortcut to your favorite actions on your phone
It seems that nothing can stop the Swedish startup juggernaut at the moment, as another piece of tech by Shortcut Labs gets its crowdfunding launch. Unlike many hardware offerings though, Flic is a simple premise at a winning price point. Essentially it’s a cute little button that can be set to shortcut to a smart function, forming a little point of connectivity to your own internet of things.
Maybe your iPhone’s power button has busted, so you set Flic up as its replacement. Maybe it becomes your quick access to your camera, or rings your mom. In the grander scheme of things, you can link it up to “flic” on the lights before you get into your apartment or turn them all off when you forget upon leaving in a hurry. You could give a few to an older relative who finds their phone just that little bit too overwhelming and just wants to call a handful of selected numbers in emergencies. The list is endless.
The developers at Shortcut Labs have kept things nice and simple with setting up a Flic—for starters, it works from the moment you remove it from its box. Then just choose the function you want and stick your button wherever you wish. It features a re-stickable adhesive too, so there’s no need to fret about its positioning. In terms of its hardware, the battery life is about five years, it’s durable and the tech itself is teased onto a PCB board the size of a quarter. Despite its size, Flic boasts a decent operational range, but we envision this as a close-quarters button, as that’s where it lends itself functionally.
Available in four different colors from the Stockholm-based design lab, Flic is funding now on Indiegogo.
Images courtesy of Flic
