Technology
Flipper Busy Bar Review: An Expensive Focus Tool
Key Points
The Busy Bar is a focus tool that blares a bright red BUSY sign. Stick it on your desk, mount it on your monitor, or put it outside your office—the device works as both a productivity timer and an indication that you are not to be interrupted. It's made by Flipper Devices, the company known for the Flipper Zero—a handheld hacking tool that uses a Tamagotchi-esque Dolphin to monitor and manipulate certain radio-frequency identification (RFID) frequencies.
The Busy Bar is a focus tool that blares a bright red BUSY sign. Stick it on your desk, mount it on your monitor, or put it outside your office—the device works as both a productivity timer and an indication that you are not to be interrupted. It costs $250.
It's made by Flipper Devices, the company known for the Flipper Zero—a handheld hacking tool that uses a Tamagotchi-esque Dolphin to monitor and manipulate certain radio-frequency identification (RFID) frequencies. It freaked some governments out enough that they temporarily banned the product. But the Busy Bar is a much quieter device, meant to sit on your desk or hang on your monitor to let people know you’re in the zone and not to be disturbed. It was announced in 2025, and sales kicked off in June. Flipper recently released the open source firmware on GitHub.
The device is small, roughly the size of a sunglasses case. The default screen reads BUSY, but you can swap between themes that change the message on the screen, like “KEEP OUT,” “OUT TO LUNCH,” or “LOW SOCIAL BATTERY.” The bar also works as a digital clock, and for now that’s the only other app on it.