You know what they say about imitation being the best form of flattery? Well, the folks at Pressy, the Almighty Android Button, must be feeling extremely flattered right now because Xiaomi has recently introduced a brand new product that looks almost exactly like Pressy. In fact, the product from Xiaomi is so new, that it doesn’t even have a name yet. Hugo Barra yesterday posted on his Google+ account showing off the little gadget and asking for suggestions for some cool names.
What is Pressy’s response to Xiaomi’s little gadget that looks almost identical (except for the lack of color choice)? Shortly after Hugo Barra’s announcement, Pressy posted onto their Facebook page assuring that they will try their best to stop Xiaomi, otherwise, Pressy might start selling smartphones too.
Announced last year on Kickstarter, Pressy is a physical button that fits into the headphone jack of most Android phones. It allows users to quickly access several features such as taking pictures, turning on the flashlight or activating silent mode, without even having to unlock the phone. When plugged into a phone, it adds only a tiny button on your device, measuring at only 0.7mm thin.
Some of the stuffs it can do includes:
- Start voice recording
- Change Phone Settings
- Turn on Flashlight
- Check into Social Networks
- Record a Phone Call
- Send Current Location (Emergency Button)
- Toggle Wi-Fi/Bluetooth Connection
- And a whole load more; you can even customize the settings of each action.
Although Pressy originally pledged for a goal of USD$40,000, the response was so good that it received a whopping USD$695,138 from over 28,000 backers. The Kickstarter project is over now, but you can still order it from Pressy’s website for USD$27 but guess the price of Xiaomi’s “Mi Key” or “Mi Button”? Only RMB4.9 (USD$0.80)!
Pressy was supposed to be delivered last month but because the company has strict quality control, shipment has been delayed and will continue to do so; even the folks at Pressy can’t confirm when they will send it out instead, they only said that “delivery date is nearing”. Meanwhile, Xiaomi’s version will be launched on 8 April 2014.
Unfortunately though, Xiaomi hasn’t responded to the whole thing yet, it’ll be interesting to see what they have to say. Meanwhile, the Chinese company isn’t the only one who’s interested in Pressy’s idea, a similar button is on Indiegogo though, that looks like it isn’t going to happen, and there are even other similar products up for grabs from various sources including my favorite website, DealExtreme. So, Pressy vs. Xiaomi, which one would you support? As a backer for Pressy, mine is definitely the more expensive version though, judging from the response from angry Pressy’s backers, they better ship it soon.
(Source: TechinAsia, Hugo Barra, Pressy)
