PC doesn’t feel personal anymore.
That was a very general sentiment that Flipper co-founder and CEO Pavel Zhovner shared with Gizmodo when he talked about the company’s latest device, the Flipper One, a “network multitool.” Essentially, it’s a small computer that can be customized as much as you need it to be. If you’re a Gizmodo reader, you’ve probably read enough cyberdecks Around it, you dreamed of building your own little, cyberpunk-flavored computer. Flipper wants to get you halfway there with the help of a single board computer and a dolphin mascot helping you on your journey into network computing.
Flipper’s last device was big “f*** off button” It’s called the BUSY Bar, but the company’s biggest claim to fame is a signal-hacking device called the Flipper Zero. In comparison, the Flipper One should be its own beast, or at least a sidekick to that device’s NFC and low-end RFID connectivity. In a video interview with Gizmodo, Zhovner said that this new gadget aims to correct many of the personal mistakes he has with other DIY computers. Basically, it doesn’t enjoy the one-wire power connection requirement of a Raspberry Pi– based device.
He also found that many cyberdecks running Linux-based open-source operating systems often require a mouse or trackpad to click tiny thumbnails on a phone-sized screen. So Flipper designed Flipper Zero so that users can control it using a simple D-pad interface and a few programmable buttons. While the team is still designing the user interface, Zhovner said the device could also support its own Flipper OS and app store. Like Pinball Zero. The company shares this the entire development process online and asks its community to share their thoughts.
The Flipper One runs on a Rockchip RK3576 processor, which Zhovner says is better than the Raspberry Pi 5 in multi-core CPU performance, even if it’s slightly worse at single-core settings. Flipper configures this device for network or IP-based communications, although this is only its base-level functionality. If you’ve been trying to add a screen to your router or reconnect your hotel internet to get the best speeds, the Flipper One could be an ace in the hole.
If all else fails, it can at least act as a power bank for your other devices.
Flipper also wants to address one of the main problems with small-scale Linux devices, namely usability. Zhovner said he wanted to enable multiple user profiles on the small PC. Each profile will facilitate a different potential use case. Let’s say you want your device to be configured as a travel router, home TV box, or emergency desktop environment while you’re on the go. The Flipper CEO said many Linux systems struggle to do this without completely reconfiguring the device, but said he hopes Flipper One will make the transition seamless.
This piece of the puzzle will take more effort for Flipper. The miniaturized computer aims to support Wi-Fi 6E, Ethernet and even 5G connectivity via an M.2 module, eSIM or physical SIM. If you need a special component that isn’t included in the Flipper One, it also includes an additional PCIe expansion slot on the back. The Flipper One may take the same basic shape as the Flipper Zero, but the new model, Ghovner showed me on our video call, is nearly twice as large, measuring the length, width and girth of a fist and a half.
As the Flipper CEO says, the device is built to straddle the line between a hobbyist device and a doohickey for people interested in how computers work. This is increasingly important as computing companies push cloud computing subscriptions and locked hardware, making the “PC” less personal.
“When I was a kid, you could just buy a PC and learn how computers worked. From the beginning, I could understand how the boot system worked,” Jovner said. “Today, all manufacturers create their own logic, which is completely vendor-locked.”
Since its inception, Flipper has operated outside of computing form. It can also help explain how the team got into hot water On Flipper Zero. Radio frequency multi-tool caused the anger of many municipalities and even countries like Canadadue to its use in a number of RFID skimming and Bluetooth spam attacks reported by several bad actors. It has also been used to steal RFID signals from office ID tags and to hack cars. Like any tool, its use goes beyond some binary good or bad. A tinkerer created an app inside Flipper Zero interfere with control prices in grocery stores. The device is as customizable as users can make it install their own software or programs.
Just as Flipper Zero’s technology isn’t new by any standards, Flipper One won’t be too far off from what people expect. It’s just trying to offer a more open computer than you can get on other Linux devices with an interface that makes a little more sense to people who don’t know what a distro is (to wit, it’s a Linux kernel distribution with pre-installed settings and software for navigating the OS).
This is not a device you can buy yet. Zhovner said the company hopes to have a Kickstarter available later this year. Another big question is the price. While RAM prices are still fluctuating, Zhovner said Flipper’s goal is to sell the device for around $350. It will also depend on the number of backers who put money.
