Kickstarter's Pressy turns your phone's headphone jack into a multi-function wonder

Plug-in gizmo lets you set up a morse-code system to dial your mum.

Friday 30 August 2013 13:07 BST

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Promising to “bring back simplicity to your phone” Pressy is a programmable button that fits into your smartphone’s headphone jack. Clicking it activates a range of user-designated actions, anything from calling a number to taking a picture.

The gadget’s simple concept and design have proved an instant hit on Kickstarter. A campaign launched for Pressy yesterday reached its $40,000 funding goal within 24 hours, with the pledged amount now standing at over $150,000.

Pressy is just 0.7mm thick, meaning it won’t ruin the lines of your smartphone, and responds to a variety of morse-code like signals of long and short clicks. When first installed it offers three basic pre-set functions: “One short Click to toggle your flashlight; one long Click to toggle your phone in and out of silent mode; double-Click to snap a photo.”

It also comes with an app that helps you customize exactly what actions are activated and how. Other suggestions include toggling Wi-Fi/Bluetooth connections, checking into social networks, and shutting down all running applications.

Pressy could also be set-up to function as an emergency button. If a user found themself in a dangerous situation they could discreetly click the button to broadcast their location to a friend or start recording audio.

The button will also be developer-friendly: an API will be released free to Kickstarter backers and app-makers can integrate the button’s functions into their software.

When it’s not in use, Pressy can be stored in a companion keychain and even if you plug a set of earphones in, the functionality remains – tied instead to any media buttons on the wires (like those used to accept calls or change the volume).