GoKawiilFlipper Devices, maker of the Flipper Zero hacking device, today announced a new gadget called Flipper One that has multiple network connectivity chops and can act as a Linux PC (is this the year?). The company has sold over a million Flipper Zero units and has generated over $150 million in sales. However, the new device is not a successor as it operates on a different layer than the Flipper Zero, the company said.
The Flipper Zero device is popular in the hacker community, which can connect to radios like Bluetooth, RFID, NFC, a sub-1GHz transceiver, and Infrared. The device could act like a key fob or an entry pass, but could also be used in cases like spamming nearby iPhones.
Meanwhile, the new Flipper One device relies on network connectivity through 2x Gigabit Ethernet, USB Ethernet (5 Gbps), and Wi-Fi 6E (2.4/5/6 GHz). What’s more, the device has an M.2 port, which can be used to connect a modem for 5G connectivity or other devices like SDR modules, AI accelerators, SSDs (NVMe or SATA), and Wi-Fi cards via adapters. The device is still in development, and the company is merely announcing the project at the moment.
The device will run two processors along with an 8GB RAM. The first is an eight-core RK3576 chip that runs open Linux along with a Mali-G52 GPU and an NPU to run local AI models.
Image Credits: Flipper Devices Image Credits:Flipper Devices
The company said that it worked with open-source software consulting firm Collabora to push this chip’s support into the mainline Linux Kernel, so anyone can download it from Kernel.org and tinker with it.
The second chip is a two-core Raspberry Pi RP2350 microcontroller. This powers display, buttons, and touchpad, LEDs, and the power subsystem, so even when the Linux part of the device is turned off, users can operate the device.
Flipper Devices CEO Pavel Zhovner said that the company is also developing its own Linux-based flavour. He said in a blog that while Raspberry Pi OS is fluid and he enjoys using it, it is hard to do a clean factory reset after installing packages unless you re-flash the SD card for a new project. The Flipper OS, which is currently in a concept stage, will allow users to access profiles with different pre-configured packages and settings. By doing this, users can play around with software and go back to a clean copy without swapping or flashing SD cards.
As part of the development, the company is also making a FlipCTL interface to control small screen LCDs on devices like Flipper One with D-pad and touch controls.
Image Credits: Flipper Devices Image Credits:Flipper Devices
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