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    292 points jbernardo95 | 20 comments | 10 Apr 25 13:23 UTC | HN request time: 1.002s | source | bottom
    1. bastardoperator ◴[10 Apr 25 15:24 UTC] No.43644832[source]▶
    [flagged]
    replies(7): >>43645330 #>>43645438 #>>43646344 #>>43647059 #>>43647267 #>>43647513 #>>43649457 #
    2. cg5280 ◴[10 Apr 25 16:09 UTC] No.43645330[source]▶
    Seems like a simpler version could be sold for well under $50
    replies(1): >>43645425 #
    3. jimmydoe ◴[10 Apr 25 16:17 UTC] No.43645425[source]▶
    there are many pomodoro timer on amazon around $10.
    4. IncreasePosts ◴[10 Apr 25 16:19 UTC] No.43645438[source]▶
    [flagged]
    replies(2): >>43645863 #>>43648221 #
    5. handfuloflight ◴[10 Apr 25 16:58 UTC] No.43645863[source]▶
    There is a subset of knowledge worker who would buy this off of the landing page presentation alone.

    It is me. I am that subset.

    replies(5): >>43646117 #>>43646287 #>>43646554 #>>43646909 #>>43648074 #
    6. alsetmusic ◴[10 Apr 25 17:22 UTC] No.43646117{3}[source]▶
    Yeah, I wouldn’t but I still find it delightful.
    7. sschueller ◴[10 Apr 25 17:40 UTC] No.43646287{3}[source]▶
    Yes, I need to re-design my webpage for my Station Display.
    8. anon6362 ◴[10 Apr 25 17:45 UTC] No.43646344[source]▶
    [flagged]
    9. cryptonector ◴[10 Apr 25 18:06 UTC] No.43646554{3}[source]▶
    I'm thinking about it...
    10. anal_reactor ◴[10 Apr 25 18:42 UTC] No.43646909{3}[source]▶
    $249 is not that much for a toy for a tech worker. As in, if it gives you entertainment for a month, it is something you can afford.
    replies(1): >>43647114 #
    11. nine_k ◴[10 Apr 25 19:01 UTC] No.43647059[source]▶
    But it's much more than just a digital clock. It's a very bright LED remote display. It's easily programmable. Also, take note of both the desktop and the mobile apps, plus both Mater and Home Assistan integrations.

    Of course a device like this can be built for 10% of the price tag, or maybe for $0 if you already have the spare parts lying around, and just enjoy writing Arduino firmware sometimes. But for a less techy customer this thing makes total sense, and for a corporate customer it seems to have the full package for a hassle-free deployment somewhere in a sales department.

    BOM is always a very minor part of such projects, say, 5%; the major cost is electronic / mechanical / software engineering, then marketing (including the very good web site) and sales, production and shipping, etc.

    replies(1): >>43648069 #
    12. nine_k ◴[10 Apr 25 19:08 UTC] No.43647114{4}[source]▶
    I bet the core audience is not software engineers, but sales, higher-level customer support, and other professionals with relatively expensive time who also need to work with people around.

    But I think the makers hope to have some extra sales from the people buying it as a toy, too.

    13. garyfirestorm ◴[10 Apr 25 19:27 UTC] No.43647267[source]▶
    you could easily do this with a spare display and terminal

    https://github.com/race604/clock-tui

    bonus - i ported this to raspberry pi https://youtube.com/shorts/rgm8lAlHus4

    14. al_borland ◴[10 Apr 25 19:58 UTC] No.43647513[source]▶
    I don’t think the timer and status is for you, so much as for other people in your physical world. Examples would be someone who works at home who needs a way to signal to spouse/kids that they are busy and when they will be free, or an office worker who gets frequent walk up interruptions.

    While there are certainly much cheaper ways to solve this problem, I think there is a market. Specifically podcasters and YouTubers who film at home, love gadgets that will look good in the background of a video, and love gear more than the work itself.

    When I was in the office I solved this with a hoodie. If the hood was up, I was focusing and people generally didn’t bother me. I never even said anything or realized I was doing it, people just got it.

    15. artursapek ◴[10 Apr 25 21:16 UTC] No.43648069[source]▶
    [flagged]
    replies(2): >>43648215 #>>43649367 #
    16. artursapek ◴[10 Apr 25 21:16 UTC] No.43648074{3}[source]▶
    maybe do some acid or something
    17. butlike ◴[10 Apr 25 21:31 UTC] No.43648215{3}[source]▶
    It's a "my first product pipeline" toy so maybe we'll see greater things from the inventor when they become COO years down the line.
    18. butlike ◴[10 Apr 25 21:33 UTC] No.43648221[source]▶
    The hand on the landing page could be better. Hits "Marvel movie jumping"-levels of uncanny valley for me.
    19. nozzlegear ◴[11 Apr 25 00:52 UTC] No.43649367{3}[source]▶
    Nothing wrong with that. It's okay to indulge the things that tickle your fancy now and then, even if you're a super serious adult who's vibe coding the next OpenAI 36 hours per day, 15 days per week.
    20. tomhow ◴[11 Apr 25 01:10 UTC] No.43649457[source]▶
    Please don't post shallow dismissals, especially of other people's work. A good critical comment teaches us something.

    https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

    Edit: In many other threads on HN, people lament and protest the difficulty of getting paid well as a freelancer or small business in the technology industry. Let’s not trash someone for charging a handsome price for a product that’s had a lot of time, thought and design talent invested into it. Everybody knows that other clocks ant timers exist. Nobody is forced to buy this one. But we can still appreciate the effort and talent that someone has put into trying to create something beautiful, and respect them for charging a premium for it. And let’s keep Hacker News from being a place for grumpiness, especially about people trying to make nice new things.