The Bttn - A button for IFTTT
Ever wondered what if you could trigger IFTTT actions via a button? Well, for 69 Euros (roughly $94) you can stop pondering and start pushing “The bttn”.
On the official website there are several use cases outlined like your child could send a message with the push of a button when arriving from school or the bttn could remind you to take your medicine since it also has a wait-mode where it pulses slow (and later more rapidly if you decide to ignore it). Another popular use case is this scenario which is very common in shared flats:
Despite that, the bttn mainly targets business owners. I’m sure there’s a wide variety of options where a button like the bttn makes sense, from the small local pizza place up to a big logistics and delivery company. In all honesty, who can resist pressing a red button?
Since the bttn’s LED lights can emulate four states, I’m already trying to think of actions where the bttn could help me bring some visual feedback into my GTD system. I’m not sure if it’s versatile enough for me, but it should be possible to send a timer via Launch Center Pro to IFTTT and get the bttn to blink. It’s no replacement for Due, but for important timers I can see it working.
| Green | Yellow | Red | Blue |
|---|---|---|---|
| command executed | wait | error | ??? |
My best guess is that blue is used for the pulsing.
The bttn is build for indoor use and is powered by a battery or micro USB-cable. It works by sending a (free) message via the built-in GSM modem or over your home Wi-Fi to the companies server where it gets forwarded to your pre-configured IFTTT action. In the comments of this TechCrunch article it’s also mentioned by an employee that they are working on a Zapier integration.
Said article also highlights that there’s a business model with monthly fees:
The business model for a b2b-focused bttn will be monthly fees — something that corporate partners are more likely to be happy to pay for than private users. But early bttn adopters can snag the device without the monthly fee. Those who pre-order the device now can expect it to ship in October.
I’m not sure if this will only be mandatory for business who order a certain amount of units or if home users would have to pay that fee, too, after the pre-order sale ends on the 31st August.