Flipper Zero

2022: A batch of Russian devices worth $200 thousand was detained by German customs

On December 14, 2022, it became known about the detention of the Flipper Zero party for $200 thousand. It is assumed that the Russian "Tamagotchi for hackers" will be destroyed.

As Flipper Devices explained, the Flipper Zero product falls under EU export sanctions that restrict Russia's access to advanced technologies - drones, encryption software, semiconductors and more. Russian Post decided to carry the party through Germany. The company explained that the service has a logistics hub there.

A batch of Russian "Tamagotchi for hackers" for $200 thousand was detained by German customs. Devices will destroy

As stated in the "Post of Russia," the German customs services seized the goods before its transfer to the sorting center in a subsidiary in Germany. Germany as a transit country chose another logistics company, emphasized in the "Post."

Шаблон:Quote "Flipper Zero manufacturer is not a corporate client of Russian Post or its subsidiaries abroad. We recommend our customers to check with customs restrictions in different countries, - added to the "Post of Russia." On November 29, 2022, Flipper Devices reported that the last batch of pre-ordered devices in the Russian Federation was stuck at customs in Germany, an additional inspection was being carried out there, and customs did not name the timing of the inspection and the reasons for the delay in cargo.

The Flipper Zero starter kit in the US costs $169. In the party detained and then destroyed by customs, there could be at least 1.1 thousand devices.

Earlier, the company producing Flipper Zero already had problems - the PayPal payment system blocked the account from about $1.3 million, but later returned access to $980 thousand, temporarily freezing the rest of the amount "to mitigate possible claims." As for the batch of 200 thousand, which will be destroyed by German customs - the company intends to send the devices to customers in another way, probably through intermediaries.^[1]

2020: Raising $840,000

By July 31, 2020, the project of the Russian "Tamagotchi for hackers" Flipper Zero raised $840 thousand on the Kickstarter crowdfunding platform with a declared goal of $60 thousand.

Flipper Zero is equipped with a 1.4-inch monochrome LCD screen, five-button joystick, status indicator, USB Type-C port, IR transmitter, radio module, GPIO contacts, as well as an output and return key. The device "lives" a virtual animal, which regularly needs to be fed, as a popular digital animal from the 1990s.

The project of the Russian "Tamagotchi for hackers" raised $82 thousand.

According to the developers, the device allows you to intercept control of TVs, split systems, intercoms and other electrical devices, even the garage gate.

The infrared transmitter can send signals to any TVs, air conditioners, stereo systems, etc. Flipper contains a built-in library of common commands such as turning on/off, changing the volume, or adjusting the temperature. Also, the IR receiver can intercept signals and store them in memory.

"Flipper" does not fall under the description of a special means or device for secretly collecting information. It does not have the ability to record audiovisual information, it is not disguised as household items. The factory firmware will not have jamming, brute force and other potentially malicious functions, the developers explain.

The code of the device is open, which allows specialists to modify the equipment for their own needs. Flipper Zero is compatible with the Arduino IDE platform - for multitool you can write your own programs and plugins through the open SDK or download others.

The Flipper Zero price for first-time buyers was $99- $119. The gadget was invented by Pavel Zhovner, community leader for Neuron Hackspace techno enthusiasts^[2]

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