In the few minutes you've been browsing this site — or since you clicked on this link — did you get any text messages, instant messages or Skype calls?
Nowadays, it's hard to focus on one task; it always feels like one device or another will buzz with notifications. Aiming to help those who want to concentrate, MyFocus is a one-click button that lets you disconnect digitally and IRL to get work done.
Pressing the button changes it either to green or red. Red tells others around you that you don't want to be disturbed, but it also helps with digital distractions. The button plugs into computers, tablets and smartphones to prevent notifications from programs such as Outlook and Skype.
MyFocus' Kickstarter campaign includes a few videos of the button working with different platforms. MyFocus claims to reduce notifications from a number of programs on Macs and PCs, along with Android, Apple and Blackberry phones.
MyFocus CEO Paul Chipperton told Mashable about the technology behind the button, and what the company hopes to achieve:
"What we've done is look at the laptop platforms and each of the major smartphone platforms, and simply through understanding the operating systems and how they provide notification from each platform — say Outlook or an instant-messaging platform — we found the code that does that and we've written our own code to intersect," he said.
Users can download the MyFocus app to their phones, or plug the device into their computers; it runs without batteries, and takes little power from laptops. Chipperton said they settled on a round shape to make it easy to hang on a cubicle and just the right size for others to see.
When users push MyFocus, it turns red, indicating to others in the area that they are occupied (it even works when significantly far away from a user's smartphone, tablet or computer). The button also switches your statuses on other apps to busy, and turns off sound in notifications. What's more, MyFocus uses low-energy LED lights, and is made out of aluminum, plastic and a printed circuit board,
"Our founder works out of Israel and he has a button in Toronto," Chipperton said. "When he goes on red in Tel Aviv on his smartphone, we can see in the office in Toronto in real time that he's on red and we don't make any effort to contact him."
Pushing the button again changes MyFocus to green, and reinstates all standard notifications and sounds. However, it can't block all types of notifications: When working with Android, for example, MyFocus can turn off sound for text messages, but does not prevent visual notifications. The same goes for Skype: Pushing the button to red changes the status to busy, and turns off any noise from incoming calls, but does not stop calls from entering and showing up onscreen.
In addition, MyFocus can't work with Gmail or Facebook yet, but the company hopes to keep expanding with the help of its Kickstarter campaign. Despite this, however, the technology helps users who might not know how to turn off notifications on all platforms, or who don't want to waste time doing so.
"We've delivered a one-touch solution to calming a multitude of distracting and irritating interruption noises at the touch of one button instead of everyone having to be an expert on how to quiet notifications and messaging of nine of the most popular apps," Chipperton said.
Although it primarily focuses on the technology in button form, MyFocus is exploring the possibility of designing headphones with a similar purpose, as well as software that enables participants to collectively be on red while attending a meeting.
MyFocus aims to raise $125,000 Canadian dollars ($125,255), and has so far reached $12,000 Canadian dollars ($11,652), with 25 days remaining in its campaign.
Chipperton added that he spends about 10% to 15% of his time on red, while "coders and software and creative agency types" might use the don't disturb feature for 40% to 50% of their workday.
Nowadays, it's hard to focus on one task; it always feels like one device or another will buzz with notifications. Aiming to help those who want to concentrate, MyFocus is a one-click button that lets you disconnect digitally and IRL to get work done.
Pressing the button changes it either to green or red. Red tells others around you that you don't want to be disturbed, but it also helps with digital distractions. The button plugs into computers, tablets and smartphones to prevent notifications from programs such as Outlook and Skype.
MyFocus' Kickstarter campaign includes a few videos of the button working with different platforms. MyFocus claims to reduce notifications from a number of programs on Macs and PCs, along with Android, Apple and Blackberry phones.
MyFocus CEO Paul Chipperton told Mashable about the technology behind the button, and what the company hopes to achieve:
"What we've done is look at the laptop platforms and each of the major smartphone platforms, and simply through understanding the operating systems and how they provide notification from each platform — say Outlook or an instant-messaging platform — we found the code that does that and we've written our own code to intersect," he said.
Users can download the MyFocus app to their phones, or plug the device into their computers; it runs without batteries, and takes little power from laptops. Chipperton said they settled on a round shape to make it easy to hang on a cubicle and just the right size for others to see.
When users push MyFocus, it turns red, indicating to others in the area that they are occupied (it even works when significantly far away from a user's smartphone, tablet or computer). The button also switches your statuses on other apps to busy, and turns off sound in notifications. What's more, MyFocus uses low-energy LED lights, and is made out of aluminum, plastic and a printed circuit board,
"Our founder works out of Israel and he has a button in Toronto," Chipperton said. "When he goes on red in Tel Aviv on his smartphone, we can see in the office in Toronto in real time that he's on red and we don't make any effort to contact him."
Pushing the button again changes MyFocus to green, and reinstates all standard notifications and sounds. However, it can't block all types of notifications: When working with Android, for example, MyFocus can turn off sound for text messages, but does not prevent visual notifications. The same goes for Skype: Pushing the button to red changes the status to busy, and turns off any noise from incoming calls, but does not stop calls from entering and showing up onscreen.
In addition, MyFocus can't work with Gmail or Facebook yet, but the company hopes to keep expanding with the help of its Kickstarter campaign. Despite this, however, the technology helps users who might not know how to turn off notifications on all platforms, or who don't want to waste time doing so.
"We've delivered a one-touch solution to calming a multitude of distracting and irritating interruption noises at the touch of one button instead of everyone having to be an expert on how to quiet notifications and messaging of nine of the most popular apps," Chipperton said.
Although it primarily focuses on the technology in button form, MyFocus is exploring the possibility of designing headphones with a similar purpose, as well as software that enables participants to collectively be on red while attending a meeting.
MyFocus aims to raise $125,000 Canadian dollars ($125,255), and has so far reached $12,000 Canadian dollars ($11,652), with 25 days remaining in its campaign.
Chipperton added that he spends about 10% to 15% of his time on red, while "coders and software and creative agency types" might use the don't disturb feature for 40% to 50% of their workday.
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