by David Redmond
Ever since I first heard of the idea I wanted a Flic Twist. I've been a
vocal fan of the Flic Smart Button, and the potential of having that on
steroids was right up my street. So, with that in mind, as soon as the
product was officially released I made my order. Then, about 10 minutes
later I saw the first negative review of the product on YouTube. This could
be fun.
Let's talk about the Flic Twist, my experience, and if I'll be buying more.
What is the Flic Twist?
The Flic Twist is a dial with a button in the middle. It's as simple as that
really. The button is just like the fantastic Flic Button products and can
be used to control just about anything. The dial though is the interesting
part.
The dial can be set up with tons of actions. Control your Sonos volume?
Sure. Adjust your smart light brightness? Yep. Transition between light
scenes? It can do that too. There are some great integrations for the dial
already and we'll probably see more in the future.
I had a simple use case for my Flic Twist. Turn the kitchen light on or off
when buttons are pressed, and adjust the brightness when I twist. Did it do
what I wanted? Well, let's start at the beginning.
Unboxing
After a stupidly long shipping time with very little info, my package
eventually came. In fairness, an email after I ordered acknowledged the
wait, but it was still a bit frustrating as I had no idea if I'd be waiting
weeks or months. My order shipped 16 days after I ordered, and I got it in
my hand after around 20. Look, it's not major, but it's worth being aware
of.
The unboxing wasn't an amazing experience either to be honest. The app was
not as accessible with voiceover as it once was, and following the in-app
instructions wasn't pairing the device. Eventually, I found batteries in the
box which explained matters. Opening the battery cover was not easy at all.
Eventually, I got it, but I can't help but feel that just putting the
battery into the device before shipping would be a nicer experience.
Once the batteries were in the device started to light up and we were in
business. I was able to pair the device, and I was able to set it up just
how I wanted. I'd really encourage the Flic team to work on their app's
VoiceOver accessibility. As it would be way easier for those using the app
with sight loss.
Using the device
The device has been performing really well in my view and I've been
impressed with some small details. If you adjust a light's brightness with
Alexa for example, the Twist knows how bright the light is and adjusts from
that point as soon as you touch it. The device feels snappy, has been
reliable, and generally feels nice to use.
The inclusion of a magnet for mounting is brilliant, so if you have one of
those big tall fridges you could pop the twist on the door with no hassle.
The other mounting options I feel are a bit tougher but it's not a deal
breaker. The device isn't heavy, but I felt the sticky pad included
struggled to hold the weight of the device. There is a wall mounting plate
if that's your thing but I'm not putting a hole in the wall for this.
I tried using the sticky pad to attach to our smooth wall but it just wasn't
happening. This has led me to think the device is best mounted horizontally
on a countertop or desk vs vertically on a wall. Once you find a place for
it though it's hard to complain.
The device has lots of features, feels nice to use, and I generally really
like it. Is it extremely expensive for what it is? Yes, but that's something
you need to justify to yourself. The device does everything it says on the
tin and in my view does it well.
Overall
I really like the Flic Twist. It's simple, good at what it does, and is a
really unique and intuitive way to control your smart home. It didn't give
me the same wow factor as the old Flic Button, which I still love and highly
recommend, but is the Flic Twist a solid product? It absolutely is.
Here are 5 things I'd like to see Flic improve.
1. Unboxing experience needs some work. This is a premium product so I
expect a frustration-free unboxing. Include batteries in the device as a
start, as that would make a big difference in my view.
2. Work on the accessibility of the Flic app. Every button should be
labeled at a minimum. This is a really simple low-hanging fruit. Flic
devices can be huge for those with disabilities so an accessible app is a
must.
3. More mounting options would be nice. I'd focus in particular on
noninvasive ways to mount to the wall.
4. In a future Flic Twist 2 I'd love to see thread support, cutting out
the need for a hub. Thread is the way to go in smart homes these days for
sure.
5. Finally just more features. I'm sure this will happen in time, but
the potential of Flic twist is huge. Partner with software companies and
integrate into their software. I can just imagine a flic twist increasing
the speaking rate in jaws or magnification level in ZoomText. The potential
is huge so I'm excited for the future.
Conclusion
The Flic Twist is brilliant. Its versatility compared with what came before
is huge. It does need small improvements mainly to the app's accessibility
and unboxing experience, but otherwise, it's a great product.
Will I be buying more? Not for now. This isn't a must-have like the Flic
Button was. A small few improvements and updates though? It's an incredible
concept so I've got high hopes.
NCBI Technology News.
