One of our favorite hacking gadgets, the Flipper Zero, received its first major firmware update today. It includes a bunch of features that developers have been working on for the past three years, including a big battery life boost that technically came with a previous update. While many of the features aren’t technically new, the whole package should make this gadget look like a supercharged version of its former self.
One of the most notable updates since launch solves one of developers’ biggest problems: the device’s internal flash memory originally limited how many features they could add. In the past, new features were built into the firmware itself, but eventually they outgrew what the memory could handle. Last year, the device added an app store and let you run new apps from the microSD card instead.
JavaScript is now supported, so coding your own apps can be easier. The NFC subsystem has been rewritten from the ground up, supports more card types, and can read cards faster. Data transfer via Bluetooth with Android devices is also faster, and the speed of firmware updates has increased by 40 percent, according to the developers.
The new firmware also includes more IR protocols, so if you’re already using the Flipper Zero as a universal remote control, you can now use it with more TVs, ACs, audio systems, and projectors. If you need a longer transmission range, the Flipper Zero also supports external infrared modules. Here’s a video that explains:
You can also use the Flipper Zero to listen to analog walkie-talkies, and the developers say its sub-GHz radio now supports 89 different radio protocols in all. If the built-in antenna is not sensitive enough, you can also connect it to an external sub-GHz module to get better.
