Buy from Kickstarter

Studies have shown that we turn on our smartphones as many as 80 times in a day. Other studies have also shown that we spend so much time staring at our phones that we endanger our lives as well as the lives of others. The O6 is a brand new gadget that allows you to use and control many of your smartphone’s functions without even having to remove your phone from your pocket or your bag.

The O6 reminds us of the touch wheel interface on the old iPod. Like the iPod wheel, there is a spinning wheel for going through the available choices and you click on it to activate an action. However, the O6’s wheel does much more.

Firstly, the clickable area is split into 3 different regions. The area in the center is for selecting an action, the area surrounding the center button is for context-sensitive actions while clicking on the outer ring area lets you go back or cancel an action. The buttons also support 4 types of clicks – single click, double click, triple click and long hold. It also has haptic feedback which is important since you can’t see the screen to check if your button presses are acknowledged. If twirling a wheel is not your style, O6 also supports gestures allowing it to recognize quick flicks of your wrist.

As for what is actually happening on your phone’s display, the O6 has an app that provides you with audio prompts to help you control and navigate your phone. The app can also read your email, text messages, Twitter messages or even read out your Facebook feed. Using the context-sensitive button, it is possible to do actions like reply to a message by sending a short reply or to Like a Facebook post.

The O6 is also an excellent remote control for playing and controlling your favorite media apps such as Spotify, Netflix and YouTube. The degree of control is quite impressive and goes way beyond play, pause and skipping tracks. You can actually fast forward, rewind or even scrub through a song, podcast or movie with the dial wheel giving you very precise control.

The device has a selection of mounting devices that allow it to be mounted on a steering wheel, worn on the wrist or clipped to a pocket or belt. It goes wherever you go and lets you use your smartphone without it distracting you from your driving, cycling, running or workout session.

Currently, O6 only supports iOS 6 devices or newer but support for Android is in the works. It is currently on Kickstarter seeking funding to make the device a reality. At the point of writing, it has already exceeded its funding goal of $100,000.
Buy from Kickstarter