Brick launches $129 app blocker aimed at bedtime doomscrolling
Brick, the company behind a phone app-blocking gadget, has released the Brick Night. It uses Bluetooth to switch on automatically when a user enters the bedroom, aiming to curb doomscrolling in bed.
Brick, the company known for a $59 gadget that blocks apps on a smartphone, has released a new product called the Brick Night. Priced at $129, it is meant to help people cut back on doomscrolling, the endless scrolling through online content, before sleep. Its main difference is a location-based approach: unlike the original Brick, where the user taps a phone against the device, the new model uses Bluetooth and activates automatically when the user walks into the bedroom or any other room where it has been placed.
How it works
The Brick Night runs on two CR2477 batteries. Users can set a zone of up to 25 by 25 feet (about 7.6 by 7.6 metres). As with the original, people can pick specific apps to block rather than locking the whole phone.
The company's pitch is that blocking happens in the background upon entering the room, so it does not interrupt a usual bedtime routine or add extra steps.
Multiple users and limitations
The Brick Night supports several users, each of whom can independently configure their own settings, modes, blocked apps, time windows and spaces.
However, it costs more than twice as much as the original Brick. Because it has no NFC (near-field communication) capability, it cannot be used for both location-based and tap-based blocking, so it cannot fully replace the original device.
