Pressy brings a customizable hardware button to your Android handset

So you picked up that shiny, new Android handset and now you find yourself wishing there was an easier, button-based shortcut for getting to your favorite Android functions. Wait a minute… you actually want more buttons on your smartphone? It’s 2013 folks, and less is more (unless it comes to screen size)!

To be fair, sometimes extra physical keys can come in handy, such as a button that allows you to quickly load up your camera. Most of today’s devices are lacking such physical buttons, but that’s where the new Kickstarter project Pressy comes in.

Most Android users are looking to ditch extra buttons, so we have to wonder if there is really a demand for something like Pressy.

Pressy is a tiny button that plugs into your headphone jack, allowing you to easily launch apps and services with the click of a button.

The button works in conjunction with a special Pressy app, and can be customized to do just about anything from launching a camera, to voice recording, opening up settings, launching a specific app or even calling home – the choice is yours.

Pressy isn’t just for one special function either, as it can perform multiple different tasks depending on whether you single-click the button, long click it or even double click.

This sounds pretty cool, but who wants to sacrifice the headphone jack? The good news is that you don’t have to. When you want to plug in a headphone, take out Pressy and put it into an included holder that clips to a keychain. Next, plug in your headphones and the headphone button can fully function as the Pressy key without issue – easy as that.

But is there demand for such a thing?

Most Android users are looking to ditch extra buttons these days, so we have to wonder if there is really a demand for something like Pressy. The answer appears to be a resounding yes, at least judging by the fact that Pressy has already exceeded its $40k goal with 45 days left to go. At the time of this writing, $173,532 has been pledged towards the project.

If you too are interested in getting your hands on Pressy and its accompanying app, you can head over to their Kickstarter page where a minimum pledge of $17 will land you a basic Pressy.

A word of caution, the team behind Pressy is just getting things off the ground, and so they don’t expect to ship the little-button-that-could until March of next year. Still, good things come to those that (are willing to) wait.