Earlier this year, I decided to get a fun new gadget on sale, a Tidbyt, an 8-bit style screen that you might have spotted in the background of a few videos here. Below is a review and reflection on using it for the last year.
Why Another Screen?
I’m at the point where I’ve generally realized that I need fewer screens and less connectivity, not more. I need to get work done and have a portable device, so I have a laptop and phone. But I don’t have a smart watch, partly because I don’t like the feel of a watch, but also because I worry I would be even more distracted, and I rarely use a tablet sized device (though I always find myself reconsidering a Kindle), because it’s just one more thing.
But the Tidbyt intrigued me because I don’t have to carry it around and because it doesn’t have any notifications or alerts. I thought it would be fun to play around with to see if it was useful, and even if I didn’t find a killer use for it, it would still be a fun, passive display that wouldn’t take me away from important things like work or people.
Review Notes
Looks: My first generation Tidbyt has a walnut border which really nails the retro vibe. The v2 Tidbyt has a plastic frame and, while it looks useful, I’m really glad I got the wood model, because that the natural element seems to reinforce their tag line: “Spend Less Time Checking Your Phone and More Time Doing What Matters.” In any case, the 64×32 screen is the real standout, and its lack of real estate and resolution is what makes it so powerful. Most of our screens and user interfaces have menu bars and other extraneous elements, but the Tidbyt can’t afford that, making it pure content with minimal distractions. I really appreciate this design and how it intentionally offers something high-powered screens like Google Home cannot.
Connectivity: Tidbyt has a phone app that makes setup easy. Just connect to wifi and begin setting up apps. However, I had one problem—my workplace wifi requires a browser-based login which Tidbyt doesn’t support. I tried spoofing the MAC address with my laptop, which worked initially, but then our network detected the switch and kicked the Tidbyt off. Thankfully, our IT department said we also have another wifi network with a hidden SSID for such devices. But sadly, Tidbyt doesn’t let you use hidden SSIDs. So, I enabled my phone hotspot with the same SSID name and password, connected the Tidbyt to my phone, and then turned off the hotspot. The Tidbyt reconnected to the hidden network, and voila, I was in business!
Apps: Tidbyt has a huge collection of apps from stock tickers and sports scores to weather and YouTube counters. I tried all kinds of things including a few fun animations, a verse of the day Bible app, and photo of my family converted to the screen’s 64×32 resolution which makes us look somewhat like a LEGO family portrait. They were all fun, but I found over time that the novelty of things like animations gets old after a while, while things like weather or calendar continue to be helpful because I can glance over at them without needing to pull up an app on another device. The only bummer I found is just that some apps like Outlook calendar are limited by security restrictions, but that’s not Tidbyt’s fault.
Placement: Originally, I thought having the Tidbyt right on my desk would be ideal. But again, I quickly realized that the rotating apps became more of a distraction while I worked than a help. So I moved it to my bookcase just behind my monitor, putting it just outside my line of site. This way, when I want to know the weather, I can just lean over, and it’s right there on the Tidbyt. I also think it looks great on the bookcase and is a fun conversation piece when someone comes to my office.
Final Thoughts
Overall, I love the Tidbyt for its retro look and “lotech” functionality. The intentionally limited screen resolution and app functionality are precisely what make it so great. One thing that normally separates tools (like a hammer) from devices (like a phone) is that tool has a single clear purpose while phones have many uses, but also many ways to distract.
Even though the Tidbyt feels very device-like with its screen and internet connectivity, and even though it passively does something for you (like a Roomba) rather than helping you do something (like a shovel), its design helps remove some of the worst aspects of devices, allowing it to function in a more tool-like manner.
In summary, the Tidbyt is a screen that is useful without being distracting, and that makes it a worthy addition to my office.