Tidbyt Review: Vintage Vibes or Overpriced Tech?

[@FarrellMcGovern]

If they open sourced the protocol to control it, I am sure it would take off, since you wouldn't potentially have your $180 paperweight.

[@RobertAnthonyPitera]

They do appear to have an API, and it's well documented. So you can write and deploy your own apps as well as push images to it. I didn't spend a lot of time looking at it so I don't know how limited it is or whether you're still tied to using their cloud or not. But at least it's something.

[@jasonrusso7]

Not open source, but you can build your own apps.

[@Alec_Reaper]

Also noticed the "Plus" subscription which is a bad sign. If it was open source and had speakers, it could be a cool little radio/display piece

[@5ANDW1CHES]

I was going to build something like this a decade ago when individually addressable RGB LED matrices got cheap. The price is about right when considering parts, manufacturing, ops and fulfillment, but since it's not open source, that's a hard no from me.

[@pupfriend]

Closed source, yes, but so is just about everything else. They do appear to have a pretty robust API for creating your own private apps, which is way more than I expected.

[@SangriaDracul]

The price must be right when you're building one. They're manufacturing so I don't think it should cost that much for something with so little uses...

[@jamesbyrd3740]

it's just a crappy tablet

[@greenanubis]

Thats cool like a household decoration, das blinken lights. But even with open source, there is nothing else tidbyt can do better than a tablet. I guess its artsy, thats what youre paying for.

[@loriki8766]

A few years ago, I was one of the initial buyers of a GLAS thermostat. It was amazing. We loved it. Then they discontinued it. Then they stopped supporting it. Then it stopped working with standard wifi so I was left with a manual thermostat. So now I'm wary of buying any leading edge type products. AND the price on this seems very high to me.

[@rthorofthehillppl]

Get a Nest thermostat. Good brand and they're not gonna stop supporting any of their thermostats any time soon.

[@TheBlueArcher]

Generally a good indication is if an app REQUIRES a login. But yeah. I'd be interested to see if disabling phone data, disconnecting the internet, and just being on wi-fi if the app still works for functions that intuitively shouldn't require internet. If that works then there's no worry.

[@magnus150]

If it has a required app, its future e-waste. No exceptions.

[@adrianscarlett]

​@@rthorofthehillpplthey are ending support for nest secure next year, nothing is written in stone with google

[@CS-uc2oh]

You're problem is that shiny things get your attention even if it's plutonium. This product is literally old tech being sold for top dollar. What you bought was old tech sold for top dollar.

[@lightofhonor89]

I've had one a year now. Works well, but yeah it's mostly just a set piece right now. Tidbyt 2 is coming soon though with more features like a speaker and better viewing close up

[@Naomi-pq6tv]

I love how they added a term from "Space Balls" for their fastest setting. I need to go watch that movie now 😅

[@blue_jm]

If they'd drop the price about half, I could consider getting one. But yeah I would think the same novelty wearing off would happen to me too. Has happened to me with Alexa as well, now it's mostly idle paperweight on a shelf.

[@barcham]

I can see that happening. I bought an Amazon Echo 5 on special a couple of years ago, but I got it mainly to replace my old clock radio that had seen better days, and it only cost me what a new clock radio would have cost. I never really have used it anywhere close to what it was designed to do, but as a voice controlled clock radio that answers any questions I may have about the day's weather when I wake up, it was really worth the price, which was around 120 bucks less than this thing costs.

[@usernameisusername]

Not idol. Always listening to you. She is a creeper

[@barcham]

@@usernameisusername Well, I am so conceited as to believe that anything I say in my home has any importance to anyone outside my home. People must really have a massive ego if they think they are so important that Amazon gives a shit what they say at home.

[@usernameisusername]

@@barcham lol

[@AndyPlaysAllNight]

I backed this when they had the kickstarter back in 2021, and it was 168 after shipping for me (due to the 'kickstarter special'). Iirc, they also had a thing in one of their updates where they sent some hot sauce out to some backers (I received a bottle). According to the update, their Gen 2 version that will be on Kickstarter "soon" will include: A speaker for audio notifications A (customizable) touch pad for controlling the device upgraded display for crisper graphics a built-in kickstand that also functions as a cleat for wall-mounting the device

[@paladinjustice6391]

Props to James for upping his game and posting more videos. They're also a nice length. I don't like shorts nor do I like one padded out to 20 to 25 minutes. These are just right.

[@valengreymoon5623]

I noticed that on the shelf in the last review, and wondered what it was.

[@NickyJamesTV]

I found it distracting

[@shannondore]

So that's what that was. I was intrigued by the Pac Man display from your last video where you had it on the shelf behind you. I couldn't stop looking at it and wondered what it was.😊

[@CadgerChristmasLightShow]

ANYTHING that requires a phone app to use is something you can be assured won't be working in the next 1-5 years. Nothing turns me off of buying a tech product, or anything, more than having it requiring a stupid app to work.

[@daniel5927]

And now I want a Lite-Brite.

[@SpykersB]

🤣😂

[@tamirundell8392]

Plaid speed is from the movie "Space balls" giggles I'm smiling just thinking about it!

[@IanSmith2814]

A cool little gadget to have, but the price is crazy.

[@cltimbes]

This has to be one of my favorite items you have reviewed. I actually think I might give in and order one. I absolutely love it and it looks amazing. Thank you so much for sharing it with us. Another great video.

[@jencrochetingradtech5913]

Did you happen to read the comment on here saying they’re coming out with the next gen one that will have a speaker soon? In case you wanted to wait for that one

[@vinnyvidivici]

I got this ad on Instagram and immediately wanted it. Then I saw the price and couldn’t justify the price, which is too bad because it’s such a cool product.

[@sithra74]

They've gone to plaid! For the highest speed! Spaceballs! HAHAHA

[@jolo3118]

I'd love to use that as a No Parking sign in front of my driveway, except someone would steal it. Lol

[@tunaburn2330]

Holy crap almost $200 for that? That's insane

[@tizzy83]

I got this through the kickstarter campaign so i paid close to half of what you did. For my price I love it. It's a neat little display.

[@waltermelon4965]

Had it for a year and love it. Use it mostly for sports scores and weather. It’s also a display for my tempest weather station.

[@LisaMarli]

We've had several fun clock / info displays before. Enjoyed them until the companies went belly up and the programs eventually didn't work any more. Then as you said, you have an expensive paperweight on your hands. I now just stick to propping up my phone.

[@Mir_Teiwaz]

3:02 - Love the Spaceballs reference

[@Dex99SS]

Excellent, unbiased, sensible reviews.... as always. This is why you're the best...

[@paulalarsen7697]

So that's the display I couldn't stop watching during your last review. It was the PAC Man and Space Invaders that caught my eye.

[@pacerdawn5512]

So that is what was behind you in the last two (coffee and bacon maker) reviews, I was wondering!

[@herbertkeithmiller]

On the speed of display, The setting plaid is a reference to Space Balls

[@traczebabe]

Spaceballs references. 😂 that’s hilarious

[@Aaron-cc7yq]

I just realized I have that same organizer/ shelf thing that you have haha

[@MissingLinx]

Like the Spaceballs reference.

[@HRoss22]

Plaid is always the fastest

[@InCaseiDontSeeU]

They went to plaid. We can’t stop we gotta slow down first.

[@tylertheman1991]

I am curious now if the Plaid speed setting is a reference to Spaceballs?! 😆

[@only1ydk]

That Spaceballs reference is almost enough for me to buy it haha

[@SPG685]

I just saw a review for a product called Hang Hero that puts two nails evenly onto the wall so you can hang pictures. It would be interesting to see a review on it.

[@JodieMiners]

Yeah I still have the Chumby which was a great bit of tech but let down by the ecosystem failing. I'm hoping it will come back.

[@mercster]

Not sure if the display is large enough, but some kind of HAM radio world clock would be cool (showing solar status, UTC, etc).

[@niclastname]

Man it's really cool, but also quite expensive for its limited function as just a low res display. I could see it at that price if it also had a decent bluetooth speaker in it or something for while you're playing spotify etc.

[@pupfriend]

I saw this in the background for the past couple videos. Good review.

[@PREPFORIT]

Cool You could have it display Marquee-style random Patreon members. and have it in the Background

[@LadyThoopie]

Ahhh I saw this behind the scenes in the last few videos, in one of them it made me feel a bit sick with the flickering in the background 😅

[@craig4320]

To film a digital display without adding flicker, set the camera frame rate equal to the display refresh rate.

[@m2pt5]

Love the Spaceballs reference.

[@Voteblue-gq5eh]

I saw it in the background of your interview a few days ago. You had pac man going. Pretty cool. Oh your interview was great!

[@RetrogradeBeats]

I was like thats cool then I said hell nah in the intro when you said the price

[@nplacemksd]

Thanks for the review. I noticed this in past reviews on the shelf with what I think was Packman display. Now I know what it is. It is not for me, but I'm sure there are many that would purchase as a gift for that person hard to buy for.

[@laurallewien2165]

Does it have the flying toasters screen saver? That'd be cool, but it could be a bit bigger to get the full effect....great video as always James 👍 Happy Friday 🎉

[@wbennin]

"welcome back every today!" I love it, James. Every time. Never change.

[@metern]

You must test the cooling belt Sparkle Tornado. Semes awesome.

[@metern]

I think you will get surprised how good it really is 🙂.

[@Maninawig]

Oh wow, I noticed that in older videos and was wondering where it came from.

[@prizegotti]

You can make own for a lot cheaper if you know some basic code. You could go for something like this using an Arduino to drive the LEDs if you're more skilled, but you could also go with something a bit more simple with a Raspberry Pi Zero and a touchscreen display, which would a better resolutioned image. Both options would cost you under $100.

[@NiSE_Rafter]

I had the same train of thought. It's not too complicated of a project to make something similar for much less than this thing's $180

[@scarffoxandfriends9401]

This is true for the vast majority of things, you don't go to a restaurant expecting food to be the same cost as groceries. Being into DIY takes a certain personality, it's not for everyone.

[@NiSE_Rafter]

@@scarffoxandfriends9401 No you don't, but it is fair to expect a reasonable markup. And man that other point is just ??? DIY to the point of "I'm a maker" is a personality, DIY in terms of self reliance is not. It used to be that people actually did things themselves and this just seems like a lazy excuse to participate in rampant consumerism. "Just buy it" or "just get a new one" should never be the primary solution to things and is a major factor in the issue of longevity and repairability of modern products.

[@scarffoxandfriends9401]

@NiSE_Rafter Even before tech, not everyone could just do everything themselves. Humans are societal animals that rely on others. The idea that everyone used to do everything is false. If that was true, then you wouldn't have had so much suffering in the past with everyone being self efficient in everything.

[@greenyoshi48]

Exactly just get a Adafruit matrix led display and a matrix portal M4 and learn a few codes and boom your own Tidbyt for under 70 dollars

[@frankfuller975]

Must say, had a good moment of laugh when they had the top speed be a Spaceballs reference. ^_^ "They've gone to plaid!" As far as the final evaluation, I have to agree, it at least needs to be able to hook to a PC, and if possible do so using open source apps that can be replaced, rather than a proprietary app that could turn it into a paperweight.

[@petersarubbi]

I knew I wasn't the only one who picked up The Spaceballs reference...😆

[@PurrfectlyMediocre]

This seems like the sort of thing that would be fun in the background of a gamer's webcam -- displaying a greeting or message to subs -- but ultimately just a novelty more than useful. If I had an extra $100, I would probably buy it for that novelty, but it doesn't seem like enough to justify $180.

[@Suebe1962]

Back in the day when the Lite Bright toy came out, after playing with it, it gave me the worse headache!!! So, seeing this Tidbyt, my first thought was that awful headache!!! So, it would be a no for me. And the price would hurt me in the wallet!!!! Thanks for the review!!! 😊

[@SuperNicktendo]

I got a divoom pixel panel. It's like $60 does what this thing does but not as elegant. But if it's just for the background it fits the bill. I honestly haven't turned it on in a long time tho.

[@michaelmardling3152]

So that is what that was on the shelf, from the videos about the coffee cubes, and the can bacon video. This video came out after it was already up on the shelf in previous videos.

[@davidbutton3500]

Very neat. But for the price you could by a 32" HD TV.

[@ItsGage]

If it was like $50 I'd consider it🤷‍♂

[@maximusgladi8or]

Probably get knocked down to that within the year. Or clones be found on wish and temu for pennies

[@swiftgalaxy3419]

Packaging was very underwelming considering you spent $180 on it. Compared to other clocks on the market this is a solid 5/10. (Only because the concept)

[@BadWolfPlays66]

I use a Raspberry Pi 3 b+with an 8 inch display on my desk. All in all, I probably paid $80US total for my setup. But that was an interesting gadget. Just not for me. Great video as always.

[@kathys3412]

I noticed it in the background of one of your other videos playing PAC man it looked pretty cool!

[@gaylec258]

You've actually had that for a while. I've noticed it on the display case. I think last time you had the little Pacman thing running back and forth, or across the screen. I was wondering what that was. Now I know. LOL

[@sarojandongol1482]

One good thing about this? I just learned of his shorts channel.

[@MichaelEMJAYARE]

Id imagine $60 being a somewhat reasonable price. $180? Gotdayum At least add a speaker.

[@jon_patterson]

I bought one. It’s fairly attractive for a clock. The wood is nice and elevated the style. Interestingly, there are not that many clock apps on device to choose from. And, one of the main clock apps had a software glitch that makes the brightness randomly increase for a minute. Overall nice device if you are looking for something a bit more upscale, but maybe version 2 would be a better buy.

[@rthorofthehillppl]

So you basically bought a $180 clock?

[@jamesGAMES-rv9yc]

Wasn’t this item in the background in previous videos? I remember seeing the Pac-Man display back there on the shelf

[@gilbster]

You Can make a similar project with a Raspberry Pi and Led Matrix if you're willing to do some coding.

[@kimhargis6616]

Will you review the Snap 3 Pro Grip for iPhone?

[@SuperLemonAdam]

I might buy this thing just for the Spaceballs joke. Well played Tidbyt...well played indeed.

[@akiotatsuki2621]

This is how i found out he has a shorts channel

[@AdamJakowenko]

Me too, good on him for finding a clever way to sneak in a promo for it without being too thirsty about it 😄

[@danholmesfilm]

You should put the name of each new product on it and have it on the background shelf from now on :)

[@barackmycat9448]

I honestly can not think of any use for that.

[@dendroleon]

nice choice of music, shifting gears is excellent

[@AlanHerrlich]

I often watch KZbin full screen on my computer. This video kept having to squint so the display looked better. The entire video looked better in a smaller format. Like others I also saw this in previous review videos and wondered what it was.

[@jsonlee01]

The thing that gives this display it’s value is the app. It has so many sources of info available. A lot of the times something like this might have maybe 5 types of info you can display on it. I still wouldn’t pay $180 for it, but I’m impressed with the apps.

[@Sheena5212]

You can just look at your phone for the information. Which you have to use anyways for the app. 🤔

[@ringtyler]

side question, where did you get that shelf??

[@michaelhusek5221]

The plaid spaceballs reference was a deep cut.

[@DarthSears]

The second I heard the price my brain screamed "Overpriced". Learning it's closed source is just hilarious.

[@ABAtrading]

Does the stock one move like update often when the stock price is moving in real time?

[@drumnjazz]

Johnny “Hammond” Smith getting some love and not one comment! That and the Geezer Butler shirt… I’m sold.

[@parkds]

It is very comparable in price to LaMetric ($199) that you see in the background on lots of channels. Would be curious to find out how they compare to each other.

[@irenesprinkle6962]

This is the type of product if I came across it in the store, I would probably say “That’s interesting “ and keep walking.

[@wishmaster98]

Plaid speed... SPACEBALL FANS UNITE!!!

[@BewareTheLilyOfTheValley]

Was wondering when you were going to address that display thing in the background, lol!

[@conanobrien1]

I've seen this on your video playing in the background and was wondering what it is?

[@brickman409]

Pretty cool little novelty piece. Maybe if it was like $50 I would get it.

[@70SandwichGames07]

hearing you name drop the game valorant really took me by suprise XD didnt expect you to know what it was!

[@jamesoffer6758]

Does this work for calendar notifications?

[@VLADSMESH]

I have a similar product, but the Divoom brand, by the way, is much cheaper. And it has a speaker!

[@dvil9]

does it have an "aux" connection for external speakers?

[@jenneweiner]

My little brother pitched me this idea about 6 years ago and I thought he was dumb for wanting to make pretty much a worse version of a computer screen because pixelation, but since I'm am awesome brother, I told him it was an awesome idea and said he needs to do it because there's not many things like that out there, he worked on it for a few months then gave up and never told me why, then here I am, watching a video reviewing the EXACT thing he pitched to me... Should've stuck to it man.. I keep telling him to stop giving up. And this is just the perfect thing to send him to show that he would've been rich if he just stopped giving up. Wow..

[@Br33zeKooL]

This should be $50 at best, $180 is a wild price.

[@lhoffmann6537]

They've gone plaid!

[@angryasianjim]

That’s one of those “Hey that looks cool! Uh… not at that price though” products.

[@Bionicbabyy]

Seems like a very cool device. If they drop the price a bit I would definitely buy it.

[@barcham]

It is overpriced but it is really cool. In fact, I noticed it running Pac-Man in the background of another video you posted recently and I was wondering exactly what it was. Like many things today, it is difficult to decide whether to get it or not because there is no way to know how long it will be supported, but if I was a young guy with the money to spend, I would probably get one just to show off to my friends. LOL

[@Q80vaper]

This is so similar to divoom gadgets pretty cool

[@wickedlikethreesixes5167]

3:15 Sorry for the stupid question, but as a non-native speaker what is a valorant? I googled itnbut only found some ego shooter game.

[@Jimmyhickey90]

Does it work independent of your phone? Like does it have its own wifi connection

[@dmmarks]

Someone has to pay for the server on which all the extracted info is maintained. With a lower price for the unit they would have to charge a continuous fee.

[@michaelclatecki8157]

I think I've seen that in the background and some of your other videos. Because I remember the Pac-Man images in the background. I think if it's $80 or $100 it might be slightly worth it.

[@smadas4192]

Could you possibly review the ninja combi!?