That’s what the makers of theTidbyt retro-style displayare counting on.

I wasn’t prepared for how useful it would be.

At first glance, Tidbyt looks… meh.

The Tidbyt Display showing growing seasons for the Southeast.

Tidbyt Display.Lifewire / Jerri Ledford

It’s a display.

There are no speakers or mics, so you might’t stream music to it or take calls on it.

All it does is scroll through information.

Tidbyt display on a table.

Tidbyt Display.Lifewire / Jerri Ledford

So, how useful could it be?

Well, let me tell you.

There are already so many displays in our homes.

Sunrise and Sunset on the Tidbyt display.

Tidbyt.Lifewire / Jerri Ledford

But trust me when I tell you that you don’t have a display like this one.

Don’t worry about a bunch of flashy, blinking lights, though.

I haven’t seen anything like that.

It’s more like a scrolling ticker of information.

But Really, Is Tidbyt Useful?

Let’s get to what you really want to know: Is Tidbyt something you’ll use?

For me, that’s a lot.

And I don’t even live in an area where public transportation is the primary means of getting around.

I feel like I’m constantly looking at some little bit of information.

That’s where Tidbyt comes in.

Wanna know when your next meeting is?

It’s on your display.

And for whatever reason, that just tickles my little southern, cold-hating heart.

So it’s not all just fun and games.

But Creating Your Own Tidbyt Apps?

My one disappointment with the Tidbyt is around creating your own apps.

The company claims you might create apps on Tidbyt if you’re just learning to code.

So, I figured, “Why not give it a try?”

I’m not a programmer by any stretch of the imagination.

I canslap down a few terminal commandsor write a line or two of HTML if necessary.

But that’s where my skills end.

And there are a few pre-existing apps that require an API key that I’m lost about.

Still, that won’t keep me from using Tidbyt.

And, who knows?

In the future it might be even easier to create your own.