TRMNL (X)

Exactly what I’ve wanted for a quick glance digital calebdar to match my phone, and a weather forecast. Definitely a first world purchase, but hey, here we are. Its been great, fairly easy set up and mounting. I do wish it were more flush to the wall, but it’s not the worst.

Good build quality, variety of applications for this device

Using this as an eldercare messaging platform using MacOS and Shortcuts. Custom coded some automatic messages and a user-input messaging shortcut to communicate with an elderly loved one with dementia who hates things that glow or emit light at night. This application can directly compete with the LED competitor "Memoryboard". Positioned carefully, with some stock shortcuts or downloadable content or User Interface for those not technically inclined, you could turn this into a complete turnkey package of app + 10" TRMNL X and have it hang on an elderly loved one's wall wherever they are. Just a thought!

Mature device, complicated on-boarding

After hearing a lot about the Terminal, I decided to pre-order the Terminal X. The higher bit depth and larger screen appealed to me, as they seemed better suited for everyday use, especially when placed on a fridge or table. Overall, I have really enjoyed using it. However, the initial setup was frustrating. After unboxing the device, no plugins appeared until I manually updated the firmware. Even with the available documentation, the process was more cumbersome than expected. I understand the decision to avoid physical buttons, but this made entering recovery mode unnecessarily difficult. That said, being able to update the firmware through a browser is very convenient. Now that everything is working, the Terminal X performs flawlessly. It receives regular updates, and I particularly appreciate having an e-ink display that keeps useful information readily available at a glance. I cannot compare it directly with the original Terminal, but the Terminal X feels like meaningful progress and is, overall, a very good product.