I fell for TRMNL on June 2, 2025. It felt fun to transform data with some easy coding and see it appear on a screen beautifully. The dopamine loop was short and the possibilities started flooding my brain. However, before I go too far, let’s get two somethings out of the way first.

My Biases

I have owned 4 variations of e-ink screens (Nook Touch 1st Gen, Waveshare NFC screens, reMarkarkable 2 tablet, and now a TRMNL). I do not hide how much of a joy it is to read, especially as my vision has, um, deteriorated after 40. Like life, the solution to readability is to add light; natural light when possible. I am a fanboy of e-ink technology itself.

E-Ink also doesn’t require power management at the scale of most modern devices. Plugging it in is a thing you forget to do because it’s so infrequent. It also feels like a trick because the last arrangement of pixels never fades, warps, or changes, instead enduring like a Roman aqueduct or a tombstone (in the case of my Nook Touch).

I have two children 5 and under and they are living in that gap where they are curious about the world, but are unable to be self-reliant on gathering that information because of learning limitations (reading words, understanding clocks, etc). Giving them independent opportunities to learn and grow requires different approaches, and this lens is constantly looking at my world and searching for new opportunities.

A $10 Off Coupon

Get $10 off a TRMNL device with the code: mario10
Full disclosure: I’ll also get $10… to buy more TRMNLs.

What Can It Do?

You don’t have to know how to code to own or use a TRMNL. There are dozens of official plugins and multiples more “private” plugins that users create for anyone to use. I’ve even made quite a few!

There are also lots of great articles and videos about TRMNL so I won’t waste your time giving you the basics, but instead I want to highlight the key reasons why you should consider one and who would be most excited to try it.

You Want to Consume “X” Without Being Distracted by It

This is one of the core inspirations for the TRMNL device. The act of consuming information on the internet has become a competition for your ongoing attention. It’s not enough to consume, you now need to doom-scroll and your brain is rewarded for doing so. Yet when you finally stop you can’t recall what you have consumed.

TRMNL gives you what you want: inspiration, laughs, information, etc. What it doesn’t do is give you a button or an action to take. It takes your attention for only the time needed to consume what is valuable to you.

I wish I could have screen <Insert Random Location in your Home>

When the battery can last 30, 90, or 365 days, then it’s no big deal to just hang it on a nail in your drywall wherever you want. Kid height? Sure. Bathroom? Ok. Garage? Fridge? absolutely (people have designed some awesome 3d printed mounts). You can get an email when it needs a charge, because you’ll forget you ever needed to.

If you want to take one screen with you, that’s fine as well, just re-enter WiFi pairing mode and give it a new network to connect to and it can travel with you.

The People Perfect for TRMNL

The Tinkerer

• You get inspired by trying things; poking and prodding bring out your creativity and imagination.
• You may have used code examples to adapt a webpage into your own thing, but you are more excited by the result than the process.
• You could be a lurker or participant at reddit.com/r/selfhosted.

The Parent

• Increase your child’s independence with plugins that use images and iconography. I built one to show what’s for lunch in the cafeteria today!
• Put it on the fridge and connect to your family calendar, so everyone knows you’re juggling 3 events back-to-back Wednesday night.
• Get daily recipe inspiration with a scannable QR code if you want to give it a try.

The Social Deserter

• You scroll social media and hate how you feel after wasting so much time, yet you don’t want to be completely disconnected.
• Your daily does of inspiration is a famous quote, a cute cat, or from skeletor and is a core part of how you manage your mood.

A TRMNL isn’t for everyone, like any product, but if its for you it is very much worthy of falling in love with. The ecosystem is also improving daily, lead by a company and a team that deeply cares about what’s best for the user, even at the cost of revenue.