The Dory Sign is E ink, smart screen simplicity at its finest

The sign can only display one image, though. And while transferring your preferred text, image, and background is simple enough with the app, your phone has to be pretty close to the sign for it to work. You also have to press the power button every time you want to change the display. This can be tedious, especially if you have the sign mounted to a wall. To be fair, though, manually changing a regular sign also requires you to get close to and touch the display. The E Ink screen doesn’t lend itself to vibrant imagery. Instead, it’s a more passive display that doesn’t call for attention, yet clearly communicates with distinct detail in its text and images. Dory Sign is IP44-rated, meaning, per the International Electrotechnical Commission, that the sign’s enclosure should withstand solid, foreign objects that are 2.5 mm (0.1 inch) and larger, rain, and spraying and splashing water. So, the sign could survive some outdoor environments, but not extreme ones. You may also think twice about leaving a small $149 device outside where it can encounter other environmental threats or be stolen. The Dory Sign isn’t a gadget that I’d say anyone “needs.” But I am impressed by its thoughtful, intentional incorporation of technology that enables simple but effective customization, longevity, and variety. You don’t need to be technically advanced to maximize Dory Sign’s usefulness, and its app makes leveraging the sign simpler, not needlessly complicated. I can see why it received Calm Tech Certification, which the Calm Tech Institute gives to gadgets that it says meets its criteria for enhancing “human life without causing stress or distraction.” As with many smart gadgets, though, I’m concerned that the device could become bricked should Dory ever, for example, go out of business, get acquired, or abandon the product. The sign’s app dependence means that the $149 device would essentially be bricked if the app were to close. I told Thomas Ramberg, Dory’s founder and CEO, about my concerns and he responded via email: The battery could last for 15-20 years before replacement, and the sign should then be workable for additional decades in theory. Yes, in the (sad) case we would not be around in some years, we will [definitely] keep the app and functionality available. It is [a] fairly modest [expense] to keep the software running. I (and we) are personally invested on many levels, and it is important to keep people who put [trust] in us happy. Additionally, many of our friends and families have bought a sign, so we’re in it for the long run. Still, I’d prefer if the sign had some manual controls to ensure that it could last as long as its battery, even if the company behind it doesn’t.