STUFF Ding is all doorbell, zero frippery
Published by Stuff, Fraser McDonald, Tues 11 October 2016
Well, it does have an app. But that's OK. We like apps.
At last, a remote control glasses case.
Hah! No, it’s a… wait, what?
A remote control glasses case. You need two hands to open a pair of glasses, but a third hand to open a glasses case. It’s been a bugbear of mine for a while.
But, surely… you just… anyway, it’s not that. It’s a doorbell. But, refreshingly, its British designers have maintained a marvellous purity of purpose. It doesn’t have a camera. It can’t unlock your door, scream at thieves or check the toppings on your delivery pizza. It’s a doorbell. It helps you know there’s someone at the door.
I have a doorbell. It helps me know there’s someone at the door.
But Ding, for so it is named, does have some skills. There’s a wireless ringer, called Chime, which you can move around the house. But pressing the button on the Button – there’s that simple design, again – also connects the house-caller to your phone. So you can speak to them, and find out what they want. “I’m not in”, you can say, even if you are. You cad.
So my doorbell can wake me up even if I’m not there?
Urgh. Well, you can if you want to, but it sounds like you don’t want to, so what you want to do is set quiet times in the app. Where you can also change the doorbell ring tone and, excitingly, see your doorbell history. Or see the charge level of your Button, if you haven’t wired it up to a 5V power source.
Thing about my current doorbell, though, is that it’s free.
Ah, yes. That is a thing. But just think how fun it will be to answer the door from the bath! Don’t think too long, though, because Ding is a Kickstarter project. Current Early Bird deal is US$119 for a ‘charcoal’ Chime and Button set, but there’s a spendier option for colours. Delivery is summer next year. By which time somebody might have picked up your remote opening glasses case idea.
We have now rebranded to Ome, read all about our rebranding journey here.