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Sony Dash preorders start: April 15th release [Video]

Chris Davies — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 11:11:51 +0000

Sony’s Dash was a surprise announcement at CES 2010 back in January, and the fattened-up Chumby has now gone up for preorder at the company’s online store. $199.99 gets you – on April 15th – a 7-inch WVGA touchscreen, WiFi and a USB 2.0 port, along with compatibility with all of Chumby’s widgets. That means things like Netflix and YouTube, along with Facebook and media playback.

In fact there are over 1,500 applications currently available to download, and the Dash will come with several examples pre-loaded; punching in your ZIP code will automatically set it up with time and date, together with local internet radio stations and other details. The one big drawback to home tablet domination is the absence of a battery, with the Dash needing to be plugged into the mains at all times. Given that for around the same price you’ll be able to get an Archos 7 Home Tablet, which has the same screen size but enough battery life for 7hrs of video playback, the Sony looks less of a good deal.

[via Gadgetell]

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chumby sunfury touchscreen tablet spotted

Chris Davies — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 11:59:11 +0000

The problem (well, one of them) with CES is that, while this year’s show was a little smaller than in previous years, there’s still no way you can work your way around every corner of every booth, make every press conference and see everything on offer. Happily chumby’s incoming next-gen tablet was spotted by technabob, and they have all available details on the chumby sunfury too.

The above image was discovered in a dark corner at Marvell’s stand, accompanied by a spec sheet. According to that, the chumby sunfury will have a 7-inch 800 x 480 touchscreen with WiFi b/g and optional 3G. There are also stereo speakers and – like the existing, smaller chumby models – the device will boot from a microSD card for easy hacking.

Also wide open for modification are the apparent optional video camera input, 3-axis accelerometer and expandable I/O option card. Both 800MHz and 1.2GHz versions are promised, which a little sleuthing suggests are from the Marvell PXA168 processor range, while RAM is either 128MB or 256MB. The usual chumby widget platform – which Sony are also using – means support for YouTube, Pandora, Flickr and Facebook widgets, while native video support includes MOV, H.264, AVI, MJPEG, MPEG-4 and MP4. You can also use it to display photos and media streamed from across your network.

No word on price, availability or anything else, but the fact that a lot of these specifications are shared with the Sony Dash suggests chumby might be developing it more as a platform for licensing out rather than an own-brand product.

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Sony dash 7-inch internet tablet gets chumby webapps

Chris Davies — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 01:20:38 +0000

Sony have raised a few eyebrows by announcing their own tablet at CES 2010, though they’re describing it as a “personal internet viewer”. The Sony dash has a 7-inch touchscreen, integrated stereo speakers and support for the 1,000+ of chumby applications already available online. That means things like internet radio streaming, webcam viewing and basic games.

Sony preload YouTube, Pandora, Epicurious, Crackle, Livestrong and Blip.tv apps, and there’s also a NAVTEQ app for traffic updates. The dash can also show movie trailers from Sony’s film studio, along with a shared family calendar management app. Bizarrely, though, there’s no battery, so wherever you use the dash you’ll have to be near an AC outlet.

Connectivity includes WiFi, a USB port – which can be used to plug in external storage or PMPs – and a headphone jack, and there’s an accelerometer for flipping between various orientations. Interestingly, Sony have addressed the issue of multiple people in the household wanting to use the dash by allowing for various profiles each with their own presets and shortcuts. The Sony dash will go on sale in April, priced at $199.

Press Release:

SONY’S NEW “DASHTM” PERSONAL APPLICATION VIEWER OFFERS PERSONALIZED WEB EXPERIENCE AT A GLANCE

New product provides instant access to news, weather, Internet radio and other applications

LAS VEGAS (CES Booth #14200), Jan. 6, 2010 –Sony confirmed its commitment to providing consumers with innovative networked products with the introduction of the new dash™ personal Internet viewer.

Featuring a vivid 7-inch color touch screen (measured diagonally) and access to over 1,000 free Internet apps, including news, calendars, weather, sports, social networking and more, dash utilizes an existing home wireless connection to continuously deliver Internet content to its viewers.

“In today’s connected world, Sony continues to look for ways to help enhance consumers’ entertainment experiences throughout the home” said Brennan Mullin, Sony Electronics’ senior vice president of the personal imaging and audio business. “With dash, we’re empowering consumers with a fun, interactive way to stay connected with their news, entertainment, interests and ultimately, their lives.”

By bundling favorite pieces of the Internet together, dash provides always fresh, personalized content at a glance. The new product offers free access to more than 1,000 apps from chumby industries, inc. as well as the robust audio and video content from Sony’s Bravia™ Internet video platform, including YouTube™, Pandora® Internet radio, Epicurious, Crackle, Livestrong™, Blip.tv and much more.

Other content includes a NAVTEQ® app for easily accessible traffic updates on a customized route, and a Cozi™ app for simple management and synching of family calendars. Further, Sony Music Entertainment and Sony Pictures Entertainment will be contributing exclusive dash apps for movie trailers, music videos, custom user themes and more, including an app from Dr. Oz offering daily health and exercise tips.

In addition, Sony dash can run multiple sources of content simultaneously, so for example, Internet radio can be enjoyed while browsing through online photo albums. Or, the alarm clock can be set to play selected online videos from music, sports and other news feeds. The device also allows users to choose apps either directly from the device or online through a PC, and new content for dash will continue to be added moving forward.

Within the device, an internal accelerometer supports vertical flip, allowing for two optional viewing angles: upright, ideal for a table or nightstand; and tilted, perfect for a countertop. It also supports multiple user profiles and channels, allowing several members of the household to create and maintain their own customized view of the Internet.

The dash personal Internet viewer also features built-in stereo speakers as well as a USB port for simple connection to a variety of external electronic devices. Additionally, a headphone output jack gives users the option to listen privately through headphones or through external speakers.

Sony’s dash will be available this April for about $199 at www.sonystyle.com, Sony Style® retail stores and a variety of authorized dealers nationwide.

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Chumby One mod enables composite video output

Satsuki Then — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 16:53:07 +0000

After iFixit released the photoset of their Chumby One teardown, we knew the compact WiFi widget device had the potential – via circuit-board connections – for composite video output; now some enterprising modders have taken advantage of it. The mod requires soldering an RCA extender cable to the appropriate places on the mainboard, and slightly modifying the Chumby’s firmware.

That mod – which is also detailed here – enables the composite-out TV encoder, which can produce both NTSC and PAL signals. Unfortunately right now only one display – either the external monitor or the Chumby One’s own LCD – can be active at any one time, even though primary control is still via the 3.5-inch touchscreen.

Driving the bigger display also taxes the device’s Freescale i.MX233 CPU a little more than usual, so widgets reportedly run more sluggishly. Still, if you’re keen to have Pandora or any other Chumby widget on a bigger display, this is a reasonably straightforward way to do it.

[via MAKE]

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Chumby Tux: everyone needs a touchscreen penguin

Chris Davies — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 11:27:08 +0000

One day we’ll stop posting Chumby case-mods, but nothing cheers up a cold Sunday like a touchscreen penguin. Modder Ankorite took one of the Chumby guts kits from the MAKE store and squeezed it into a penguin Christmas toy, producing a battery-powered widget and internet radio Tux.

There’s a squeeze sensor in the penguin’s head, and another couple of switches just behind that can be used to scroll through different widgets. Still to be made is a back panel to cover up the DC input and give Ankorite somewhere permanent and easily-reachable for the power button.

MAKE still have a limited number of Chumby guts kits in stock, priced at around $120, but they’re not expecting to get any more in after they’re sold. Of course, you could always pick up a Chumby One and dismantle it; they’re also priced at $120.

[via Twitter]

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Chumby One teardown: yep, it’s very hackable

Chris Davies — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 10:29:59 +0000

Let this be a lesson, gadgets: no matter how cute you are, you’ll still get the teardown treatment. Notorious screwdriver-wielders iFixit have coaxed their latest device in front of the camera, and it’s the Chumby One touchscreen WiFi radio/alarm clock/widget display. The components themselves aren’t too much of a mystery – after all, the Chumby team encourage such acts of hackery and modification – but there are still a few surprises lurking inside.

Said-surprises include a removable WiFi dongle which means you could feasibly sacrifice wireless internet if you needed another hook-up, and an engraved message from Chumby’s founder (who goes by the nickname “bunnie”). That WiFi dongle supports the a/b/g bands; we’re not sure whether you could replace it with a 3G modem, since that would probably require specific drivers.

There are also some “unpopulated passives” as iFixit describe them, for composite NTSC/PAL TV output, and an FM radio. The OS is stored on a microSD card, and the whole thing is powered by a Freescale i.MX233 CPU with 64MB of RAM. Plenty more internal shots at iFixit.

[via Gizmodo]

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Chumbophone mixes chumby with Steampunk styling

Chris Davies — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 17:29:31 +0000

Since you can now pick up a set of chumby guts without bothering with the standard casing, the real fun for the platform is in fashioning a unique housing for the internet-connected widget display. That can be as basic as the cardboard box the components come with, or you can go the route of one particular Etsy seller and put together a somewhat Steampunk-esque retro enclosure.

Called the Chumbophone, as far as we can tell the various brass horns, controls and other appendages are all decorative rather than functional. The only real controls are the power button, the front panel key and the chumby’s 3.5-inch 320 x 240 touchscreen, which is still enough to browse various web widgets, control music – either streaming or local – and do everything else that makes chumby so appealing.

Of course, custom cases don’t generally come cheap, and the Chumbophone is no different. Asking price is $375, while buying a bare-bones chumby kit of your own would regularly set you back $139. It’s up to you whether you reckon $236 is reasonable for all the wood, brass and hard-work that’s gone into making it.

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Chumby One gets unboxed, first-play

Chris Davies — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 09:45:06 +0000

The original Chumby was a curious, beanbag-esque blob of WiFi connectedness and difficult-to-explain purpose; the new Chumby One, meanwhile, strips away the squishy exterior and drops the price. Currently up for preorder at $99.95, one of the first Chumby One units has dropped onto the desk of jkOnTheRun’s Kevin C. Tofel.

Among the other changes include a rechargeable battery option – though it’s only apparently good for around an hours untethered use – and a big, chunky volume knob on the side. As for the 3.5-inch LCD touchscreen, Kevin says that’s pretty clear, which considering the whole purpose of the Chumby is to show web-enabled widgets is a pretty good thing.

Kevin is hoping to shift all his regular desktop widgets over to the Chumby One, though we’ll have to wait for the full review to find out how successful that is. More unboxing images and full specs over at jkOneTheRun.

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chumby one coming November: cheaper, more serious

Chris Davies — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 08:40:59 +0000

The original chumby – a hacky sack with a WiFi-enabled touchscreen widget engine stuffed inside – perhaps confused more people than it converted, but the company isn’t giving up. Details on the chumby one have emerged, keeping the 3-inch 320 x 240 display but boosting the processor to a 454MHz chip and packing all that into a hard-shelled plastic casing. There’s also a built-in FM radio along with stereo speakers.

chumby’s widget catalog now amounts to over 1,500 apps, including social networking integration, news and weather apps, Pandora and other streaming radio receivers and more.

What it still doesn’t seem to have – at least, as far as we know right now – is a battery, which means while your internet access is wireless, you’ll still be tethered to an AC adapter.

The new chumby one is expected to arrive in November, and retail for an altogether more affordable $100 or thereabouts. That’s a whole lot more reasonable when you consider standalone WiFi radios tend to be priced at a similar point, but that the chumby one will deliver far more widgety flexibility.

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Chumby Looks to Be Getting Chummy With Broader Software Development

Evan Selleck — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 20:14:09 +0000

So, the Chumby came out awhile ago. It’s this little box-like device that pulls information off the internet, like weather, news, and sports updates, and then displays them in Flash format in real-time. It was a pretty original idea, and while it may not have been the sharpest looking thing on the block, its functionality was close to making it worth it. Especially if you don’t like alarm clocks, and can’t afford the alternative. But, apparently the hardware wasn’t the top of the pick for many, and so Chumby is moving over onto the software front, hoping to make a name for itself.

Company executives at Chumby are hoping to ascertain a wider platform as they look to put the Chumby software on other gadgets, and therefore create a “powered by Chumby” brand. Which, for all intents and purposes, is probably better than banking on the $200 Chumby launched back in February of 2008, which is also available in Japan, the UK, and Australia. It’s a good strategy to focus on expanding the brand, and not simply pushing the hardware. By doing this, Chumby can see more market appeal, as it may appear on more familiar brands, which people feel “safer” buying.

It looks like Chumby is in talks with Samsung, Sony, Broadcom, and Marvell to be included in digital picture frames, TVs and Blu-Ray players. And if you aren’t excited enough yet, Chumby-powered products are set to appear some time later this year, probably by the holiday season, and in a digital frame. Let’s hope that Chumby can find a way to stream photos from Flickr, as well as include some other features like internet radio and weather all in one package. That would be a photo frame worth staring at for hours.

[via Wired]

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Chumby widgets to appear on Broadcom-based TVs

Chris Davies — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 15:23:08 +0000

Chumby and Broadcom have announced a collaborative effort to put the formers widget platform on internet-connected TVs, using Broadcom-based set-top boxes, DTVs and Blu-ray players. There are currently in excess of 1,000 widgets available for the Chumby, a compact touchscreen WiFi device, and these will now be accessible along the bottom of big-screens too.

Video demonstration after the cut

The widgets include video and music, internet radio, content from the New York Times, Pandora, The Weather Channel Interactive, AOL’s SHOUTcast and Scripps Networks, and more. There’s also an open development platform which users can take advantage of to create their own widgets, sharing them through the Chumby catalog.

Considering the Chumby alone costs around $200, while the Broadcom functionality will most likely be included at little or no extra cost, users of Chumby widgets on TVs and other media devices will probably overtake the standalone gadget. No timescale has been given for the first TVs or STBs featuring the new Broadcom implementation to reach the market.

Press Release:

Broadcom Extends chumby(R) Platform to Internet-Connected TVs, Set-Top Boxes and Blu-ray Disc(R) Players

Collaboration with chumby Delivers Cost Effective, High Quality and Rich Media Content to Consumer Devices Enabled by Broadcom(R) Technologies

Broadcom Corporation (Nasdaq: BRCM) and chumby(R) today announced the integration of the chumby rich media Internet platform into Broadcom’s latest digital television (DTV), set-top box (STB) and Blu-ray Disc(R) system-on-a-chip (SoC) solutions delivering cost effective, high quality and personalized user experiences to Internet-connected TVs. The collaboration will enable users to access chumby’s extensive library of entertaining, compelling and interactive Internet content across a variety of personal interest categories as well as a vast offering of Internet radio streams and podcasts. This will give users the ability to view individually customized channels of streaming Internet and personal digital content on devices enabled by Broadcom solutions, delivering an enhanced interactive consumer experience across multiple connected screens in the home.

Chumby enables users to select their favorite parts of the Internet delivered to them in a convenient, always-on, always-fresh format. Chumby content currently consists of over 1,000 widgets in 30 different categories ranging from news and entertainment to videos, music, and sports provided by leading media partners such as CBS, MTV Networks, The New York Times, Pandora, The Weather Channel Interactive, AOL’s SHOUTcast and Scripps Networks. Chumby also delivers thousands of Internet radio stations and podcasts. Chumby’s free and open content network enables individual creators to publish creative and compelling content. And chumby users themselves can share their own user-generated content, including photos, e-cards and more, with family and friends via chumby’s integral social network. Chumby is constantly expanding, bringing users new widgets, media and services, as well as the most interesting content from the Web.

Viewing Internet-based streaming video, music and other media content on household televisions is growing in use and popularity. To satisfy consumer demand, Broadcom and chumby are delivering an easy-to-use personalized Internet content experience that supports interactive multimedia widgets and Internet-based audio selections from leading online providers, major media brands and the worldwide community of chumby developers. Broadcom and chumby also are enabling social connections across devices such as DTVs, STBs and Blu-ray Disc players supported by Broadcom solutions that will enable users to share content, photos, video clips, games or messages with friends and family who own any chumby-powered device.

“Consumers want a powerful, yet simple, consistent and exciting chumby experience across multiple screens,” saidStephen Tomlin, CEO, chumby. “We are delighted to work with Broadcom to support the chumby content platform with system-on-a-chip solutions that enable personalized streams of each user’s favorite parts of the Internet for delivery to next generation Internet-connected TVs, set-top boxes and Blu-ray players.”

As a result of this collaboration, consumer electronics manufacturers will be able to quickly deploy chumby platform support on Internet-connected TVs, set-top boxes and Blu-ray Disc players without additional cost, external components or expensive PC hardware. As an open source Linux(R)-based platform and “cloud-based” content network with graphics that scale easily to any screen size, chumby allows users to create a complete personalized Internet experience without the need to establish a new configuration or install separate software or widgets on each device, thereby enabling new applications and content to be accessed and easily shared across all chumby-powered devices. Additionally, chumby supports an established framework with standardized tools for developers and manufacturers to create and enable consistent, high quality content.

“Broadcom and chumby are delivering a personalized Internet experience to the consumer via Internet-connected TVs, set-top boxes and Blu-ray Disc players without increasing bill-of-materials cost or complexity for Internet-enabled consumer products with chumby support,” said Dan Marotta, Senior Vice President & General Manager for Broadcom’s Broadband Communications Group. “We are very pleased to continue our collaboration with chumby as Internet-connected consumer devices herald the convergence of traditional PC-based Internet content with the comfort and convenience of living room viewing, positioning the connected TV as the information and entertainment hub of the digital home.”

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Chumby to get new music features

Brenda Stokes — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 01:01:29 +0000

Current owners of the cute-looking Chumby device will be glad to hear new features are on the way. In fact, the multimedia device will soon be equipped with additional music-listening features.

This clock radio that can connect to the Internet and is wrapped in leather will let you connect to radio stations you create by using the Pandora service. Plus, you can stream music videos by means of the Avot Media’s tool. Additional features include music news from the likes of UsMagazine.com and RollingStone.com.

So there you have it, folks. This isn’t life-altering, or anything, but it is certainly great news for those with a Chumby that have been looking to get more out of the device.

[via Crave at CNET]

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Chumby gets Pandora web-radio widget

Chris Davies — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 18:12:16 +0000

Chumby has been around for some time now, and the team behind it are keeping their promise to release updated features for the squidgy touchscreen companion. The latest is support for Pandora radio, the streaming online music service that creates custom ’stations’ based on your favorite tracks. Pandora on Chumby allows you to log into you account, listen to existing stations and create new ones, with playback through the integrated speakers.

Pandora can be set as the alarm clock sound, so you can be woken with a track in the style of your choosing. All of the usual online Pandora controls are apparently there, including the ability to mark currently playing songs as liked or not liked (which affects what music is picked for you next), bookmark them for later research, and a QuickMix function if you don’t want to get too involved.

Chumby is priced at $179.95 and available in three different colors. It relies on a WiFi network for connectivity. Currently the Pandora widget is yet to show up in the download section, but presumably existing owners will be able to update their Chumby with it soon. Update: Pandora shows up as a music source, not a widget; simply restart your Chumby and it will update with the new Pandora source. You can find it in the Music menu.

[via Electronista]

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Flash game deal brings chumby tilt-controlled play

Chris Davies — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 12:29:15 +0000

Beanbag-like internet appliance and general squishy WiFi companion chumby will soon be able to do more than alert you to the weather and bring you the latest 3G iPhone news courtesy of your RSS feeds. In a deal with Canadian games studio Albino Blacksheep, who specialise in Flash animation and gaming, chumby owners will be able to play selected titles from the studio using the touchscreen and accelerometer tilt-sensor interface. Rotating, shaking and prodding chumby will allow gamers to navigate through tunnels, chase a ball and even direct missiles.

“Now we can merge the convenience of casual gaming and intuitive motion to provide a unique gaming experience on a device right on your desk, coffee table, or night stand. This new slate of Albino Blacksheep games is a fantastic addition to the already-existing 40+ games available on the Chumby Network” Stephen Tomlin, CEO and founder, Chumby Industries

The titles include Bounce, Tumbler, Missile 3D, the Line Game and Chameleon, and Albino Blacksheep worked with UK-based game developers Everybody Panic! to tweak them to the chumby’s unique interface. Albino Blacksheep are calling it “more intuitive” than playing with buttons. There are apparently already in excess of forty games from other sources available for chumby owners to download.

Chumby Industries have also released an animation widget, especially for Albino Blacksheep’s animations. Users will be able to browse a list of titles and play them on the chumby’s display. The widget can be downloaded from the chumby network.

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Chumby Internet Appliance alarm clock reviewed

Chris Davies — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 21:58:34 +0000

I’m not quite sure how she engineered it – feminine wiles, I’ll bet – but Julie Strietelmeier over at The Gadgeteer managed to get onto the very, very exclusive list of pre-release buyers of the endearing Chumby alarm-clock-cum-web-appliance, and she’s been busy reviewing the little fella. In case you’ve forgotten, the Chumby is a compact touchscreen and Freescale processor with a couple of USB ports and a WiFi ‘g’ connection; in its most basic mode it works as an alarm clock, but delve deeper and you can use it for all sorts of real-time information. Think something like Ambient Devices range of wireless info-devices, only using WiFi.

So does Julie’s Chumby live up to expectations? Well, for $200 you could be justified having pretty high standards for a glorified alarm clock to live up to, and the device’s opening gambit is disappointing: as an alarm clock it’s a little too simplistic, has only two alarms and doesn’t make sensible use of the Chumby’s in-built buttons.

As for the user-customisable Widgets, however, the Chumby comes into its own. The key seems to be the flexibility of interaction, as the device has both the touchscreen, the buttons and even an accelerometer so it knows if you’re shaking it. I’ll leave the final words to Julie herself:

“As an internet device, the chumby is a lot of fun. Sure, you can access all the same information on your regular computer, but you would need to manually go to each site to get the info. With this device, the info comes to you” Julie Strietelmeier

Check out her full review over at The Gadgeteer!

Chumby Internet Appliance [The Gadgeteer]

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Chumby – your new bedside pal

Chris Davies — Sun, 27 Aug 2006 21:26:15 +0000

On a typical night, the contents of my bedside table generally amounts to a glass of water, an alarm-clock, my cellphone and the various meds I’m forced to take lest the demons inside reek their havoc on my loved ones. Well, it turns out that I could replace at least the alarm-clock with this adorable Chumby.

“What’s a Chumby?” I hear you mutter, your mouth full of figs and bile. Well, a Chumby is an open-source computer-cum-clock designed to run tiny Flash widgets, pulling down information from the internet through its built-in wifi connection. Based around a 266 MHz CPU with 32MB SDRAM and 64MB Flash RAM, there are a variety of programs that can display anything from flickr photos to rss feeds on the 320 x 240 3-inch touchscreen. Internet radio is catered for with 2W speakers, so that you can be roused each day to the strains of obscure Bolivian harmonica-jazz, and there’re two USB ports should the overwhelming need for expansion come upon you.

So far Chumby isn’t commercially available, though they’re apparently aiming for a sub-$150 pricetag. Hopefully we can get hold of one to have a play and let you know whether it’s worth shuffling your precious nightstand real-estate for.

Chumby [via engadget]

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