How would you change Chumby?

As with Pleo, many may argue that Chumby is simply too cute to tweak. But if you can manage to shuffle your emotional attachments to the side for a tick, we're confident there's quite a few things you'd like to see changed. Sure, this totally unique hodgepodge of glanceable information and bedroom mainstays can handle quite a broad variety of tasks right out of the box, but considering that it's built on an open, hackable architecture, it's just begging for someone to come along and do things better than its creator. So, now that you've had ample time to roll this critter around your domicile, enjoy its abilities and install that hefty firmware update, what's left to be done? Tell the world below, we're all listening.

[Anthony @ Mar 14th 2008 6:53PM]

The name. Who knows that it is unless you read Engadget? I keep having to remind myself & I ready 50 times a day.

[Moff @ Mar 17th 2008 3:18PM]

But then I couldn't say:

My Chumby brings all the boys to the yard.

[Isaac @ Mar 14th 2008 6:53PM]

I would have it run windows.

I HAVE AN ENGADGET DEATH WISH.MOD ME DOWN!

[Aguiluz @ Mar 14th 2008 7:02PM]

Isaac:
"MOD ME DOWN!"

Okay Dokey... (-1)

[PGP-Protector @ Mar 14th 2008 7:11PM]

I don't like being told what to mod up or down +1

[Ellianth @ Mar 14th 2008 7:13PM]

*tips off the engadget PD and the local news station* Within 10 minutes there'll be a huge police line and tons of media. Maybe this crisis will make front page.

oh yeah, don't do it! don't kill yourself (-1)

[mcatrage @ Mar 14th 2008 8:00PM]

This isn't digg, don't tell people what to do.

[Ted @ Mar 14th 2008 11:35PM]

This is NOT digg, that's correct. So don't tell me to not tell you what to do or not do!

Wait...

[shawn.zenz @ Mar 14th 2008 6:53PM]

Ship to Canada! ....support for iphone/touch.

[randompass @ Mar 16th 2008 4:15AM]

what kind of support are you talking about?

[michael @ Mar 14th 2008 6:54PM]

Make it less boxy like. Make it more slimmer so it doesn't take up too much space and can be portable if needed.

[Brandon @ Mar 14th 2008 9:48PM]

I would also like it to be more gooder at playing with windows. :-)

[Exp315 @ Mar 15th 2008 12:58PM]

Lots of good ideas, but I'm surprised nobody has mentioned yet that you can already buy another device that incorporates most of them: the Nokia N800. I actually use my N800 for a lot of the purposes the Chumby is intended for.

[ijyt @ Mar 14th 2008 6:54PM]

This is the first time I'm hearing about this... thing.

[Rob Conway @ Mar 15th 2008 1:25AM]

that's okay, you can keep ignoring it like everyone else does.

[sandossu @ Mar 14th 2008 6:54PM]

It's too ugly to even look at it.

[nick @ Mar 15th 2008 2:39AM]

Make it ad-free

[Aguiluz @ Mar 14th 2008 7:05PM]

Well... Make the screen bigger, faster processor, Windows XP.

[Aguiluz @ Mar 14th 2008 11:13PM]

Ooops.. I retract that comment. This isn't meant to be that, right?

Make it cheaper instead. :)

(I can sneak some posts on the SpyroForum or Engadget! Yay!)

[Steveorevo @ Mar 14th 2008 7:13PM]

As a paperweight i think its just fine as is.

[W00ter @ Mar 14th 2008 7:20PM]

I actually have one, which should actually make my comments somewhat qualified unlike most of the posters up until now.

I'm returning the device soon because I don't find as much value as I thought I would (it could be that I'm not the target customer for the device).

- Larger screen and make it wide.
- More versatility with the button. I.e., two presses should open the control panel. One press should change widgets
- Speakers on the front
- Light on top to indicate new widget items
- The device registration process is a little too involved
- There should be a more comprehensive widget QA system, meaning some of the widgets do not fully work and some do not have enough options. For example, the MW word-a-day widget has too short of a refresh rate between words and there isn't enough variability in the words so I will see the same words for 2 days.
- Similar to the above comment, I should be able to control the refresh rate of each widget. For example, I should be able to control how long a particular story is displayed on the Google News widget. I could set how long the widget is displayed on the Chumby, but not how long each story is displayed.
- More buttons. I should be able to control the forward/backward motion of widgets by pressing either the left or right side of the device.


I'll also list a few things that I like about the device
- I have a white one and I actually like the design. I could see A LOT of people putting this to use in the kitchen as a simple digital photo frame, kitchen timer, quick news, and recipe display device.
- The company is highly responsive to customer suggestions and ideas that are made on the official forums (forum.chumby.com)
- The internet connectivity is generally very good, meaning if you add or remove a widget from the web control panel, the device automatically picks it up with no user intervention
- The alarm feature is GREAT! I guess it's too simplistic to say that the device is a $180 alarm clock, but the ability to set a variety of options for timing and wakeup and the ability set any type of internet music stream from Shoutcast is simply awesome.

[beq @ Mar 14th 2008 8:06PM]

W00ter I really like your suggestions to make it more user friendly (though the wife already loves it as is). I'm also wondering about the undocumented battery socket. I tried putting in a standard 9V battery, but the Chumby doesn't seem to run stable (it would spontaneously reboot once in awhile when on battery power).

I do wonder if the company will ever release new models (perhaps with a bigger screen), or if that is totally against their mantra of having one unchanging hardware spec since the beta days.

[varun @ Mar 14th 2008 8:26PM]

I too have one - I got mine in September or so, and have enjoyed it since. There's a huge and active product suggestion forum over on forum.chumby.com, but some of the big requests that I have for the device:
-The touchscreen is abysmal. Not bad, nor poor, abysmal. A good third to a half of all clicks just disappear. The accelerator is also less sensitive than I'd hope for, so many of the games that depend on things like that just don't work as advertised.
-The latest firmware has made the networking stack more unstable. A solid networking stack is the key to everything else on this. More testing by the company would help.
-More control of widgets from the device itself. In the early (alpha) devices, I remember that a big part of the appeal was to be able to add and remove widgets from the device. I don't know why that functionality disappeared (or if it was perhaps misrepresented in the media - I don't know, I didn't have one), but it would be very nice to have that (or have that back).
-Easily attachable short term battery. It's a quick booting device though, which lessens the pain. But oh, my kingdom for an easy battery - I had to dig through most of the device to get a battery attached.

If you're in the market for a solid clock replacement, you definitely cannot go wrong. If you're looking for more, though, spend time getting to know the widgets before you spend your $180 on it. You may not find what you're looking for right away. But I'm not unhappy with it - I quite like it - but if I could have just one thing replaced, it would be the touchscreen with something more sensitive.

[Pierre @ Mar 15th 2008 3:27AM]

Favorite features of my Chumby:
- Complex Alarms: set one time for MWF and another for TuTh and another for SatSun with different MP3s for each
- Weather Channel Widget: I turn off my computer at night and like to check the weather before leaving in the morning
- Sport Scores: I like checking the scores before going to bed, after brushing my teeth, in the other room

The Chumby is very good when used and viewed as a passive device with potential for DIY improvements. The Chumby is not a half-price iPhone. A lot of people want it to be.

IMHO you don't buy a PS3 and say "It should have a screen and run on battery power." The webpage was not very clear during Insider Launch, but it is very informative now. Check it out.

[MyridoM @ Mar 14th 2008 7:20PM]

A a Chumby developer, I'm doing what I want with it.. Writing the appz I want on it and having a blast with it. So I love mine right out of the bag( it doesnt come in a square azz box).
MyridoM

[ruindpzzle @ Mar 14th 2008 7:30PM]

Make it portable.
It's lame that it only runs off AC, that's really the only reason I haven't already purchased one. I don't want it tied to the wall the whole time. I don't expect it to run all week on batteries, but come on.

[Steve Wallen @ Mar 14th 2008 7:30PM]

OLED screen (or individually backlit pixels) so you can't see ambient backlight at night.

[Yan @ Mar 14th 2008 7:59PM]

That's exactly what I was thinking as I was going to sleep last night. The ambient backlight is too bright even in night mode. I usually have to turn my chumby so it faces away from my bed, but that could just be me because I prefer to sleep in pitch black.

Besides that, it does exactly what I wanted out of it: the ability to wake me up to music from an internet radio station because radio reception in my house sucks. This made more sense than buying a 2nd squeezebox + speakers for my bedroom.

[math0ne @ Mar 14th 2008 7:31PM]

The form factor could use some work... not to my taste. They should just expand the range of form factors available.

[kadajawi @ Mar 14th 2008 7:49PM]

Hm, being pretty similar to a device I have conceived early in 2007 or so there is one thing that I had and this device doesn't. Let the thing control a special multiple socket outlet, so you can switch devices on/off with it.
Oh, and of course acknowledgment and money for me as well as use my design... looks way better, IMHO.

[Beastlykings @ Mar 14th 2008 11:18PM]

The device is openly 'hackable' and bunnie (works at chumby industries) even set up something similar to what you are talking about. The chumby can be made to do a lot of things. :)

[kadajawi @ Mar 15th 2008 10:52AM]

http://www.productdesignforums.com/index.php?showtopic=6310
This is what I've posted at the end of April 2007, a bit earlier I've also posted some renderings on deviantART. If you scroll down you can also see a newer design of the thing.
The basic idea looks somewhat familiar to me...

[Eddy Alvarez @ Mar 14th 2008 7:54PM]

i have one and love it.
oh, and it doesnt need to be plugged in. you can shove a 9v battery up its butt. i havent tested how long it'll run off of it but its a good while.

what i would do: let that USB plug in the back run a webcam and have a skype widget w/ video conf. i know the cpu probably prevents this but i dont care, make it run at some low res.

new firmware made it a lot more responsive and the internet radio thing is awesome especially w/the alarm clock. facebook people (like me) love the facebook gadgets for it.

(that was a messy comment i just made)

[beq @ Mar 14th 2008 8:10PM]

I love the Skype suggestion. I think the developers had already hinted about the currently unused microphone in the Chumby. But a built-in webcam would've been awesome!

Regarding the battery (as mentioned in my other post on this topic), my Chumby doesn't seem very stable running off a 9V for some reason...

[Eddy Alvarez @ Mar 14th 2008 8:14PM]

oh thats odd Beq. runs fine off the 9v for me.

how about a mini web browser? i would like that too.

oh, and how about an aim/msn type of gadget?

[Kris S. @ Mar 14th 2008 8:04PM]

I'd uninvent it.

[Paul @ Mar 14th 2008 8:21PM]

I cant say I agree with you, but you got a chuckle out of me.

[Matt @ Mar 14th 2008 8:07PM]

What the hell is a Chumby?

[EasySt @ Mar 14th 2008 8:54PM]

A Chumby is a $179.95 wireless, touch screen, Linux computer with Stereo speakers, built in microphone, a headphone jack, USB 2.0 Ports, a squeeze sensor, and a 3 axis accelerometer for motion sensing.

It's built around a 350 MHz ARM controller with 64 MB of 32 bit SDR SDRAM running at 117 MHz bus speed and has a 64 MB NAND FLASH ROM. The Touchscreen is a 320x240 3.5" TFT LCD with 3-state LED backlighting. The wireless 802.11g connectivity is via a USB dongle plugged into the main board internally.

It is "Open" and hackable, both hardware and software. It runs Flash Widgets (about 500 of them so far) and functions as an Alarm Clock, Timer, Picture Frame (Flickr, etc), Internet Radio, RSS Feed Display, Game Playing Toy, Stock Ticker, News Feed, Email Reader, YouTube and other Video and Music Playing, MySpace/FaceBook Connected, eBay Tracking Internet Appliance with automatic OS and Firmware update capabilities. (That's the very short list...)

I love my Chumby, and unlike most of my other gadgets, it just keeps getting better, as cooler and cooler stuff gets written for it.

[agmilmoe @ Mar 15th 2008 4:09PM]

It needs a motion detector so that it comes on when I approach and shuts down (at least the screen) when no one is around to look at it. I feel like it's eating too much power just sitting there when no one is around.

[Jonathan Keim @ Mar 14th 2008 8:16PM]

Make it more professional looking.

[Reader @ Mar 15th 2008 2:43AM]

Or at least a professional-looking version. I'm sure many like the homely look of this one.

[farfisa @ Mar 15th 2008 10:22AM]

You mean, like, with a button-down collar or something?

[chickenrob @ May 24th 2008 9:26AM]

Someone mentioned Skype, along the same lines- a voip application. Also it would be neato if you could talk commands to it; Chumby! What time is it?, Chumby, check my email please. Oh and Chumby, Let me snooze for another five minutes! I do not have a chumby... YET but I have been drooling an thinking about getting one... Just as soon as I get a JOB.

[Moff @ Mar 14th 2008 8:28PM]

Chumby needs a simple Photocell! That automatically adjusts the screen's brightness.

[Moff @ Mar 14th 2008 8:28PM]

Chumby needs a simple Photocell! That automatically adjusts the screen's brightness.

[Moff @ Mar 14th 2008 8:29PM]

Chumby needs a photocell that automatically dims the screen in the dark.

[Beastlykings @ Mar 14th 2008 11:02PM]

The first hardware beta versions of the chumby had this, many problems were encountered and the idea was dropped. But the Chumby is completely hackable, and I bet if someone tried hard enough, they could put there own in!

[webmonkees @ Mar 14th 2008 8:37PM]

There's some battery pack at the 'tronics stores (Energizer ER-PHOTO picture frame battery ) that's designed for LCD picture frames that is just perfect to make the thing portable. Adding that as an option adds $50 to the cost of everything, but having it integrated into the device would make a lot of people like me happier than lugging that wall-wart around if I want Chumby goodness anywhere else than the home or office.

[KeenCommander @ Mar 14th 2008 8:44PM]

Personally, I'd have the developers put one in my bedroom - free of charge. I think that's the best improvement that could be made.