Chumby One now on sale
By Nilay Patel 
posted Nov 11th 2009 2:52PM
posted Nov 11th 2009 2:52PM
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volume know?
It's good to know your volume i guess
aw they fixed it thus rendering my joke sterile :(
Gutted
My girlfriend gave me a Chumby...um?
Can this thing be used as an alarm clock also? I feel like this would be a good alarm clock/bedside computer thing if it did.
Also, lol alexicov.
It has multiple alarm settings according to the site.
I have an OG Chumby and it's an awesome alarm clock. Totally flexible - you can program different alarms for different days, you can wake to internet streams or mp3s, and it has a programmable alarm volume fade-up so you're not jolted when it goes off. I got it to replace an old clock readio I've had since the 70's and I'm very happy with it.
best alarm clock on the market
There's something about these Chumbies that scream unitasker.
UNITASKER!!!!
Not a bad christmas gift idea, especially for someone who is hard to shop for.
I'm with krellish, this would make an awesome alarm clock. And if it doesn't have one built in you could probably find a widget that acts as one...
It does in fact have lots of alarm features... as other people have already mentioned.
I get knocked down, but get up again....wait....nvm
lmao. wow. thank you.
you took the words right outta my mouth
I'd take this over my dumb atomic alarm clock anyday, even at 99. It has a good chance of success if people like me (cheap, value conscious) are interested. I'd never buy an alarm clock for 40 much less a hundred bucks, and I'm totally interested in this. I just need to see the final design and make sure it has all the features claimed when actually released, and I'll be buying it. It's def. the alarm clock of 2009, and it's about time.
I am still using the alarm clock I bought in "West Germany" in 1984. It runs on 1 AA battery for about 8 months. If it still works, why replace it?
internet radio
I've had one of the classics for a year or so. The Chumby is a great alarm clock and is my primary use for it (other than wi-fi radio). You can set a number of different alarms, you can program different recurring alarms, whether weekdays, weekends, etc. You can wake to various different things, from standard tones to wi-fi radio stations (if using wifi radio it can even have a backup alarm incase wifi connection is lost meaning the radio doesn't work).
For 100bucks it is a great buy.
It looks like it is on backorder now.
wish they would lower the price of OG
I love my Chumby - I might upgrade to this guy! Question, though... is the screen a bit brighter?
It's actually the same screen as the original Chumby.
So No Mention of the fact that it went from STEREO TO MONO SOUND. You know because the sound of the APP YOU ARE SHOWING doesn't matter.
there is a stereo headphone output so you could connect a small set of speakers if it bugs you that badly. i doubt many buy this for the stock speaker quality anyway.
i bought some creative t20's for mine and i love it. waking up to radio wazee every morning
The Classic's speakers are right next to each other anyway, and pointed backwards -- the stereo separation doesn't do /anything/.
I had a question about whether it had an ambient light sensor so it auto dims at night. It doesn't. Instead I found a page describing script actions such as screen brightness for different alarms, etc...
this thing seems totally useless now that smartphones are so common
Not everyone is completely in charge of their physical faculties at 5am in the morning and in a sunshiny mood when the alarm goes off. Alarm clocks tend to be a little more durable than small touchscreen devices and less likely to be damaged when dropped or smacked.
I did notice that the Engadget widget for the Chumby is #3 all time...interesting.
If you have trouble getting up in the morning, a smartphone has nothing on a Chumby.
On the other hand, if you're the kind of person whose smartphone alarm can go off at a pleasant level and you roll out of bed instantly all chipper and ready to go then you don't need a Chumby - and I hate you so much.
I didn't see the MicroSD port on Chumby's 360 view on the website? Is it there?
From the linked article where you might find an answer to a question like this: "2 GB internal microSD card" I am guessing it would be INSIDE the unit and not visible in the photos...
It's an internal SD card -- it's not meant to be replaced unless you're a tinkerer. This is where the Linux OS is loaded from, etc.
https://store.chumby.com/pages.php?pID=15
I've never quite understood certain aspects of this device.
1) is is a fully-functional WiFi Radio, the same as any other stand-alone WiFi radio, able to tune in ANY internet radio station?
2) can the backlight be adjusted to a reasonable level at night?
It seems too inexpensive for what it does (compared to other WiFi Radios).
It can accept custom streams (MP3, M3U, Ogg and PLS URL's can be input via "My Streams" under the music sources menu), so it covers the stations I listen to. It also has a variety of presets, podcasts, and even Pandora.
As for the screen back-light brightness, it can be adjusted, and has a "Night" mode that drops it down and makes turns it into a very easy-to-read night time clock (the brightness level here is adjustable as well, plus there's a "DARK" button that turns the screen off entirely). The default setting on the night mode doesn't bother me personally, but I'm not very sensitive to light conditions while I sleep.
the battery inclusion was the only thing i wish my 1st gen chumby had. this is a great addition
still prefer the old styling though
Technically, the battery doesn't come in the package -- you have to buy a separate NP-120 style battery (they're camcorder batteries, $10 on Amazon).
Just ordered two for christmas gifts. I can deal with them not shipping until 11-25 but I really hope nothing causes a month-long delay of some kind.
One thing I've never understood about the Chumby is the whole "app/content sponsorship" / "promotional widget" thing. They advertise that all of the content is free but then they push promotion widgets to the device. Can anyone who owns a Chumby describe what this is really like? Thanks.
It's not a huge deal -- in fact, if you don't have too many widgets in your channel, you never see them. If you do see them, they don't really last any longer than a normal widget, and can be skipped instantly if you want to. I use mine for mainly the music features, and a couple ticker apps, so I don't really see them; When you've got 15 little widgets cycling through at 30seconds per, it'd be easy to miss the ad widgets anyway. The chumby's more of a passive device (to me, anyway).