Chumby -- Engadget

chumby posts

Chumby One review

by Chris Ziegler posted Nov 13th 2009 at 1:00PM

Let's be honest: it's really hard to dislike Chumby. In fact, you feel almost compelled to root for any company bold enough to put out a product as unapologetically wacky as the original Chumby, a device that somehow managed to marry a soft, cuddly vinyl sphere with WiFi and a touchscreen. It didn't make a lot of sense, and as far as we can tell, the company didn't really intend it to -- they basically threw it out there and said, "hey, so we've got this... uh, thing... now let's see what you can do with it." It was an open platform, Chumby encouraged hackers to dig in and understand the guts, and over time, a small-but-vibrant community of users and developers emerged with several hundred widgets capable of doing everything from showing the time to cracking a few Chuck Norris jokes.

A quirky, overpriced alarm clock without broad market appeal can only take you so far, though -- someone's eventually got to pay the bills. Enter the $100 Chumby One, Chumby's first attempt to grow up and produce an affordable device that loses a little bit of the Chumby Classic's insanity while carefully staying true to the company's roots. Will this be Chumby's ticket out of the geek niche and into mainstream living rooms and offices?

Gallery: Chumby One hands-on

Continue reading Chumby One review

Chumby One now on sale

by Nilay Patel posted Nov 11th 2009 at 2:52PM

Looks like the new Chumby One just snuck its way into the Chumby store, with a listed ship date of the 25th. The One might not be as cuddly and adorable as the OG model, but it's got a slightly faster 454MHz processor, a battery for on-the-go use and a lower $100 price tag, so we're not complaining -- especially since you also get an FM tuner, a dedicated volume knob, and a 2GB microSD card in the package. On the other hand, the Classic still comes with a free set of Chumby Charms, so this could be a tough decision for you.

LTE Connected Car redefines the 'mobile' in mobile broadband (video)

by Vladislav Savov posted Nov 6th 2009 at 4:53AM

If you think cellphones have become overbearingly complex, look away now. A partnership of tech companies and content providers, known as the ng Connect Program, has revealed a prototype "LTE Connected Car," which, as you might surmise, combines 4G mobile broadband connectivity with a bunch of cloud-sourced facilities, such as video on demand, audio libraries, and multiplayer gaming. It can also serve as a Wi-Fi hotspot, connect directly to home automation or monitoring systems, and probably cook you scrambled eggs if you ask nicely. A Toyota Prius serves as the guinea pig for this new concept, and we've got video of the whole shebang after the break.

Read - ng Connect Program Puts Connectivity in the Fast Lane with the LTE Connected Car Concept Vehicle
Read - ng Connect Program Reveals the Long Term Evolution (LTE) Connected Car

Continue reading LTE Connected Car redefines the 'mobile' in mobile broadband (video)

Chumby Guts kit lets you build your own Chumby device

by Donald Melanson posted Sep 30th 2009 at 9:24PM

Chumby may now finally be branching out with a few less cuddly products of its own, but it looks like you can now also expand your Chumby options yourself with a few basic DIY skills -- or you could if you were lucky enough to get in on the first batch of Chumby Guts kits. Offered exclusively through the Maker Shed, the kit includes all the necessary "guts" to let you build any sort of Chumby device you like, and has apparently proven popular enough to sell out before the first shipment even arrived. Those hanging on for that Chumby toaster of their dreams won't have to wait too much longer to get their fix, however, as the second shipment is set to arrive in late November, and will run the same $99 as before.

Chumby, now with less adorable softness: meet the One

by Chris Ziegler posted Sep 30th 2009 at 1:52AM

Wrapping one's brain around Chumby's original concept -- drop some Flash-based widgets inside a plush vinyl sphere with WiFi and a touchscreen -- has never been an easy task, but after a couple years of low-key retail action, it looks like the company's finally ready to bring a new version into the mix that might be a little more mainstream. The simply-named One dispenses of the old model's squeezable shell, earning a more businesslike appearance and trading up to a slightly speedier 454MHz core (not to say you need a lot of horsepower when you're lackadaisically cruising feeds, weather forecasts, and clock faces on a QVGA screen, but we're not complaining). Otherwise, specs seem to be about the same -- and at a rumored $100 or so when it hits next month, it might finally be cheap enough to get some traction even though it's not as thin, slick, or normal-looking as those concept Sammy frames from earlier in the year. And hey, Chumby's got an Engadget widget available for download, so it must be worth the cost of admission, right?

[Via thegadgetsite, thanks KC Kim]

Chumby widgets to appear on photo frame, other devices by year's end

by Nilay Patel posted Aug 20th 2009 at 2:44PM

Chumby announced that it'd be bringing its snuggly little widgets to other devices all the back in February, and it looks like we're finally seeing some action -- "powered by Chumby" gear should be on shelves by the end of the year. The first device out of the gate will be -- surprise, surprise -- a digital picture frame from an unnamed partner that will apparently integrate with Flickr, Facebook, and Twitter, and offer new feeds, internet radio, and weather. You know, Chumby stuff. We're more interested in seeing the fruits of Chumby's new partnership with Samsung -- Sammy's already doing widgets like crazy with TouchWiz on mobile and Yahoo's Widget Engine in the living room, so we're wondering where Chumby fits in. We're also wondering what'll happen to the Chumby hardware now that the company seems focused on becoming a software company -- maybe we'll finally place that order.

[Thanks, Craig; Photo is that sweet Chumby telephone mod]

Chumby widgets coming to connected HDTVs, Blu-ray players and STBs

by Darren Murph posted Feb 23rd 2009 at 1:42PM

If you thought Chumby would stop at digital photo frames, you were wrong. Dead wrong. Today, the widget-loving company has announced a tie-up with Broadcom that will integrate its rich media internet platform onto system-on-a-chip (SoC) solutions that will eventually find their way into HDTVs, set-top-boxes and Blu-ray players. Essentially, Chumby is making sure it doesn't miss out on the quickly filling insert-your-connected-device-here bandwagon, and quite frankly, we'll be shocked if any of those other guys can rival what Chumby's bringing. After all, widgets are this company's forte, and we're downright giddy at the thought of having over 1,000 internet-connected snippets of information at our fingertips while intently watching future episodes of Lie To Me. Hey, TV / STB makers -- jump on this. Now. Video demonstration is after the break.

Gallery: Chumby widgets coming to connected HDTVs, Blu-ray players and STBs

Continue reading Chumby widgets coming to connected HDTVs, Blu-ray players and STBs

Designer Chumby up for sale: $600 never seemed so functional

by Darren Murph posted Jan 22nd 2009 at 2:29AM

Apparently Sara Antoinette Martin is quite the artist, and either her or Chumby (or both) are mighty, mighty proud of her handiwork. Available now for those unaffected by things like global recession and public opinion, the Designer Chumby pictured in the gallery below can be had for $599.95. Functionally, it's exactly the same as the vanilla Chumby -- which, by the way, sells for "just" $199.95 -- but we dare you to convince us the bragging rights attached aren't worth the extra four bills. Okay, we're convinced.

Gallery: Designer Chumby up for sale: $600 never seemed so functional

Chumby gets retrofitted into retro telephone, will soon make collect calls

by Darren Murph posted Jan 19th 2009 at 12:09AM

We've seen the elusive Chumby hidden behind all sorts of facades before, but this one is probably the most heartwarming yet. The brilliant minds at MAKE have figured out a way to retrofit the highly tweakable gizmo into an old school telephone, putting all sorts of web-connected widgets at your fingertips while keeping that blast-from-the-past flair in tact. Sadly, it cannot yet make or receive calls, but what's stopping you from taking this same project on and making sure that functionality remains in tact? Nothing, that's what.

[Thanks, Gerry]

Samsung / Chumby prototype digiframe hands-on

by Darren Murph posted Jan 9th 2009 at 7:40PM

The Samsung / Chumby digiframe was on hand at CES in a very, very early prototype form. In fact, the demo units didn't even have a back plate covering up the innards. We were told that Samsung's contribution is the processor within, and plans are to release it to market before the end of '09. Our early impressions? The widgets were liquid smooth and lookin' good; the video playback, however, was less than acceptable. Have a glance below for an early look.

Gallery: Samsung / Chumby prototype digiframe hands-on

Samsung and Chumby partner on internet-connected digiframes

by Darren Murph posted Jan 8th 2009 at 10:00AM

Looking for candidness? We never thought we'd see the day when Chumby and Samsung were collaborating, but we can't help but dole out a round of golf claps for the effort here. As the digiframe market declines from monotonous to completely boring, these two are hoping to put some spunk back into the sector via the power of the world wide web. Here at CES, the pair is showcasing a reference design built on Sammy's S3C6410 application processor for internet-connected digital photo frames. Essentially, it'll enable frames to not only play back media, but to access social networks, messaging services, games, internet radio, video clips, streaming news, weather information, RSS feeds and all sorts of other web-based content. Strangely, the release (hosted after the break) notes that the design is "available now from Chumby," though it doesn't seem that commercialization is yet within sight.

Continue reading Samsung and Chumby partner on internet-connected digiframes

Quake ported to Chumby makes for an adorable first-person shooter

by Joseph L. Flatley posted Dec 10th 2008 at 1:53PM

At first glance, you may wonder if Chumby is simply too lovable to rock a version of Quake, but after peeping ChumbyLurker's port of the game, we'll be darned if the two aren't perfect for each other. He's been gracious enough to make it available as both source code and a disk image, and installing the game is as easy as plugging in your USB drive and turning the machine on. On the video we've seen, the 350MHz device appears to keep up with things quite well, but the best part would have to be that the mouse and keyboard control inputs have been eschewed in favor of the accelerometer -- when Chumby leans forward you move forward, ditto left and right. The bend switch is used to fire, and the touchscreen used to jump or activate items. Unfortunately, there's no network support at the moment, so if you feel the need to go multiplayer, it looks like you'll be stuck with your Nokia handset. You can see a video of the thing in action after the break.

[Via Bunnie's Blog]

Continue reading Quake ported to Chumby makes for an adorable first-person shooter

Chumby hack gives it VGA screen, less cuddly exterior

by Donald Melanson posted Apr 9th 2008 at 4:34PM

The Chumby has already proven itself to be quite the hackable device, and now one of the more prolific Chumby hackers out there has taken things up a few notches by not only giving it a bigger VGA screen, but a new cold, hard exterior as well. As will quickly become clear if you read through the how-to linked below, however, this latest hack by bunnie (of Robo Chumby fame) is certainly not for the faint of heart, with a stereo microscope even required for some of the more delicate work. If you manage to plow through it though, you'll soon have a slightly clearer view of your favorite Chumby widgets, not to mention a device that you definitely won't have to worry about anyone picking up and squeezing.

[Via Slash Gear]

How would you change Chumby?

by Darren Murph posted Mar 14th 2008 at 6:50PM

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.

Chumby gets big firmware update, general public now invited to buy

by Chris Ziegler posted Feb 15th 2008 at 11:40PM

Following a so-called "insider's release" last year that targeted early adopters with beta software running on final-spec hardware, Chumby has finally completed and rolled out a somewhat massive firmware update for the plush lil' buggers that adds significant functionality -- significant enough, in fact, that they're now being sold disclaimer-free to all comers. Besides a long, what's-what list of bug fixes, the real draw in the new firmware is fairly comprehensive support for a variety of internet radio services, a feature that previous builds technically supported but had no user interface for (they are Linux-based, after all, and totally hackable). So yeah, if a cute touchscreen with an open-source platform, Flash player, and integrated speakers is just what the doctor ordered, you can pick one up now without the worry of pre-release software getting in your way for $179.95 in black, white, or "latte."

[Thanks, Kurt]