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.

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]

How well we know how distorted the world becomes when you're only alive courtesy of (insert energy drink here). Thankfully, we've no idea how twisted your mind must be to create a conglomerate with so much going on, it's truly hard to describe in merely a single breath. Nevertheless, bunnie somehow managed to scrounge up enough hardware to hack together a Chumby-based, drivable RC car with the ability to beam back its surroundings so that it could be controlled from afar. Of course, we can't help but pass along kudos for making this thing work, but seriously, it's high, high up on the list of most unsightly concoctions we've ever seen. Hit up the read link for ugly (and duct tape) aplenty.

[Via MAKE]

So just what is a Chumby? Well, it's a Chumby, of course: a plush ball with a touchscreen, WiFi, accelerometer, squeeze sensor, and USB ports. Any attempt to shoehorn this device into an existing category of consumer electronics will be met with at least some amount of resistance. The basic idea is to combine some of the best ideas in glanceable information and entertainment -- an alarm clock, digital picture frame, bite-sized web clippings, and an iPod dock, for example -- with an utterly unique design (when's the last time you wanted to hug your alarm clock?) and an open, hackable architecture. Like other projects of recent memory, the success of the Chumby will depend as much on the participation of the user community in creating, rating, and discussing widgets as it will depend on Chumby Industries' own efforts -- not to downplay the importance of the hardware, naturally. Read on for some quick impressions.

Update: We're happy to report that Chumby Industries contacted us regarding the white specks along the Chumby's side, and like many of our commenters have reported, they've never seen this issue before; they're expressing a new unit our way, so we expect a pristine bezel next time around. Chumby would also like to remind everyone that the units currently being sold are being coined an "Insider's Release" for a reason -- the software isn't complete and won't be until early '08 -- so just make sure you're cool with possible bugs, incomplete features, and frequent updates if you pop for an order in the meantime (though for what it's worth, we've seen zero issues so far with the software build we're running)!

Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about technology, multimedia, and digital entertainment.

For nearly as long as the Internet has had value to average consumers, companies have sought ways to deliver its infotainment more conveniently. Early efforts such as WebTV, the hackable Netpliance i-Opener, and the MSN Internet Companion suffered from slow dial-up access and unsavory subscription plans. Portable wireless efforts using inexpensive distribution networks such as the paging network (Ambient Dashbard) or FM radio (MSN Direct watches) have struggled with information presentation interfaces and breadth of content.

While most of these devices have been marketplace failures, the quest clearly continues. Much of the attention yesterday around Android and the unveiling of the Open Handset Alliance revolves around getting a better Internet experience into the mobile phone, the clear payoff for Google.

Chumby, the open source, Wi-Fi-savvy, touch screen-enabled, accelerometer-equipped bit bag represented by what appears to be a mutant octopus, has been tossed onto this treacherous trail of Internet appliances. Chumby resembles a portable GPS device such as the TomTom Go or Garmin StreetPilot C330, but with a rear that hasn't been to the gym in a couple of years. Instead of displaying directions, Chumby can display Flash Lite widgets from scores of content providers. These include, for example, movies from FimCritic.com, weather updates from The Weather Channel, "news" from MTV, and even SAT vocabulary words from fear profiteer Kaplan.

Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about technology, multimedia, and digital entertainment.

Continued from last week's Switched On.

The Chumby control panel is activated by pressing a subcutaneous button and provides options for manually browsing widgets and keeping one on the screen or switching among channels. Most widgets have limited configuration options but you can add multiple widgets to a channel to compensate for this. For example, one horoscope widget can be set to Libra while another is set to Aries. Currently, only one channel can be active at a time. However, it can be time-consuming to get to a particular widget, particularly if it's not in the active channel.

The control panel also includes a "Night" button" which puts Chumby on its lower brightness setting and turns the screen black except for a very faint clock. Chumby has a built-in dual alarm clock application and can play iPod playlists if the digital music player is connected to one of its two rear-mounted USB ports. This charges the iPod, unlike the line-in jacks of many "MP3-compatible" alarm clocks. Chumby would benefit from a way to specify certain widgets as favorites. Holding down its top-mounted button could bring up a thumbnail grid that would streamline the process.

Clearly, the value of Chumby is dependent on its content. The company offers the versatile widget player for $179; probably the closest comparable product is a midrange iPod dock with which it compares favorably in terms of value. Chumby also costs $120 less than Nabaztag, the Wi-Fi-enabled digital rabbit that features light patterns and moving ears..However, there's little on the network today that would be considered critical information and even the Chumby Web site concedes that there's nothing on the network that isn't accessible via a PC. Chumby Industries notes that it is still selling mostly to opt-in "insiders" and will expand its content offerings next year beyond today's slide shows while beefing up the content offerings.

At this point the only surprise left with the Chumby always-on widget box was when it was going to finally go on sale -- we've seen the specs, gone hands-on, seen the retail unit, and generally gone gaga for widgets with this thing -- so we're pleased to report that the Chumby store is now taking orders for the box, in your choice of white, latte (pictured) and black. $179 gets you the box, but it's how developers and users use this thing that'll really be the story. No concrete word on a ship date, but since "insiders" have been playing with these since last month, we're betting it'll be soon.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Just about two short months after learning the official specifications and pricing details of the forthcoming Chumby, it looks like one of those lucky "insiders" were able to get their paws around a retail production unit and show us what this thing's all about. Aside from blessing us with an unboxing video, initial impressions of the device explained that overall performance was "very snappy, the screen was crystal clear, and sound performance was excellent." Additionally, it was noted that the Chumby just seems like a gizmo that will enable all sorts of fun, so while we the general public wait our turns, be sure and take a peek at the preview vid residing after the break.

It's hard to believe that it was nearly a year ago that we first got our hands on the lovable, customizable Chumby, but it's true. Well, apparently the Chumby still has a few months to go until an official release (it'll be available to "insiders" in August, and to the public this fall), but at least now we know the real specs and pricing of the device: the Chumby will ship for $179.99, and will come with a 350MHz ARM processor, 64MB of RAM, a built-in microphone, a built-in accelerometer, a cleaner case and internals than we'd seen from the pre-production model, all alongside the 320 x 240 3-inch screen, two USB ports, 2W speakers, and WiFi that we'd already seen. Now, as the saying goes, all we've gotta do is wait.

Seems like all those IFA goers and showers are getting up on the portable media device tip, between the Toshiba Gigabeat V, the Zen Vision:W, and the Sansa c200. And why not? It looks like Apple's prepping to launch a whole mess of stuff on September 12th, so if you can't beat 'em, at least get your products out earlier. Also in Apple: myTunes strips iTunes 6 DRM (albeit a little complicated), and Crossover Mac runs Windows apps without a virtual machine. And then along came the Chumby, making its adorable little way into our cold, jaded hands. Enjoy the show!

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Hosts: Peter Rojas and Ryan Block

Producer: Trent Wolbe

Music: Solvent - Instructograph (Ghostly International)

Format: 30:27, 14 MB, MP3

Program:
01:25 - Toshiba drops a bomb: Gigabeat V in the US
03:35 - Creative Technology introduces Zen Vision:W
09:15 - SanDisk intros Sansa c200 player
10:45 - SanDisk intros Made for Sansa
13:07 - CrossOver Mac beta released: run Windows apps in OS X
15:45 - myTunes: the simplified iTunes DRM stripper for Windows
18:20 - Apple planning event in SF on September 12th?
23:40 - Hands-on with Chumby

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Contact the podcast: 1-888-ENGADGET, Engadget (Gizmo Project) or podcast at engadget dawt com

So in a not very well lit room we got our meat hooks on a cuddly wuddly Chumby. You can probably tell we're trying hard not to use the phrase "got chummy with Chumby." Anywho, Chumby: lumpy and squishy and oh-so adorable, we couldn't help but want one planted right on our night stand. If the concept of Chumby still eludes you, just imagine an almost entirely open-source device (hardware included) designed to run widgets assigned via a web interface, intended to sit somewhere useful and give glanceable information -- probably by your bed. Click on to check out this early Chumby build!

Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology, multimedia, and digital entertainment:

In their 1997 song Tubthumping, Chumbawumba sang, "I get knocked down but I get up again," describing well the daily cycle of sleep and awakening. For many of us, that cycle renews with the aid of a nightstand staple now targeted by Chumby, likely not named after the one-hit wonders. Depicting a clock radio on their Web site, Chumby's developers ask, "Um, this is the Internet era, isn't it? Why is this still sitting next to my bed?" The answer is that primarily there haven't been many alternatives until now, but also because alarm clocks are cheap and have easily understood and compelling functionality.

That is not yet true for Chumby, a broadband beanbag for Flash developers that promises a flexible feature list and exterior. According to Christine.net, Chumby has a 266 MHz ARM controller, 32MB of SDRAM, a 3.5-inch LCD with LED backlighting, stereo speakers, a headphone jack, and an ambient light sensor. It runs Flash Lite 2 (roughly equivalent to the functionality of Flash 7), and has a USB port and a squeeze sensor. Chumby looks a bit like a soft-shell TomTom Go, and its casing can be personalized, BeDazzled, encrusted with Swarovski crystals or even replaced entirely with what could be -- if it ever reaches iPod-like popularity -- an ecosystem of enclosures.

If Chumby, maker of this rugby ball-sized computer by the same name, has its way, then it will replace all of our bedside digital clocks with a stripped-down computer stuffed in a cuddly exterior case. Apparently the Chumby is designed to be a little hackable nugget that will play Flash applications (known in Chumby-speak as "widgets") that can do various other things like (you guessed it): play music, check your RSS feeds, and display your photos. Inside this little furball is a 266 MHz CPU, 32MB SDRAM, 64MB Flash RAM, 320 x 240 3-inch screen, two USB ports, 2W speakers, and WiFi. Basically, it does everything that your regular computer does (except smaller and a little slower), but it comes in a fuzzy little self-contained box so you can snuggle up to it at night and have it try to read Engadget quietly to you while you sleep. That is, when they're actually available to the public.

[Via Dyl World]