ChumbyOs
Latest
Chumby halts hardware sales, long-term support looking mighty unlikely
"The site is closed temporarily." Never a good sign, indeed, and particularly not when it's plastered across Chumby's own webstore. For over two days now, that's the message given to anyone attempting to buy hardware from the company, and it looks as if the Chumby we knew may be counting down its final days. A scrappy upstart attempting to bring its Chumby OS to the masses via injections into larger OEMs, the outfit saw little to no uptake across a wide variety of products; Sony nixed the Dash earlier this year, and Insignia turned its back quite some time ago. To be fair, Chumby had stopped manufacturing its own branded hardware in 2011, with the outfit's Duane Maxwell confirming the outright death of Chumby's store in a forum posting today. According to him, there was "no point in keeping the store around once inventory was exhausted," though hardcore loyalists can still snag a NeTV from adafruit. Other forum members have noted that all support emails now seem to be headed into the Great Beyond, and while the actual network that Chumby OS relies on remains alive at the moment, there's no guarantee it'll last. Interestingly, at least two individuals instrumental in the building of Chumby are now working at Media Navi -- both Alison Fay and Michael Coleman have moved Chumby-related job listings to "Past" in their LinkedIn profiles. We'll be reporting more as we get it, but in the meanwhile, we'd recommend giving your favorite Chum a warm hug. His / her heart may not be beating for too much longer. [Thanks, Jonathan]
Sony's Dash gets a new lease on life, we stop to wonder why
Remember Sony's Dash? That little pseudo tablet powered by Chumby OS that started making the rounds at last year's CES? No, well we almost forgot about it too. But, just as it was finally fading from memory, Sony hit us with an update to the Internet Viewer. Not much has changed, save a rearrangement of the ports and buttons. It's still got the same pile of widgets and channels, but now sports a (very) basic web browser for those with a bit of a masochistic streak. The ability to register your Dash without having to first hook up to a PC is also a welcome addition. The black-only HID-B7 will ship for $130, while the HID-B70 comes in brown, blue and orange while adding a battery to the mix for $170. Both will hit shelves in October. Check out the gallery below and the full, if brief, PR after the break. %Gallery-133680%
Sony Dash software update adds USB playback by month's end
Looks like Sony will be dishing out a new software update to Dash owners shortly. The first over-the-air update for Sony's Personal Internet Viewer is expected to arrive at the end of the month carrying a number of usability and feature enhancements according to a Sony email sent to Dash owners. These include MP3 playback and picture viewing off USB, a full-screen app theme, and enhanced alarm functionality like adjustable snooze duration and one-touch alarm dismissal. Sony's also promising new themes and additional internet radio options in a June update. Too bad Sony can't deliver the device a battery and faster processor OTA but hey, free software is free. See the full contents of the Sony email after the break. [Thanks Doug S.]
Sony Dash review
When we first saw the Sony Dash at CES, we thought Sony was making a play into the tablet game -- the promo video showed people using the angular device all over the house, with nary a power cord in sight. And hey, it was called the Dash -- a word which usually implies movement of some kind. So obviously we were a little put off when we found out the Dash was strictly a stationary experience -- an amped-up alarm clock running a Sony-tweaked version of the Chumby widget OS that lets you look at photos from Facebook, browse headlines on Engadget, and check Twitter from the Dash's seven-inch capacitive touchscreen. But hold up: the Dash also adds in Sony's Bravia Internet Video platform to support streaming media services like Netflix, Pandora, and Slacker. That's not bad for $200, at least on paper, but does the Dash deserve to be the most expensive alarm clock you've ever purchased? And does it really deserve Justin Bieber's attention? Read on to find out. %Gallery-92133%
Switched On: Sony's forward Dash
Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology. In its introductory press release, here's what Sony has to say about the Dash, a "personal Internet viewer" that it announced at CES: "Featuring a vivid 7-inch color touch screen... Dash utilizes an existing home wireless connection to continuously deliver Internet content to its viewers." And according to its SonyStyle.com site, here's what that Dash has to say about itself: "I use over 1,500 free apps and your Wi-Fi connection to deliver the information and entertainment you crave... right to your bedroom, kitchen or office." But Dash also has something to say about Sony, and for the most part, it's an encouraging message. Dash was one of the more distinct category-blurring products to emerge from Las Vegas in January. Its hardware is a hybrid between an alarm clock and digital picture frame and its content is a content mashup between Chumby widgets and Sony's Bravia Internet Video Link offering. Dash was introduced just a few months after HP introduced its DreamScreen, another product that provides "glanceable" information from the cloud.
Sony Dash given ability to stream TVs and movies from Netflix, new lease on life
We were filled with excitement the moment Sony took the wraps off of its Dash personal internet viewer back at CES, but after learning that this was less of a tablet and more a sophisticated widget machine for in-home use, our joviality was understandably squashed. Today, Sony has given the doubters a reason to perk back up and pay attention, as the April-bound device will ship with the ability to stream Watch Instantly content from Netflix. As if that wasn't enough, Demand Media will also be offering Dash-tailored portals to content from eHow, Golflink and Livestrong.com, and it'll have no issues streaming "online music videos, television, or film content on-demand" to the 7-inch touchpanel. Still not convinced that this thing is worth $199? It's just an external battery mod away from greatness, you know!
Sony introduces Dash Internet Viewer touchscreen tablet (Update: it runs Chumby OS!)
We've got another one, folks: Sony's doing a tablet. The Dash Internet Viewer is a touchscreen WiFi device which can be propped up like a digital photo frame or toted around the home like... a tablet. Still, a Chumby comparison might be more appropriate: the 7-inch device can run Chumby apps (there are over 1,000 free ones out there already), to which Sony will be adding its own Sony Music and Sony Pictures properties for movie trailers, music videos and so forth. The $199 unit can be stood on end or tilted quasi-flat for a variety of hands-free viewing angles, and works as an alarm clock, waking users up to the sweet sounds and visuals of internet videos. The Dash ships in April. Update: We just confirmed that this device runs Chumby OS and is not portable (as in, there's no built-in battery). Rest assured, this is no slate / tablet rival -- in fact, it's more like a sophisticated alarm clock. %Gallery-81802%
