DashInternetViewer
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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 catches tablet fever, wants to be an 'active player'
Sony has long said it would cautiously approach the tablet market while it built up its Reader e-book line, but it looks like things are picking up a little steam: CFO Nobuyuki Oneda said the company is "very interested" in the tablet market during his post-earnings report news conference. Oneda said that Sony's "confident we have the skills to create a product," and that "Time-wise we are a little behind the iPad but it's a space we would like to be an active player in." We could certainly see a Sony device about the size of the Reader Daily Edition making a splash, especially if it's tied in with Sony's new push at a unified online experience -- and dare we hope for tablet remix of the Dash Internet Viewer (pictured above) based on the Chumby OS? Time will tell.
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%
