(Click on my Screen to Play)
What is it? Looks like a small bean bag with an LCD screen, this cute Alarm Clock sized gadget is called a "Chumby".This neat little desk top companion, or some call it a nightstand companion, allows you to download Internet sites TV Highlights, News, Weather, you name it. You add and and control your channels by select widgets that you want to display. For continuous entertainment, the Chumby also allows streaming Video
Cute little alarm clock features Internet radio, plus widgets for social-networking updates, pictures, headlines, stock quotes, games and more, with no monthly fees.
At its core, the Chumby is a tiny Linux-based computer stuffed into a soft, leather-like case that resembles a beanbag. It uses Wi-Fi to connect to the Internet, from which it downloads widgets that delivers specific bits of information to its 3.5-inch touchscreen. You select, configure and organize these widgets via the Chumby Web site. If you like, (and you know a little bit about programming) you can even make your own widgets and upload them for consideration by the device’s manufacturer, Chumby Industries.
Chumby can broadcast Internet radio stations, deliver Facebook, MySpace and Twitter status reports, and serve as a digital picture frame for the likes of Flickr and Picasa. You can watch certain YouTube videos and clips of David Letterman's Top 10 lists. Or play games by tilting it from side to side — Chumby has a built-in accelerometer, or motion sensor. Chumby even moonlights as a speaker dock for some iPod.
Chumby, from tracking eBay auctions and stock prices to glancing at ball scores and Craig's List classifieds. And while Chumby's stereo speakers aren't the richest you'll hear, they function well enough given their modest place in your household — on a nightstand or kitchen counter.
This little unit runs abround $180.00 and is worth it for you serious internet junkies. For my little "Webster" Chumby I hope to provide updates on a regular basis for those of you who want it the Virtual Way. I named mine Webster.