Remember Chumby, the huggable, widget-powered alarm clock that everyone wanted but just couldn’t figure out what to do with? Well it’s back and it wants to mate with your TV. The NeTV is a Chumby that sits inline with your TV and powers a Webkit browser and RSS/social media feed right on your screen. The device is powered by a small remote or an Android phone and it works with most Android photo apps.

The tiny device runs an 800MHz CPU and it connects to your network via Wi-Fi. The open source device is under development right now (availability is up in the air) but it really points to some interesting work being done on a device that, at least in terms of hype, has fallen into a trough of interest.

Hardware Specs
HD-resolution (480p, 720p & 1080p24 “True Cinema”) support
Compatible with most HD video sources
800 MHz Marvell CPU
Power via micro USB
802.11g wifi
Easy to use 7-button IR remote

You can watch a video of the device here and we’ll let you know when it’s available.

via Engadget

The Chumby platform is a weird one, to be sure, but there are a ton of Flash Lite apps that should run just fine on the new hardware, and the 8″ 800×600 touchscreen is really quite practical for on-desk use. Plus there’s a full web browser. Although I have to say I’m sorry to see that their weird design has given way to something more anonymous (but practical).

It’s got an 800MHz Marvell CPU in there, 128MB of RAM, a mic, speakers, headphone out, and has SD and CF storage. Not nearly as powerful as today’s tablets, but if you’re looking for something stationary and quirky, it could be for you.

Here’s the full press release, which explains it better than I can, really:

Our good friend Phil Torrone sent us this list of cool homebrew deals on Chumby devices, Adafruit boards, and other goodness.

Fist, you’ve got some Chumby-powered devices that are actually little Linux PCs. The Infocast, for example, is $129 on Best Buy. This thing has an 800MHz processor and small screen and can be used either as a little info monitor or as a fully-fledged Linux device.

Our friends at Adafruit are offering 10% off of everything including their excellent testing boards. Just check out with the code BLACK.

Finally, Seeed is offering 20% off of everything including PCB manufacturing with coupon code TG2010. Most of the stuff they sell there baffles me.

If you can handle a bit of SSHing, it doesn’t take much work at all to exploit a Chumby One easter egg that turns the not-so-cuddly model into a 3G router. That’s pretty awesome. Of course since it’s not officially supported with a widget or software, there isn’t a GUI or any type of user interface. Here’s how you do it.

Chumby Wiki

Follow these steps to create your network connection and get connected via 3G for the first time. If you’re connecting through a GSM connection that requires a SIM card, make sure you create the 3g_config file before creating the connection, otherwise it won’t work. CDMA-based networks almost always have a phone number of #777, and don’t require an APN, and so usually don’t require additional configuration.

• Plug in your 3G card.
• Go to the Network Config screen by pressing the top button, going to Settings, then tapping on Network.
• Select “create a new connection”, press OK, and wait for the scan to time out.
• Select “Other”
• Enter 3G as the name of the access point. It must have a capital G for it to work.
• Wait for the subsequent scan to time out.
• Select “Manual”.
• Tap “OK” to select None as the encryption type.
• Tap “OK” to select Automatic IP allocation.
• Tap “OK” to confirm settings and connect to the network

If all went well, you should be connected over 3G. Additionally, you should now have a 3G network connection that you can switch to whenever you want to plug in your 3G card listed alongside your other network connections.

More info can be found on BunnieStudios.

Even after Sony added Netflix viewing, its use is still in question. It’s the same usability question that many have with the Chumby. What the hell are you going to do with it? At least with the Chumby, it’s less expensive and has the cuteness factor. But anyway, If you’ve answered that question for yourself, head over to Sony Style and pre-order your Dash, but don’t expect it until April. [Sony Style via Engadget]

Does the name Bunnie Huang ring a bell? It might if you were around the Xbox “scene” in 2002, when people from all over the world were on Xbox hacking forums trying to figure out what made Microsoft’s first console tick, so to speak. It was truly exciting—we’re talking Paris in the 50s exciting. Mr. Huang has since gotten a job at Chumby, putting his technical know-how to good use and helping to create the adorable little clock-widget-thing. While in China, Mr. Huang discovered a problem with a number of Kingston-branded microSD cards that were to be used in Chumby production. The problem was that they were counterfeit, or “irregular” in the measured parlance of the blog post.

Mr. Huang, who wrote a book detailing his experience of hacking the Xbox, tried to determine why the Kingston microSD cards were “irregular.” Is Kingston selling bum cards to paying customers? That’s what Mr. Huang tried to figure out.

The post is long and gets a little technical, but it’s nothing you guys can’t handle. You’re not USA Today readers!

Here’s the big reveal:

Significantly, Kingston is revealed as simply a vendor that re-marks other people’s chips in its own packaging. Every Kingston card surprisingly had a Sandisk/Toshiba memory chip inside, and the only variance or “value add” that could be found is in the selection of the controller chip. Oddly enough, of all the vendors, Kingston quoted with the best lead times and pricing — better than SanDisk or Samsung, despite the competition making all their own silicon and thereby having a lower inherent cost structure. This tells me that Kingston must be crushed when it comes to margin, which may explain why irregular cards are finding their way into their supply chain.

That is to say, Kingston has razor thin profit margins. It doesn’t make its own flash chips—Samsung and SanDisk do, but you can’t buy Samsung chips at retail—so it wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility if a couple of “irregular” cards make their way into the Kingston supply. The odds of you walking into Wal-Mart and walking out with an “irregular” Kingston flash card are incredibly small, but the nature of Kingston’s business means they could be more susceptible to “irregularities” than companies that produce their own chips.

So yeah, be sure to read that whole post. Well worth the read, I’d say.

via Boing Boing

Now, I must state before we go any farther that this tablet might never make it to market. The concept could very well have been mocked-up for Marvell’s CES showing. After all, the Sunfury is listed with a Marvell PXA168 CPU. Chumby might be getting out of the cut-throat hardware business and into licensing its novel software like with the Chumby-powered Sony Dash. Still, there is a part of us that hopes we’ll eventually see a Chumby-branded tablet. Who doesn’t heart Chumby?

The Sunfire is reportably going to rock the aformentioned CPU, 802.11 b/g, 128MB or 256MB of RAM, microSD card slot, and loaded with Chumby widgets. It will also be able to playback MOV, H.264, AVI, MPEG-4, MP4, and MJPEG files. The Marvel PXA168 and Adobe Flash Lite will be tapped for most of the heavy lifting which means the Sunfire will basically be void of any real computing power and will be just a larger-screen Chumby. That’s still cool in our book.

If the Sunfury is really in the works and not just a PR scheme, we still think the hardware will be picked up by other companies and sold under their name. Chumby would likely provide the interface though. No word on price or release date.

The original Chumby was fun and whimsical; the One is up-tight. Just look at the two next to each other. The Classic is like the over weight and funny looking party boy that can always score with the ladies. But the One on the other hand, looks more like the straight-laced, classically handsome church boy. I mean, if you’re actually going to own one of these things, don’t you want one that’s fun?

[Chumby via Engdaget]

Not only was the functions innovative two years ago, but the design was as well. The pillow-like design had character and style. It was something you wouldn’t see at Target. But the new One model is made out of cold, lifeless plastic and will look right at home next to clock radios and cordless phones at Walmart – if it ever reaches that distribution channel of course. But anyway, the new model is expected to run $100 when it drops in a month or two.

UPDATE – Chumby is reporting that the Chumby One is much different from the Chumby shown here. The plot thickens.

Chumby, everyone’s favorite desktop and bedside companion, is now available in kit form from Maker Shed! [nerdgasm]

At only $99, they sold a bunch right off the bat, but there are still a few left if you’re one of the types that get into this sort of thing. I’ll give a thousand bonus points to whoever shoves the kit into a working toaster first. Just think about it: while you’re waiting for your morning Eggo, you can check the weather, sports scores and even watch a bit of YouTube. It’s the perfect example of convergence.

Everyone’s favorite hacky-sack-with-a-screen, Chumby, will soon make the leap from your nightstand or desk to your TV or Blu-ray player. Future internet-connected TVs and Blu-ray players containing Broadcom chips from companies such as Samsung and Sharp will feature Chumby’s web-based widgets – there are currently over 1,000 – ranging from music and video streaming to news and weather to photos and social networking platforms.

It appears that you won’t have to lay out $200 for an actual Chumby device, either, since it’d all be built into your TV, set-top box, or Blu-ray player. So that should help grow Chumby’s user base somewhat. And if you can’t find the widget you’re looking for, you can use Chumby’s open development platform to create your own.

Here’s a video demo:

Here’s the full press release:

Broadcom Extends chumby(R) Platform to Internet-Connected TVs, Set-Top Boxes and Blu-ray Disc(R) Players

Collaboration with chumby Delivers Cost Effective, High Quality and Rich Media Content to Consumer Devices Enabled by Broadcom(R) Technologies

IRVINE, Calif., Feb. 23 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Broadcom Corporation (Nasdaq: BRCM) and chumby(R) today announced the integration of the chumby rich media Internet platform into Broadcom’s latest digital television (DTV), set-top box (STB) and Blu-ray Disc(R) system-on-a-chip (SoC) solutions delivering cost effective, high quality and personalized user experiences to Internet-connected TVs. The collaboration will enable users to access chumby’s extensive library of entertaining, compelling and interactive Internet content across a variety of personal interest categories as well as a vast offering of Internet radio streams and podcasts. This will give users the ability to view individually customized channels of streaming Internet and personal digital content on devices enabled by Broadcom solutions, delivering an enhanced interactive consumer experience across multiple connected screens in the home.

Chumby enables users to select their favorite parts of the Internet delivered to them in a convenient, always-on, always-fresh format. Chumby content currently consists of over 1,000 widgets in 30 different categories ranging from news and entertainment to videos, music, and sports provided by leading media partners such as CBS, MTV Networks, The New York Times, Pandora, The Weather Channel Interactive, AOL’s SHOUTcast and Scripps Networks. Chumby also delivers thousands of Internet radio stations and podcasts. Chumby’s free and open content network enables individual creators to publish creative and compelling content. And chumby users themselves can share their own user-generated content, including photos, e-cards and more, with family and friends via chumby’s integral social network. Chumby is constantly expanding, bringing users new widgets, media and services, as well as the most interesting content from the Web.

Viewing Internet-based streaming video, music and other media content on household televisions is growing in use and popularity. To satisfy consumer demand, Broadcom and chumby are delivering an easy-to-use personalized Internet content experience that supports interactive multimedia widgets and Internet-based audio selections from leading online providers, major media brands and the worldwide community of chumby developers. Broadcom and chumby also are enabling social connections across devices such as DTVs, STBs and Blu-ray Disc players supported by Broadcom solutions that will enable users to share content, photos, video clips, games or messages with friends and family who own any chumby-powered device.

“Consumers want a powerful, yet simple, consistent and exciting chumby experience across multiple screens,” saidStephen Tomlin, CEO, chumby. “We are delighted to work with Broadcom to support the chumby content platform with system-on-a-chip solutions that enable personalized streams of each user’s favorite parts of the Internet for delivery to next generation Internet-connected TVs, set-top boxes and Blu-ray players.”

As a result of this collaboration, consumer electronics manufacturers will be able to quickly deploy chumby platform support on Internet-connected TVs, set-top boxes and Blu-ray Disc players without additional cost, external components or expensive PC hardware. As an open source Linux(R)-based platform and “cloud-based” content network with graphics that scale easily to any screen size, chumby allows users to create a complete personalized Internet experience without the need to establish a new configuration or install separate software or widgets on each device, thereby enabling new applications and content to be accessed and easily shared across all chumby-powered devices. Additionally, chumby supports an established framework with standardized tools for developers and manufacturers to create and enable consistent, high quality content.

“Broadcom and chumby are delivering a personalized Internet experience to the consumer via Internet-connected TVs, set-top boxes and Blu-ray Disc players without increasing bill-of-materials cost or complexity for Internet-enabled consumer products with chumby support,” said Dan Marotta, Senior Vice President & General Manager for Broadcom’s Broadband Communications Group. “We are very pleased to continue our collaboration with chumby as Internet-connected consumer devices herald the convergence of traditional PC-based Internet content with the comfort and convenience of living room viewing, positioning the connected TV as the information and entertainment hub of the digital home.”

Is $599.95 too much to spend for a hand-painted Chumby? Maybe not if you’re a die-hard fan of artist Sara Antoinette Martin. She painted five (yes, five) Chumby devices by hand, which are now being sold in the Chumby.com store for $599.95 each.

They’re listed as “in stock” if you can believe it. Based on the results of my very informal polling, some people have argued that $199.95 is too expensive for the regular Chumby, some think it’s priced just right, and others shrug their shoulders and happily cycle through the many hilarious and/or informative widgets loaded onto the device.

Chumby Store [store.chumby.com via Engadget]

iRiver has managed to take the Chumby, add a sweet remote/phone, and throw it into a slick matte white package. This desktop touchscreen is arguably one of the hottest products at CES primarily ’cause info didn’t leak about it before hand and its a pleasant surprise in the mix of gadgets we already know about. The company expects to add a VoIP service like Skype and if they do, this would be a killer desktop companion. Pricing isn’t set in stone yet but expect it to drop around $400 when it hits Korean shelves next month and US stores in six months.

Then, simply enter your Pandora username and password and you’ll have access to your stations. You can create new stations straight from your Chumby device and they’ll show up on Pandora.com as well.

Full release:

DISCOVER NEW MUSIC FROM PANDORA ON YOUR CHUMBY®

New content keeps music fans engaged with Pandora radio, music videos from Avot Media and news headlines from Rolling Stone

San Diego, CA – October 7, 2008 – Chumby is now giving music fans a new way to stay constantly connected to the music of their favorite artists, while also introducing them to new music they’ll love. All chumby players can now tune into personalized radio stations from Pandora accounts and have Pandora set as the audio source for custom alarm clocks. Additionally, chumby users will now be able to search and view music videos and more from a music video widget powered by tipMotion from Avot Media, Inc., and receive up-to-the-minute music news and images from RollingStone.com, all without logging onto a computer.

“We know music is a big part of people’s lives and fans want to have always-on, always-fresh access to their favorite artists,” said Stephen Tomlin, CEO of chumby. “A benefit of buying a chumby is that the product is always improving as we add new content and features through automatic upgrades. Now chumbys can be used as radios for the Pandora service at no charge, so whether you bought your chumby months ago or today – you win.”

Pandora is an Internet radio service that is now accessible through chumby. When you indicate a song or artist that you enjoy, Pandora responds by playing selections that are musically similar. You can provide feedback on the individual song choices to further refine the playlist to suit your taste. Your chumby can also wake you with your favorite Pandora station and let you listen to “personalized” radio all day.

“Chumby’s innovative connected media player is a natural fit for Pandora,” said Tim Westergren, founder of Pandora. “With Pandora now available on chumby, our listeners have even more ways to hear their favorite artists and discover new music.”

Also available on chumby are music videos powered by Avot Media, a video formatting and streaming solution provider. Now chumby users can watch the most popular music videos each week, and search for thousands of popular music, entertainment, news, and sports videos on the most popular search engines at the touch of a button.

Chumby music fans will also be able to receive the latest news and images of their favorite bands through updates from RollingStone.com. In addition, Wenner Media, Inc., publishers of RollingStone.com, will also showcase content from other Wenner publications such as UsMagazine.com.

The addition of music content from Pandora, music video streaming from Avot Media and music news updates from Wenner Media complements the strong music and podcast offerings already on chumby, including thousands of AOL SHOUTcast stations, music news from MTV and VH1, and dozens of great streaming stations on Radio Free Chumby.

Jump to 2007. PCH International rode the wave of Chinese growth to 800 employees and $125 million in revenue. The Atlantic Monthly did a long profile on Casey and his company, noting his deep connections to the U.S. and Europe as well and his ability to find the right factories for any any hardware project, and calling him “Mr. China.”

Until now the company has grown soley from cash flow and is “very profitable.” But Casey thinks it’s time to expand his operations and so he took $21 million in venture capital, a relatively small sum, from three Silicon Valley based venture funds: Lightspeed Venture Partners, Norwest Venture Partners and Focus Ventures.

PCH won’t disclose their clients, but say they work with most of the large PC and device manufacturers. And it has been reported that they are the primary hardware partner for the Chumby device, handling the assembly of components and ecommerce/shipping.

Anodos, a start-up based out of Tokyo, is currently developing a device, which is slightly similar to the Chumby. The so-called Anobar measures 354×85.5×97mm and weighs 2kg.

The device features a FED screen (size: 288×43.2mm) with 640×96 pixel resolution to display information retrieved from the Internet over Wi-Fi (OS: WindowsXP Embedded). Content includes i.e. RSS feeds and data from 2chan [JP], a Japanese discussion forum that happens to be the biggest in the world.

Users can display their self-developed Flash animations, play games, view pictures and listen to music with their Anobar. Sending and receiving email is also possible.

The Anobar comes with 1GB of memory, an additional 2GB of flash memory, built-in stereo speakers, a touch sensor and a remote control.

Price and delivery date (both for Japan and a possible overseas version) are not yet fixed. According to Anodos, the costs per prototype are currently amounting to a whopping $1,900, mainly incurred by the FED display.

The Chumby is not yet released in Japan [JP].

I really like the Chumby so I won’t harsh on this too much, but it’s kind of a dopey concept. The widgets are rarely on the screen enough to play much of anything. I was wrong. The widgets will stay on the screen as long as you’re playing. So that’s good. They’re also working on adding Flash animations to the Chumby for your viewing pleasure. And you thought it was just a soft, open platform for reading the CG RSS feed.

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