photo credit: William Hook
Although the name itself is rather silly, Chumby is a fascinating piece of equipment that should be looked into by anybody who fancies himself to be an Internet connoisseur. Chumby provides a fascinating way to surf the Internet, in the form of an embedded computer that provides Internet and LAN access through a wifi connection. Various software widgets are run through this connection, making the Chumby a sort of media hub for a variety of esoteric applications. The nature of Chumby makes it rather hard to explain: the Chumby website itself seems to be straining for the right words to describe why Chumby is important and necessary and what it actually accomplishes that a traditional computer cannot. It is such a departure from other forms of Internet devices that it needs some clarification.
The first sighting of Chumby was at Foo Camp, an annual hacker event hosted by O’Reilly Media, on August 25, 2006. There, it was released to about 100 alpha testers, those who are meant to see and test the product far before it reaches the hands of the consumers. Further alpha testing was undertaken, but with a different spin: prospective alpha testers had to go through an application process in which they described ideas for software applications or hardware modifications that would be useful and interesting for Chumby to inherit. Another goal for the free offer was to get Chumby into the hands of software developers who would hopefully be sufficiently intrigued by the new device to start creating exclusive software, and with it, an express reason to purchase a Chumby. July 2007 saw 50 random applicants receive the next generation of Chumbys, an event called “the first 50”. In September of the same year, in a similar vein to the aforementioned application process, O’Reilly Media, the “Insiders Release” event was initiated, which allowed interested parties to email O’Reilly Media to get advance information on the release of the Chumby.
In February of the following year, it was announced that Chumby would finally be available for commercial release. By May 2008, the price was set at $179.95 for any of three colors of Chumby. So far, only domestic distribution of the Chumby has been undertaken due to the fact that international distribution requires much more testing due to the sheer amount of different regulatory regimes throughout the world. So far, reviews have been somewhat positive of the product, although its uniqueness certainly shows. Many reviewers have gone so far as to say that the Chumby is simply “cute”, although some have noticed much more potential in the seemingly-innocuous device. Citing its ease of use and touch screen, some reviewers have stated that the Chumby is paving the way for the Internet to be introduced into areas and cultural groups that would not normally be able to use the Internet because of the difficulty that is generally associated with setting up a computer for Internet access.
At its core, Chumby is a Linux-based computer, Linux being an operating system, like Windows or Mac. The computer happens to be very small and it is contained within a case made of a material that resembles leather. Using wifi to connect to the Internet, the Chumby is then able to download widgets that allow its touch screen to accomplish a variety of purposes. Although many of the widgets for the Chumby are silly and fun, others are actually very practical and go a long way toward making the Chumby something viable for mass usage. Much of the praise for Chumby is based on the fact that it is very accessible, from the way that the user interacts with the computer to its looks: there is nothing harsh about the Chumby, and you can tell by its name that it is not an electronics device that should be taken completely seriously. Another source of praise is the fact that Chumby is an example of open source hardware, which means that the inner mechanics of the device are available to be perused by the user and tweaked if necessary.
Although this seems to be a trivial fact, open source hardware is something that a lot of computer users, usually the more advanced ones, desire most in a machine. The majority of available computers are not examples of open source hardware, so the Chumby is a step in the right direction for these computer users, allowing for a level of customizability that cannot often be found in other electronic devices. This is also important to the average user because it allows the Chumby to be exactly what the user makes of it. One person’s Chumby could be a music playing device that downloads music from the internet and then stores it for the user, while another person’s Chumby could be their news source. Because the Chumby is always connected to the Internet, it is always acquiring information. This is great in conjunction with things like news, weather, podcasts, and celebrity gossip because it allows the user to have up-to-the-minute information, rather than having to get on the computer and search for it. New widgets for the Chumby are being made all the time to join the over 800 widgets in 30 different categories that exist at the time that this sentence is written.
The Chumby operates closely with the Chumby Network, which allows you to get all of the aforementioned widgets and information for free with the purchase of the Chumby itself. You do not have to pay for any subscriptions or sign up for anything because of the fact that the Chumby Network is paid for by Chumby Industries and sponsor companies who make up the difference by sending you context-sensitive advertising. So if your Chumby is set up to stream sports information to you, the advertising will most likely contain ads that will pertain to sports in some way. Another cool feature of the Chumby is the personalized alarm clock that lets you wake up exactly when you want to and to whatever you want to wake you up, from a weather report to your favorite song. Any type of Chumby event can be selected to play at any time, so you can use the feature to remind you of something that you should not forget at whatever time you want it to.
All in all, the Chumby is a rather fascinating piece of equipment that is slowly making its way into the hearts of technology lovers anyway. Perhaps the most important thing to know about the Chumby is that it is whatever you make of it: constant Internet access allows it to be your convenient hub for information concerning news, sports, and weather, but you can just as easily make it your one-stop music station. You can also play games, enjoy social networking sites like Facebook, and browse auctions and classifieds at your leisure. Chumby is very easy to use because it is a small, touch screen device as opposed to a daunting computer that relies on so much more to get the same information. If you are interested in the Chumby, you can learn more at www.chumby.com. At the same website, you can also purchase a Chumby if you are convinced that the Chumby is right for you.
