In the kitchen or on the nightstand. This is our problem. For the past two weeks, my family and I have been living with Chumby. Currently, it’s on my nightstand. There is some debate as to whether this should continue to be the case. Let me tell you a little about it so you can help my dear family out.
It wakes me up at 6:30a and delivers an audio recording of the front page of the New York Times before I’ve pushed myself off the bed. From 9a to 5p, Chumby rotates between the time, the local weather forecast (complete with radar), and a personalized message to my wife reminding her how much I adore her -which I should probably update Monday while I’m at work to remind her the washing machine repair guy is scheduled to stop by. It displays New York Times up-to-the-minute headlines, and photos from my Flickr stream. The kids are always mesmerized when they see the photo stream pop-up and run to the Chumby where they can flick forward and back through the photos with their fingers, similar to navigating on an iPhone. At 5p Chumby gets a little less formal. It switches from a serious digital clock to a Pong Clock (it’s Pong! But instead of the score, it shows the time at the top) plus, it displays critical to know Chuck Norris facts, and the always fun but sometimes maddening ChumBall game - played by picking up the Chumby and tilting it to and fro to keep a marble on a razor thin track/maze. My 13 year old has one of the top 10 scores of all ChumBall players. I’m very proud.
Exactly what is the Chumby? I believe it is one of the best and most useful examples of convergence that the consumer electronics world has seen to date. Quite simply, it delivers tidbits of customized information and tools to me (and my family) at the times I tell it to. I’ve programmed my Chumby to be an alarm clock in the morning, a newspaper/love note/picture frame during the day, and a game machine in the evenings. It took me about an hour to do this.
The Chumby
Ahh, convergence. The concept of the Internet and all its endless content fueled glory, fused with our everyday consumer electronics - It’s been often promised but seldom executed in a manner that has actually solved any burning consumer need.
But the folks at Chumby may have discovered the alchemy that just might make it work.
- A reasonable price: At $180, it’s not cheap, but it’s within the range of high-end iPod dock/alarm clock combos.
- An easy to use interface: Convergence has actually made the Chumby easier to use than a typical clock radio. The clock sets the time itself, like your computer. It’s always right.
- Infinitely customizable and useful content: Content on a Clock Radio? The morning WSJ headlines? My Gmail inbox? Local weather and traffic? A streaming radio station from Mozambique? Wake up to any of them. This is stuff I actually want…no need, on my bedside table.
But I have a feeling the Chumby is moving to the kitchen soon.
[...] lazyboy922 wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerptI’ve programmed my Chumby to be an alarm clock in the morning, a newspaper/love note/picture frame during the day, and a game machine in the evenings. It took me about an hour to do this. The Chumby. The Chumby. Ahh, convergence. … [...]