Comments on: Early Chumby Impressions: This Thing Is Awesome

By: brissietex

brissietex — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 05:57:13 +0000

I have wanted on one of these Chumbys for quite awhile but the lack of both Realmedia streaming(manufacturers say it is too expensive to licence from them tho there is a workaround that requires use of a computer) and battery backup(Chumbo may be tough on batteries tho). Also, I have heard that the Chumby emits too much light to be of use as an alarm clock in a dark room such as a bedroom. Oh and a built-in AM/FM radio tuner would be nice too(any true internet only streaming device would benefit from this addition). Still…nice to have such a fun little device. :)

By: Sydneyite

Sydneyite — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 02:59:26 +0000

Our chumby has been resident for less than a week & it’s proving brilliant as a streaming clock radio. With the added benefit of all the widgety goodness.

The ‘Chumbyland’ widget is proving a hit in this house as our chumby is tracked around the world interacting with other chumbies & having a grand time. More info here: http://www.chumby.com/guide/widget/Chumbyland

By: feral

feral — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 13:08:27 +0000

I like the fact its way more open source than my Iphone. I was going to import one from the states a while back,thru a freight forwarding company. However the price was too high as with this local offering…

By: Andrew Steele

Andrew Steele — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 11:52:08 +0000

I've been interested in these but one thing I can't seem to find and answer to that you mightlike to include in your review, is whether it's capable of streaming ABC radio (i.e. DRM protected Real or Windows Media Audio streams).

I have too much electrical noise where I live to hear AM radio clearly so I figured streaming it over the Internet would be a good alternative, but I've not found much in the way of gadgets that will stream these DRM protected streams.

By: mr-crash

mr-crash — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 08:52:11 +0000

I am pretty interested in one of these too...
I need a new alarm clock and something like this seems more interesting than a normal one.

Also - I want to get my computers away from my bedroom. This looks like a good step in the right direction.

By: Chris Lowery

Chris Lowery — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 06:05:34 +0000

This looks really interesting, I’ve been looking for a new alarm clock, and this seems like the ticket, as I’m also looking to replace my laptop next to the bed setup for watching video over the network… have you checked out this “ORB Streamer”? It seems pretty cool.