Chumby

The Chumby information device, an example of Open Source Hardware: Chumby is a powerful little device with Wi-Fi, a 3.5-inch screen and an interface that you can customize.

URL = http://www.chumby.com/

Description

A "friendly household Internet appliance. Chumby is a concept based on the belief that some people out there would be thrilled to have access to the Internet without the need for more traditional devices. Chumby provides the end user a unique means of accessing online maps, tracking auctions – nearly anything you might want from the Internet. For about $200, this widget-using Net appliance provides you with all the Internet you’d ever want, even from the strangest locations.

What makes Chumby different from any other Internet appliance running created widgets is that it allows users themselves to create widgets to further extend Chumby's functionality. Once Chumby has been connected to a LAN, it uses a user-defined 'widget playlist' as an interactive view screen. It’s something like you might find with Apple's Dashboard feature in OS X, but on a less powerful computing appliance." (http://itmanagement.earthweb.com/osrc/print.php/3700366)

More Information

Favourable review by the New York Times, at http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/01/technology/personaltech/01chumby.html?