Chumby Reveals 'Chumby 8' Widget Display For $200

Remember Chumby? Of course! These guys are back with a new platform and device, and while it doesn't look too different than the Chumby displays that we have seen in the past, the new Chumby 8 is both bigger and "better." This new one has an 8" LCD touch panel, complete with over 1500 free applications and a personalized stream of your favorite apps in addition to serving as a digital photo frame and music player.


It doesn't work much differently than the Chumby of the past, but the 8 provides a new industrial design (available in black or red), an 800x600 resolution panel, two USB ports, an CF/SD card slot, support for a web browser, revamped user interface, compatibility with Internet Radio stations (including Napster, Pandora, SHOUTcast, iheartradio, Mediafly, New York Times and CBS). There's also an alarm clock, talk scheduler and Flash Lite 4 update to come. It's available to pre-order today for $199, and should ship on April 5th.

Introducing the chumby8: the World’s First Stand-Alone App Player Just Got Bigger and Better

Next gen chumby arrives April 5 for $199, pre-orders begin today

San Diego, CA — March 23, 2011 — chumby industries today announced the release of the chumby8, the much-anticipated next generation chumby device. Officially launching on April 5, the chumby8 is priced at $199 and available today for pre-orders at chumby.com/store. With a sleek new design, an 8-inch LCD touchscreen, enhanced features, and over 1,500 free apps, the chumby8 delivers a personalized stream of your favorite apps in addition to serving as a digital photo frame and music player.

“The chumby8 truly marks an evolution of the chumby device and software platform, creating a more personalized and user-friendly Internet streaming device that will complete any connected home or office,” said Derrick Oien, CEO of chumby industries. “We've taken the time over the past year to listen to chumby fans and owners and incorporate their feedback into the new chumby8 and created a great multi-purpose connected device capable of tailoring to all."

New features of the chumby8 include:

    * New, modern industrial design available in black and red. Customized skins available from Skinit
    * 8-inch 800×600 touchscreen LCD
    * Two USB ports, CF and SD slots make it possible to upload pictures, music and other personal media of your choosing turning your chumby8 into a personalized digital photo frame and music player
    * New web browser support, allows you to access links within apps
    * Revamped UI and streamlined navigation allows you to manage apps and channels directly from the device. The chumby8 comes preloaded with ready-to-play themed channels showcasing the best chumby apps in entertainment, news, humor, games, kids, sports and more
    * Updates to share features make it easier to send photos, videos and apps to friends and family
    * Robust Internet radio offers over 10,000 internet radio and podcast stations, including Napster, Pandora, SHOUTcast, iheartradio, Mediafly, New York Times and CBS, with more to come
    * Full alarm system allows you to wake up to your favorite music stations and apps
    * Task scheduler allows you to perform a routine task on your device like entering night mode at a certain time or playing music
    * Flash Lite 4 update to support AS3 coming soon

The chumby8 has access to over 1,500 free applications— ranging from music and social networking sites, news and entertainment gossip, to video clips and sports scores. Content is available from well-known media sites including: YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, MTV Networks, Groupon, People.com and many others. Users can monitor their social networks, view and share their photos from sites like Flickr and Photobucket, watch sports clips, play games, or choose from a multitude of clock applications to display on the touchscreen device.