CES:How Chumby could take over the world

I wasn’t kind to Chumby way back when. In my eyes, they brought to market a product that was halfway there: they built the ecosystem but it wasn’t filled out (much like webOS now). Since then, Chumby has become a cult favorite and there are 1,000s of free apps that Chumby users can use to customize the device and deliver content they seek. Sony, an unlikely candidate, showed me today that Chumby might just take over the world.

Like you, I read about the Sony Dash and was slightly interested. Today, I got some hands on time and I am here to tell you Chumby is on to something. Sony is offering their Dash, which I can already see 3 of them heading to my home, for just $199. This mirrors the price of the original Chumby. The difference is the Sony unit is handsome (not quirkly like the original soft-sided Chumby). But it is more than good looks that has me keyed up.

The Dash, like the Chumby One and original flavored Chumby I assume, can perform a wide range of tasks. Like Netflix and Amazon movies. Like updating Facebook status. Like playing Pandora. The lists is 1,000s long thanks to developers who used the Chumby SDK to develop free apps. You can do almost anything with their apps.

Almost anything. At $199, the Dash is gorgeous but surely has the Sony price bump. What if these eBook reader guys and gals built in Chumby OS. Now you’ve got a super slim touchscreen tablet that runs oh-so-many of the things we love. Recipes, music, news, traffic, weather…in essence life. All on the Chumby OS.

I’d have one for the kitchen, living room, bedside, office… and we’d get the price way down. Can you imagine and a $99 tablet that could run Chumby apps? I can and I am sure I wouldn’t be the only household with 3 or 4 of these things kicking around. Who’s with me?

Chumby site: [Chumby]

A special thanks goes out to Energizer for supplying the Gadgetell crew with Energi To Go battery packs, which allowed us to keep our gadgets charged on the run and focus more on finding good stuff at CES and not having to worry about sitting next to a power outlet. For more information on the Energi To Go battery packs you can visit EnergiToGo.com or visit them on Twitter at @energitogo.