Chumby will add a new gadget to its range, with the Chumby one, which will be a clock radio. The all-purpose device adds both a regular FM radio tuner, and will bring in Pandora Internet radio as well as access to other Internet radio stations. As with the original Chumby device, userscan install widgets that include Google Calendar, weather, Facebook and nearly 1,500 others.
Executives at Chumby have said on Thursday that they plan on bringing the gadget's software to other consumer electronics via a series of partnerships. The Chumby can so far bring weather, music, news, photos and trivia to living rooms from the Internet. According to a Thursday Forbes report, the company's chief executive, Steve Tomlin, has established partnerships with Sony, Samsung, Broadcom and Marvell to bring the open-source operating system into TVs, Blu-ray players, clock and tabletop radios and other consumer electronics, with some expected for a release before the end of 2009.
Broadcom announced on Monday that the Chumby platform will be made available for the company's Internet connected devices that include digital TVs, set-top boxes and chips uses in Blu-ray players. The cooperation between the companies will allow users to tune to Internet radio stations and podcasts as well as access other personalized Internet content. Via widgets, users can access social networks, including Chumby's own, in addition to streaming video or audio content offered by its media partners.
Chumby today added support for a new set of features on its namesake customizable Internet media device. The updates are headlined by the addition of Pandora's radio streams; users can now listen to their personal Internet music feeds on the device and flag songs as they would on a computer or cellphone to favorite certain music styles or exclude others. Pandora can also be used as the default alarm along with other usual sources. Using the new stream on the Chumby is free.
