Check out what the folks at Chumby have planned for 2009. They are focusing on community and hope to see some changes in the hardware department.
The unit they show in the video is a “proof of concept” device and they are looking for manufacturers who want to take over the product.
Chumby is a personalized internet content on connected screen. Last year they present a personal internet media player that you can configure the play of your favorite parts of the internet that is encapsulated in widgets. Today they are showing a prototype hardware and software, a chumby enabled photo frame. Full featured photo frame with has gigabit internal memory. You can attach USB devices and SD Cards with a touch screen interface. When you buy the frame it comes up with set of widgets. You can widgetize all photo contents. On chumby enabled device you can look at photos from all different sources in a multimedia stream and it has also internet radio. With the social networking aspect of the device you can send photos to other people. They have also the concept of Grandma mode where the frame is very easy to configure. The original chumby (shown in the product picture above) cost $199.95 at www.chumby.com