Review: Chumby 8

Odds are you'll never hear the phrase, "I sure wish I had my Chumby right now."

We'll admit the notion of a dedicated display for consuming RSS feeds was pretty nifty when it launched in 2006. By 2008, we even named Chumby one of the top 10 gadgets of the year.

And we meant it. Heck, a single-serving, Linux-based device for news can still be a useful addition to any bedroom or kitchen.

But the fact that the latest incarnation, the Chumby 8, is billed as "Only $149.95" says a lot. For starters, the re-tooled hardware more closely resembles a digital photo frame. The original Chumby is the size of an alarm clock radio or a mini-Nerf football. Hence, it was easy to stash on a nightstand or kitchen counter. The Chumby 8 does offer a larger display, but the device's clunky footprint is all kinds of awkward. The screen is built into a base that's four inches deep and extends the entire width of the device. Thus, Chumby 8 takes up ample real estate, and there's no option to mount it or position it flush against wall.

My gripes don't end there. The eight-inch touchscreen is laggy. The LCD could be crisper. And – get this – there's no internal battery. So, not only did this thing bogart my kitchen counter, but it required another wall-wart and sat tethered to one location. On the plus side, the Chumby is DIY-friendly, and can run more than 15,000 apps out of the box, including all the obvious ones like Facebook and Twitter.

Nevertheless, the most telling aspect of my Chumby 8 experience? A week later, I replaced it with a 16GB iPad 2 on a dock in the same location. It provides the same updates on the weather, news, social networks, and streaming photo libraries and music – but isn't tethered or awkward. Sure I spent $500 instead of $150. But pretty much any tablet at any price point would seemingly be a better option than the Chumby 8.

WIRED Port Authority: SD and CF slots, two USBs and a 3.5mm headphone jack. Handles Flash. Doubles as a killer night-light. Hardware also available in red. 1500+ pre-stocked apps, including Facebook, Twitter, Pandora, Wired.com (huzzah!), Reddit Headlines (ditto!), David Letterman's Top 10 and Chuck Norris Facts (thanks?).

TIRED $100 more expensive than it should be, even after its recent $50 price drop. Bulky hardware. No internal battery. Dull screen. Setup was long and laborious and required entering a 31-digit code online. Dearth of content: The only dating app is Craigslist personals? Each content "channel" contains so many different apps that navigating around can be a bit of a time-suck, which sort of defeats the purpose.

Photos courtesy Chumby

See Also:- Worth the Wait: Chumby Lands at a Desk Near You

• Chumby One Gadget Turned Into a Bipedal Robot
• The iRiver Wave Home is a Sleeker, Less-Huggable Chumby
• Steven Levy on How the Chumby Could Become Man's New Best Friend