Assessing the newest digital device on the block: Chumby
By Michael Tate, 04/30/2008 - 10:40am

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The line between mediated and unmediated communication is blurring. A device like Chumby accelerates the blur.

Chumby is a new touchscreen gadget connected to the Internet via a Wi-Fi home network to stream the user live content. After purchasing a Chumby, users make an online account on Chumby.com and choose the content they want streamed. This content could be weather, sports, stock quotes, or dozens of other mini-applications (called "widgets").

If Chumby seems unexciting, think again – the concept is powerful. A device driven purely by online content.

Chumby updates only via a Wi-Fi network. No Ethernet cable. In the future, as more cities and towns across America implement a municipal wireless network, more people will have use for Chumby (or, a device like it). A Chumby widget search found neither the Clinton, Obama, nor McCain campaigns had a widget.

Viewing content on a portable device that is updated automatically is more persuasive than turning on a computer and visiting a few web sites. It's more persuasive because it functions as a reduction technology. It persuades through making a task simpler. No more going to YouTube, logging into email, turning on the television, or connecting to a mobile phone website to follow a campaign, just turn on Chumby and the channel is live.

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