What About Something Like Chumby For Pandora?

[timofonic]

What about Chumby? I see this is into the Google-like online interface idea of integrated services, something lazy people (aka most people) got used to it (Google Mail...).

Of course technically will do it, but I mean if software will be as flexible like that.

The cool thing of this device is the possibility of develop addons for it like widgets as you can see here. There are widgets about social networks, animations, communications (email...), educational, entertainment, games, video, shopping, finance...

Chumby network has a bunch of online services over it's site and they finances the Chumby Network by having promotional widgets.

QUOTE
The Chumby is designed as open source hardware, with schematics, PCB layouts and packaging/outerware designs available. Hardware specs are as follows

* 350 MHz ARM9-based Freescale i.MX21 controller
* 64 MB of SDRAM
* 64 MB of NAND flash ROM
* 320×240 3.5 inch touchscreen TFT LCD running at 12 frames per second
* stereo 2 W speakers, an audio output, an integrated microphone
* two USB 2.0 ports
* integrated WiFi
* a bend sensor for squeeze-based user interface features
* motion sensor (accelerometer).


QUOTE
Chumby units run on a modified Linux kernel. For system updates, a modified BitTorrent client is used to upgrade the open-source portions of its firmware


(from wikipedia)

 

[atomicthumbs]

That's kind of like asking "Where's the EEEpc for Pandora?"

 

[Shiny]

Something like that is fine for a desktop PC, but for a mobile device that won't always be connected to the 'net it's not very practical.

 

[Chip]

Chumby is basically a RSS reader stuffed inside a pillow. I'm not sure what part (the RSS reader or the pillow) you want to add to Pandora.

 

[timofonic]

Chumby is basically a RSS reader stuffed inside a pillow. I'm not sure what part (the RSS reader or the pillow) you want to add to Pandora.

Well, it uses the widgets thing and has media capabilities too. You can connect something like an iPod.

About the pillow, I don't want to give hugs to the machine or dream with it for now. I'll wait after knowing it more

And about Pandora being a mobile device and maybe not always connected, that depends on where do you live as there are wifi everywhere and mobile internet over UMTS/HSDPA.

 

[Chip]

Well, it uses the widgets thing and has media capabilities too. You can connect something like an iPod.

"Widget" is marketing speak for "Small, easy to install program".

I expect there will be many small, easy to install programs for Pandora that will do whatever the chumby does. Feel free to call them widgets if you like

 

[timofonic]

Well, it uses the widgets thing and has media capabilities too. You can connect something like an iPod.

"Widget" is marketing speak for "Small, easy to install program".

I expect there will be many small, easy to install programs for Pandora that will do whatever the chumby does. Feel free to call them widgets if you like


You forget "...under a common framework" and that's the cool thingie of widgets as making them not requires complex programming but simply scripting stuff like JavaScript and/or HTML. This makes installing/updating easier too, using a very simple simple install/uninstall way.

I hope it, but I'm afraid of people making their own apps out there instead using a common framework for that. Let's see how the Pandora software evolves, as it's something still not enough talked on the forums.

 

[Snu]

Chumby is basically a RSS reader stuffed inside a pillow. I'm not sure what part (the RSS reader or the pillow) you want to add to Pandora.

thats what we need! pandora plushies! with clamshell folding screen and all!

 

[javaJake]

In defense of this idea, a unified interface with a summary of topics and things you're interested in is definitely a cool idea. Especially if it as pleasing to the eye as Chumby. (And you don't have to be online all the time: just sync when you can for future reference.)

 

[Alex.]

That sounds more like the job of a separate application that serves as a sandbox for widgets, rather than that of the main (default) interface. Efegea's planned interface works like this, where people will be able to write and use custom widgets written in Python, if I'm not mistaken

 

[timofonic]

In defense of this idea, a unified interface with a summary of topics and things you're interested in is definitely a cool idea. Especially if it as pleasing to the eye as Chumby. (And you don't have to be online all the time: just sync when you can for future reference.)

Able to use desktop widgets from KDE, Mac OS X's Dashboard and Yahoo Widgets could be quite interesting too. KDE's with the ones of Dashboard.



QUOTE
Although a third party Linux application called [URL="http://netdragon.sourceforge.net/ssuperkaramba.html"]SuperKaramba already facilitates KDE desktop widgets, OS X Dashboard compatibility will allow KDE users to take advantage of the massive number of Dashboard widgets already available.


QUOTE
Third party applications like GDesklets and the previously mentioned Karamba brought widget support to the Linux desktop long before Dashboard existed.

http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20060102-5881.html

QUOTE
Jackfield runs widgets from Apple’s Dashboard.



Here's a list of some Open Source widget apps. I still don't found one for embedded stuff like Qtopia.
SuperKaramba
ADesklets
Jackfield
gDesklets

 

[OrR]

Chumby runs on top of Linux and ARM hardware so it might not be much effort to port it to Pandora. Not sure it's open enough to simply do that and if the Chumby servers could be used. It might be an idea to ask the Chumby team for a commercial Chumby application that you can set as a sort of screensaver if you let Pandora sit open and connected to power idle for a set amount of time. That would be awesome. I also want this on my Openmoko phone and it might make sense on other portable Linux devices, possibly making it easier to convince someone to actually do this.