Your phone is now a Chumby
Chumby Industries releases its Chumby app for Android, bringing Chumby's unique ecosystem of Web widgets.
Oh, the Chumby. It seems like only yesterday this little touch-screen beanbag landed in our hearts.
Today he's all grown up, running under the hood of Internet appliances like the Sony Dash, Insignia Infocast, and Chumby One. Sadly though, in spite of beating both Apple and Google to the app concept, the Chumby software has never broken into the world of mobile. Until now.
Starting today, you can download a $4.99 Android app that transforms your Android 2.2 smartphone into a Chumby (minus the beanbag and charms). You get the same streaming radio alarm clock, games, and Web apps, all served up within one app. The app does have one advantage over the original device, with its ability to add and delete Web apps on the fly, without a computer.
Of course, if you already own an Android smartphone, there's really not much the Chumby app offers that can't be accomplished already. The only real trick up Chumby's sleeve is that the app can be configured to launch whenever your phone is placed in its dock, keeping true to Chumby's roots as a nightstand distraction. If you're looking for something cooler to display on your docked Droid than the default clock, this could be money well spent.