iFixit's teardown didn't reveal anything totally unexpected, with the exception of an inscription on the logic board from the designer that reads: "with love,—bunnie." However, modders might be interested in the following highlights:

* Notable components found inside the chumby one:
* Freescale i.MX233 CPU, running at 454 MHz
* MMA7455 3-axis accelerometer
* Hynix 923E 64MB DDR DRAM
* QN8005B FM Radio chip
* An inscription that reads "with love, bunnie"

* The MicroSD socket contains a 2GB Kingston MicroSD firmware card,
which can easily be pulled out once the device is opened. Users can
load custom firmware and upgrade chumby one's storage in a snap.

* There are plenty of ventilation holes in the top and rear outer
cases. Such a Swiss cheese case design allows the chumby to stay
cool without the need for a fan.

* Volume control commands are sent via a rotary encoder that
translates angular degrees of rotation into binary code recognized by
the board.

* The wireless card is attached to a small interconnect board,
converting the four-pin connector found on the logic board into the
USB connector used by the wireless card. This could potentially mean
hacking/upgrading the chumby to 802.11n in the future, were you able
to find a USB Wi-Fi card of similar size.

* You can also unplug the USB Wi-Fi card and plug in regular ethernet
using a USB-to-ethernet dongle.

* The 2W mono speaker is mounted onto a resonance box which occupies
precious interior space, which could be used to stuff more awesome
hacking stuff into the chumby. Alternatively, it could be used as a
secret stash for narcotics.

Hit the following link for full details on the teardown. [iFixit]

TV makers may think we want these things, and I think they're right we want content on our sets, but I don't want it from them. I'd believe that such extras might help sales in a world where ever ad says their set is the prettiest in picture. I believe that they believe that extras like this help sales. But I don't think a smart TV buyer would want these extras, or use them very often.

Several months ago, I reviewed the pinnacle of junk extra content in a Samsung LCD TV, which I didn't love but earned much critical acclaim. The 7000 and 8000 series in this line up had identical specs to the 6000, more or less, but for a few hundred dollars more, you could get WIDGET-FIED. There was a menu, hidden, that when you found it had an astounding amount of content. Insane, weirdo content. Receipes for dinner, lunch, desert annotated, step by step. Over 15 creepy children's songs, by a big yellow and short blue cartoon character. Bowling and a Galaga type game. Yahoo Widgets: An open API system that allows for weather, tweeting and flickr photos. Only 8 had been developed and so the openness was a joke. So was the performance. It was heartbreakingly slow to load, and therefore useless. Like all the other extras, they were poorly implemented, added cost to the set, and were instantly outdated. Here's the review, or just watch this ridiculous video:

I think some basic media playback in a TV is fine. I'll take that. Though so many Blu-ray players and set-top boxes are doing the same thing, it's almost certain to be redundant. And it's better to keep all that outside the TV itself, anyway. If you have to add processors and Ethernet connections to a TV to run shitty software and content, I'd rather they didn't.

Because here's the thing: People keep TVs for a long time, and building TVs is serious business. They should focus on the set itself. And they can't beat the content in my Xbox, and even if they did for a second, an Xbox is replaceable rather easily, compared to a HDTV set that costs thousands of dollars. I plan to get one TV and have it last over several generations of Xboxes.

TV makers, please stick to making the pixels more pretty. We'll get our content from who we want, the way we want to.

The Price

$100 for a limited time, $120 afterwards. Includes international power adapters and AC charger, but battery is sold separately. Starts shipping 11/25.

The Verdict

It's the same questionably essential yet unquestionably adorable Chumby, with a new case and a lower (and very tempting) price. I have no idea what its makers meant the original beanbag Classic (newly renamed) to be used for, but the One is more than a little reminiscent of old-school clock radios. And if you look at it as simply a badass clock radio, rather than an amorphous connected widget device, you really appreciate it. Imagine waking up to Pandora, then rolling over and checking your email and Twitter before hitting snooze for another ten minutes of sleep. Awesome, right? But what exactly has changed from the Chumby Classic?

Instead of the touchscreen-in-a-beanbag look, it's now rocking a smooth white plastic casing with a big honking volume knob on the side and a 3.5-inch resistive touchscreen. I really like the design: It's playful and chunky and thoroughly charming. Some may be bummed that the One loses the beanbag look, which is kind of a signature of the line, but I don't think it'll make that much difference. The Classic (beanbag) Chumby required a power cable so it's not like you could toss it around, and luckily the new design is still distinctive and fun—and if you really want the beanbag, it's not going anywhere. The One is simply joining the Classic, not replacing it.

The Chumby One does lose a few features found in the Chumby Classic—it only has one USB port compared to the Classic's two, and the formerly stereo 2W dual-speaker set is now mono speaker with the same wattage. The speaker is noticeably more distorted and muddier, and could use definitely use improvement, although it's not horrible and is fine at lower volumes.

But the Chumby One also gains 2GB memory (the Classic has 64MB), a li-ion battery (in addition to AC) and a faster processor. I didn't notice much improvement in speed, but it's not like it really needs a whole lot of muscle to display weather and New York Times headlines. The Chumby One's screen also seems sharper than the Classic's, and the overall package is shorter and narrower, though thicker. Chumby's selection of widgets, by the way, is quite good, with a huge selection of clocks, social networking services, news, RSS feeds, games and other fun little timewasters.

I'm conflicted about the Chumby One. On the one hand, it's totally unnecessary—it can't really do anything a modern smartphone with a dock can't do better, and at $100 it's sort of expensive for an alarm clock. On the other hand, I'm undeniably taken with this thing. It does a good job delivering the time, weather, news and RSS feeds, running Pandora and waking me up, and it looks adorable while doing it. If you're comfortable dropping $100 on a little plastic cube of widgets for your bedside table, go for it.

Awesome retro design with clean and simple UI

Runs widgets admirably

$100—substantial price cut, but not quite impulse-purchase territory

Doesn't do anything your smartphone can't

"Hack Days" are intended to celebrate creativity as developers race to create Web apps in less than 24 hours. And past events have had performances from Beck and Girl Talk. But hiring go-go dancers isn't exactly going to attract more women coders.

It's not much worse than some of the booth babe demonstrations I've seen, though. And don't tell anyone, but I'm a fan of those gals. [Yahoo Developer Blog via Simonwillison.net]

Sorry
I wanted to acknowledge the public reaction generated by the images of female dancers at our Taiwan Open Hack Day this past weekend. Our hack events are designed to give developers an opportunity to learn about our APIs and technologies. As many folks have rightly pointed out, the "Hack Girls" aspect of our Taiwan Hack Day is not reflective of that spirit or purpose. And it's certainly not the message we want to send about our values here at Yahoo!. Hack Days are about making everyone feel welcome, including women coders and technologists.

This incident is regrettable and we apologize to anyone that we have offended. Rest assured, it won't happen again.

Other features include: two full-range 3" drive units, an optional rechargeable battery, RF remote and a 3.5mm input for hooking up additional audio sources. Widgets like Facebook, Twitter, Picasa, weather and news are available now, but the lineup should grow over time. Plus it kind of looks like something the Jetsons would have. The Sensia will be available in Europe for the equivalent of $406, but there is no word on when or if it will ever be available in the States. [Sensia via Slashgear]

No word on new features; even though our own Matt really liked the original Chumby, he didn't see much of a niche for it to fill. But the design has kind of an iriver neo-retro thing going on with the cubic design and big dial, and we've always had a soft spot for the little guy. We'll update more as we get new information. [Ryan Block]

The company has told Forbes that "several 'powered by Chumby' gadgets" will launch in the coming months. They have struck partnerships with Sony, Samsung, Broadcom and others.

The first product to launch will be a digital photo frame and will be followed by TVs, Blu-Ray players, clocks and radios. Chumby, you really don't think Yahoo's platform is good enough, huh? [Forbes]

The screensaver is pretty much a compendium of individually-useless widgets, but when put together, they create this grating, multi-headed beast of sensory overload. Here's a short list of the provided data we can assuredly say you do not need constant access to:

• Number of coffee cups being produced
• Number of Post-It notes being produced
• A continual stream of infuriating Push-to-Talk chirps
• Number of bicycles being produced
• Number of shopping days before Christmas (hint: lots)
• Number of days until Friday

In the interest of preserving my own sanity, I've got to stop the list there. That chirping is the sound of nightmares. [Sprint via JKontherun via Twitter]

The Hub is a landline slayer launched in a wireless world, where the landline is almost dead. It's a fertile garden behind a red-painted wall—red 'cause it's Verizon, har har—found when most people are trying to break down those walls. It's a Verizon Wireless VoIP phone coming about at a time when AT&T is killing their VoIP service entirely. It's the phone we imagined before the iPhone, tethered to our home broadband connection for instant-pizza-ordering awesomeness. In other words, it's a lot of interesting things, appearing in the wrong place and at the wrong time.

That's not to say it's bad. It's just unfortunate. The Hub makes sense in a very specific context: If you're a lock, stock and barrel Verizon customer, from wireless to TV to internet to, obviously, landline phone service. That's where the "Hub" name comes in—it brings a bunch of different Verizon services together in one spot: You can monitor cellphone locations using Verizon's Chaperone, send maps and directions from the Hub to phones running VZ Navigator, and manage a central calendar that your entire family's phones sync to. Eventually, you'll be able to do more, like manage your Verizon FiOS TV DVR. While a minor point, in a sense it's a very sore point with the Hub, since you can already do that from many Verizon cellphones this very second. Why do I need a Hub again?

The garden walls reach their greatest heights when you try to text or picture message to a non-Verizon phone—you can't. The calendar isn't open, using a standard like CalDAV for easy export—it's squarely in Verizonland. A surprising amount of managing the Hub actually takes place on Verizon's website, like uploading contacts (via CSV files) and photos. Thankfully, the Hub's pages are better designed than the rest of Verizon's website—there's legit eye candy in the photo gallery, for instance. And nearly anything you can do on the Hub itself, you can do from the website remotely, like manage voicemail or check your call history. But it's odd you can't do something very simple like upload photos via the Hub's USB port.

It doesn't really matter if there are walls around the garden if you're never tempted to leave. Unfortunately, the Hub isn't enough of an attraction. Pretty much anything you can do on it—buy movie tickets, send text messages, check traffic or watch videos, you can do faster or better on your computer or cellphone. The virtually useless selection of VCAST videos make the average YouTube video feel like HD in comparison, and the "traffic report" isn't a map with live traffic info, but a canned audio briefing from Traffic.com that you have to sit through an ad to hear.

The Linux OS itself isn't particularly a joy. God knows, Verizon's committed some horrible user interface atrocities over the last few years, but at least the Hub's is alright—usable, not mind-blowing. I wish it moved faster. The keyboard is annoying to type on, but it'll get better in the next software update, which adjusts the spacing and adds pop-up letters. A persistent set of buttons on the left gives you constant, instant access to the two main menus: The phone and the uh, menu, where you get to your apps. In the top right corner is the home button, which takes you to the desktop, where your widgets, like for weather, time, voicemail, etc. hang out. Applications tend to have a two-pane layout that's framed by buttons on three sides, which doesn't sound like a problem, but it becomes one since the touchscreen is not so responsive around the edges. I've accidentally called two people at 3 in the morning while trying to press the menu button. Not cool.

Actually, that's one of my more concrete frustrations with this phone: The hardware feels cheap and shitty. The handset, which costs $80 a pop, is a plastic piece of garbage with a shoddy build quality and terrible screen. (It doesn't help that you can't do much from the handset either, like send text messages.) The touchscreen isn't as responsive as it should be, and it distorts with even the slightest bit of pressure, adding to the whole crappy feeling. A screen designed to be touched shouldn't freak out when you touch it. The speakers really harsh, crappy and tinny too. I couldn't stand using it for loudspeaker calls.

There are a few bright points. While the directory isn't as precise as say, MenuPages, it is fairly painless to find a nearby pizza place and call them in a single stroke. The synergistic—I know, that word provokes a gag reflex—stuff works well. Directions quickly went to the Samsung Sway test phone I got with it, which promptly fired up VZ Navigator and pointed to wherever I pointed it. (Too bad VZ Navigator is slow and sucky, but that's somewhat besides the point.) And the call quality itself is pretty good—or at least I sounded "loud and clear" to the people I called.

The brightest light may end up being the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel—the promise that developers will be able to create their own apps for this thing in the future. The included ones, for the most part, just aren't that hot, and some of the newer ones in the pipeline are definitely more head-turning. But it's hard to see how this product can sustain itself long enough to engender a solid third-party developer community. More likely, it'll get slightly better, then go extinct.

It's pretty ballsy to charge $200 for a landline phone with $35/month VoIP service right now, one that does the same thing you can do on an iPhone or G1, but is tied to your desk. Which is a lot of the reason I like it. But it's just as ridiculous to ask that much for a phone that's built with subpar hardware and doesn't live up to its full potential in a world where it's already horribly outmoded. Time was up two years ago. [Verizon]

The Hub isn't going to be a single, one-off device—there's going to be a lot of different hardware running it—which alone makes the proposition much more interesting, since platforms by definition are extensible, flexible and more likely to benefit from active development. In other words, it can and will get better over time.

Today I saw the software update that's coming in a few weeks, as well as builds further out in the future running on prototype hardware, which introduces among other things, a WebKit browser (same as Safari, Chrome, Palm Pre, etc.) a real email client, and a Twitter app. The big thing is that, like every other phone OS it seems, it's getting an App Market or "Widgets Bazaar," where you can—duh—download apps to your Hub. For now, every widget will come from Verizon, like a Flickr screensaver app or a pretty swell Rhapsody app that lets you stream music. But! The Hub is built on Linux and will eventually be opened up for anybody to develop for, which is obviously when it'll be able to reach its full potential. It kind of reminds me of Chumby, except it's a full-fledged VOIP phone too. Unfortunately, they don't have a timeline on when that's happening.

There's also no exact timeline for the new hardware either—which you can see here as OpenPeak's OpenFrame and OpenFrame 2—though a "new release of some kind every few months" is what they're aiming for. The new Hub hardware corrects a lot of the first-gen's problems: Namely, it's got a capacitive touchscreen (the kind that the iPhone, G1 and Storm have) meaning it'll be a much better—maybe even multitouch—experience. It's also just way sexier: The excess fat has been trimmed off, so one version is just like a glossy seven-inch upright touch tablet (OpenFrame), while another version has it floating on a speaker, more like a multimedia hub (OpenFrame 2). The new phone is more commensurate with the device too—glossy, ergonomic and with a nicer screen. Verizon's thinking about offering a range of different handsets—like these—with more capable premium models that can text message from the phone and cheaper basic ones.

Also down the road is more integration with other Verizon stuff, like FiOS. They're toying with a remote DVR app, for instance, which would be pushed just to people who have FiOS. With everything on a common Linux platform, the hope is that developers will be able to whip up a single app that'll run across everything Verizon—their FiOS boxes, phones and of course, the Hub.

If you're wondering what direction the phone companies are trying to roll in, this is pretty much it—AT&T is doing similar things with U-Verse and its mobile side—wrapping you in a giant, head-to-toe Snuggie of data supplied exclusively by them. [Verizon]

It's done by the same guy who brought Leopard's "stacks" feature to your bottom row of icons. It looks like it's running smoothly with a few test widgets, but I'm not sure if I see the appeal when the phone's UI is already fairly widgetized. No single application is ever more than a few swipes and a tap away, so I'm not convinced this is better than simply popping open the notes or the weather app (or in the case of the clock, looking two inches above to the clock that's already running).

Get compatibility for OS X widgets on the iPhone? Now I'm listening. I'm not sure if that's even possible, but I could see that being something I would jailbreak for. [ModMyi Forums]

That, and the Linux OS's hackability. If it's still just as hackable, having the engine embedded in TVs and Blu-ray players might actually actually produce a race of super Blu-ray players that play Quake, eat babies, connects to MySpace and actually competes with the Yahoo! widget engine we saw in a bunch of TVs at CES. [CrunchGear]

Hughes plans to start rolling out the new dashboard consoles in about 2010, and gives examples like an emissions monitor, web-connected security camera, and even Twitter integration as what might soon be appearing in your car. Think about it: on a cross-country trip, your car takes panoramic photos of your surroundings every half hour, or of that little punk that keyed your front door in the Wendy's parking lot. You could lock and unlock your car with your iPhone, or control the stereo with it. What about updating your Facebook status with exactly where you are? That way your friends can have even more specific data about your personal life to not care about. This is the future, people. [NYTimes, photo by NYTimes]

The challenge for it is twofold: Cellphones do all of these amazing things and go with us everywhere, and it literally costs as much as a cellphone. It's $199 after a $50 rebate and has a $35-a-month service fee with a two-year contract. Why the hell would you have both?

Descended from the ages old Verizon One, the Verizon Hub has actually been baking for a long time—Dave Zatz saw it in July 2007 and thought it was fantastic, with a "gorgeous display."

You hook it up to broadband and you can do all of the useful things you typically do with widgets: Traffic, weather, directions, easy pizza ordering and watch trailers for movies. One unique neato aspect is that you can instantly add contacts or calendar entries remotely, so if you wanna go to a strip club, you can schedule a late night "meeting" that your wife will see when she checks out the Hub. Plus, it has visual voicemail.

Sounds great, right? But, uh, how many of these five-years-too-late pieces of awesome do you think they'll actually sell?

FEBRUARY 1: VERIZON WIRELESS REIMAGINES THE HOME PHONE

Innovative Verizon Hub Helps Manage Busy Lives and Helps Users Stay Connected to Family and Community

BASKING RIDGE, N.J. – In a dynamic move sure to rattle devotees of plain old home phones, Verizon Wireless will introduce the new Verizon Hub on Feb. 1. Only Verizon Wireless can launch a new touch screen home phone system designed to replace old-style home phones with a souped-up home communications system, bridging wireline and wireless connectivity in one simple service, that runs on any broadband connection – whether supplied by Verizon FiOS Internet or DSL or any other high-speed service provider.

Families with active lifestyles and virtually anyone who wants to stay current and connected need a tool that helps manage their communications, contacts and calendars simply and smartly – all from one easy screen. The Verizon Hub is poised to help pave the way for people to stay in touch and up to date with the information they need to navigate their increasingly busy days and nights.

“The Verizon Hub reinvents the home phone system that’s been centered on your kitchen counter for years. We’re bringing huge new functionality to a common household device that will unlock its true potential. And in the process, Verizon Wireless is updating the tools busy families can use to manage their lives,” said Mike Lanman, vice president and chief marketing officer at Verizon Wireless. “The Verizon Hub is going to change the way you think about what you want and need your home phone to do. Whether you’re thinking about getting rid of your home phone or can’t live without it, now is the time to try out the Verizon Hub.”

The Verizon Hub uses your existing broadband connection, and it’s quick to get it up and running. It will work with any open broadband connection from virtually any broadband provider – telecommunications or cable – anywhere in the United States.

Out of the box, the Verizon Hub will have all the calling features users expect from the most advanced home phones, plus visual voicemail and robust contact list management. Verizon Wireless has also added exciting messaging options, including text message calendar alerts and audible turn-by-turn directions delivered to Verizon Wireless phones from the Verizon Hub – with just a few simple taps on the screen.

Information will be at a family’s fingertips, literally from an easy-to-navigate touch screen with clear icons on the Verizon Hub. Families will start and end their days with nuggets of customized information from the Verizon Hub:
· Check local traffic and weather in the morning before leaving the house
· Update your calendar and automatically receive a text when an appointment changes or as a reminder not to be late
· Get directions to the new site when the location for soccer practice is moved
· Find the number of the new pizza parlor to order a pie
· Preview the trailers from an upcoming movie that you might want to take the family to over the weekend, then purchase tickets using the Verizon Hub

Families on the go can access all the information and functionality of the Verizon Hub remotely from a companion Web site, even adding calendar entries for family members and inputting new contacts from the Web site. The home-based Verizon Hub is instantly updated.

Verizon Wireless customers who bring the Verizon Hub into their homes can connect to popular applications including VZ NavigatorSM and Chaperone®, as well as incorporate their wireless devices through text, picture and video messaging between wireless phones and the Verizon Hub. New and exciting V CAST content will also be available on the Verizon Hub, and when not in use, the Verizon Hub doubles as a digital picture frame displaying all of your favorite photos.

More details on the Verizon Hub, including pricing and service plans, will be available in the coming days. For more information on Verizon Wireless products and services, please visit www.verizonwireless.com.

About Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless operates the nation’s most reliable wireless voice and data network, serving 83.7 million customers. Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with 85,000 employees nationwide, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ) and Vodafone (NYSE and LSE: VOD). For more information, visit www.verizonwireless.com. To preview and request broadcast-quality video footage and high-resolution stills of Verizon Wireless operations, log on to the Verizon Wireless Multimedia Library at www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia.

[Verizon]

The P3's form factor is relatively unchanged from the P2: it's now made of aluminum (with an unseemly black bezel around the screen, unfortunately) and the dedicated volume buttons are moved to the top. The major exterior hardware upgrades are the addition of a small speaker and haptic feedback on the (capacitive) touchscreen, so it'll vibrate when you tap it. The GUI, however, is a real step up for Samsung.

The P3's home screen is almost a desktop environment, with movable, interactive widgets and icons and multiple screens a la the iPhone and T-Mobile G1. Icons can be dragged from a disappearing bar onto the desktop and back. I'm really liking the little lightbulb that changes the amount of backlighting when tapped. The P3 shares the P2's excellent 480x272 screen and hopefully its stellar sound quality as well. Below is a video comparing the P3 to its predecessor.

Samsung's PMPs have been pretty solid lately, so I'm definitely looking forward to this one. But the touchscreen still doesn't look as responsive as the iPod touch, and that desktop interface looks like it could get awfully cluttered. Still, it's been an unexciting year for PMPs, so here's hoping the P3 lives up to its potential. [PMP Today]

Discover New Music from Pandora on Your Chumby®

New Content Keeps Music Fans Engaged with Pandora Radio, Music Videos from Avot Media and News Headlines from Rolling Stone

SAN DIEGO—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Chumby is now giving music fans a new way to stay constantly connected to the music of their favorite artists, while also introducing them to new music they’ll love. All chumby players can now tune into personalized radio stations from Pandora accounts and have Pandora set as the audio source for custom alarm clocks. Additionally, chumby users will now be able to search and view music videos and more from a music video widget powered by tipMotion from Avot Media, Inc., and receive up-to-the-minute music news and images from RollingStone.com, all without logging onto a computer.

“We know music is a big part of people’s lives and fans want to have always-on, always-fresh access to their favorite artists,” said Stephen Tomlin, CEO of chumby. “A benefit of buying a chumby is that the product is always improving as we add new content and features through automatic upgrades. Now chumbys can be used as radios for the Pandora service at no charge, so whether you bought your chumby months ago or today – you win.”

Pandora is an Internet radio service that is now accessible through chumby. When you indicate a song or artist that you enjoy, Pandora responds by playing selections that are musically similar. You can provide feedback on the individual song choices to further refine the playlist to suit your taste. Your chumby can also wake you with your favorite Pandora station and let you listen to “personalized” radio all day.

“Chumby’s innovative connected media player is a natural fit for Pandora,” said Tim Westergren, founder of Pandora. “With Pandora now available on chumby, our listeners have even more ways to hear their favorite artists and discover new music.”

Also available on chumby are music videos powered by Avot Media, a video formatting and streaming solution provider. Now chumby users can watch the most popular music videos each week, and search for thousands of popular music, entertainment, news, and sports videos on the most popular search engines at the touch of a button.

Chumby music fans will also be able to receive the latest news and images of their favorite bands through updates from RollingStone.com. In addition, Wenner Media, Inc., publishers of RollingStone.com, will also showcase content from other Wenner publications such as UsMagazine.com.

The addition of music content from Pandora, music video streaming from Avot Media and music news updates from Wenner Media complements the strong music and podcast offerings already on chumby, including thousands of AOL SHOUTcast stations, music news from MTV and VH1, and dozens of great streaming stations on Radio Free Chumby.

To inspire developers, Sony's holding a competition for the best application. For your troubles, you could win either a Bravia 40-inch LCD TV, a Vaio TypeC laptop, or a Blu-Ray player, a Cybershot DSC-T77 or one of their new Walkman music players. Just get your app in before January 8th, 2009. [Sony Insider]

Intel and Yahoo's solution can pull down Flickr photos, weather, and related TV content and dump it into widgets along the bottom of the screen. It's nothing we haven't seen before. But at least now Intel's FCC plea for mandatory ethernet jacks on all STBs makes a lot more sense. The folks at Laptop had a chance to walk through the interface:

CE 3100 predates Atom, so it does not appear to be the Atom-based SoCs hinted at previously. Also, it packs more muscle than what's required to simply dump some web widgets on the screen, so we'll probably see some more robust media extender technology running on the platform soon. [Video: Laptopmag]

Full release from IDF:

Intel Introduces First IA System on Chip for Consumer Electronics, Expands Internet to TV Experience

Internet on TV Collaboration with Yahoo!®, Mobile Internet Device Momentum and ‘Boundless’ Opportunities for Software Developers Highlighted
IDF San Francisco 2008

SAN FRANCISCO—(BUSINESS WIRE)—NOTE TO EDITORS: photos, videos and more facts available at www.intel.com/pressroom/idf.

At the Intel Developer Forum, Intel Corporation introduced the Intel® Media Processor CE 3100, the first in a new family of purpose-built System on Chips (SoCs) for Consumer Electronics devices based on the company’s popular Intel Architecture (IA) blueprint.

Executives on Wednesday also provided updates on the Mobile Internet Device (MID) category and Intel Atom™ processor, unveiled a brand with DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc. around the shift to 3-D movie-making and outlined a number of efforts to speed many-core processor software design.

The CE 3100 has been developed for Internet-connected consumer electronics (CE) products such as optical media players, connected CE devices, advanced cable set top boxes and digital TVs. The media processor (previously codenamed “Canmore”) combines leading-edge CE features for high-definition video support, home-theater quality audio and advanced 3-D graphics, with the performance, flexibility and compatibility of IA-based hardware and software. Intel expects to begin shipments of this product next month.

Intel and its customers have been working together to develop a variety of products for emerging growth areas – consumer electronics, MIDs, netbooks and embedded computers – each based on Intel architecture that enables uncompromised Internet access.

“As consumers look to stay connected and entertained regardless of where they are and what device they are using, the Web continues to affect our lives in new ways and is quickly moving to the TV thanks to a new generation of Internet-connected CE devices,” said Eric Kim, Intel senior vice president and general manager of the company’s Digital Home Group. “As Intel delivers its first IA SoC with leading-edge performance and Internet compatibility for consumer electronics devices, we are providing a powerful and flexible technology foundation upon which the industry can quickly innovate upon. This technology foundation will help the high-tech industry bring devices to market faster, as well as encourage new designs and inspire new services, such as connecting the TV to the Internet.”

“I Love TV” – Intel Extends the Power of IA into Consumer Electronics

As another SoC product from Intel, the Intel Media Processor CE 3100 is a highly integrated solution that pairs a powerful IA processor core with leading-edge multi-stream video decoding and processing hardware. It also adds a 3-channel 800 MHz DDR2 memory controller, dedicated multi-channel dual audio DSPs, a powerful 3-D graphics engine enabling advanced UIs and EPGs, and support for multiple peripherals, including USB 2.0 and PCI Express.

The Intel Media Processor CE 3100 also features Intel® Media Play Technology that combines hardware-based decoding for broadcast TV and optical media playback with software-based decode for Internet content. When a consumer watches broadcast TV or content on optical media players, the video is encoded in standard formats, such as MPEG-2, H.264 or VC-1. Intel Media Play Technology software routes the video to the on-chip hardware decoders. When viewing Internet content, the software automatically routes the video, and audio as applicable, to a software codec running on the IA processor core. As the Internet becomes more omnipresent, the ability to decode multiple video and audio formats will provide the industry with greater flexibility to evolving standards and technologies, and consumers with more viewing experiences.

The Intel Media Processor CE 3100 is scheduled to ship to CE manufacturers, including Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.1 and Toshiba1. More information is available at www.intel.com/go/celink.

In related news, Intel and Yahoo! Inc. previewed an applications framework for televisions (TV) and related CE devices that use the Intel Architecture, which blends the openness, personality and community aspects of the Web with the simplicity and entertainment strengths of the TV. This application framework, called the Widget Channel, introduces a new and user-friendly way to enjoy Web content while watching TV programs. The Widget Channel is powered by the Yahoo! Widget Engine and is optimized to use the performance and the capabilities of Intel Media Processor CE 3100. [A separate press release and more information about the Widget Channel and the Yahoo! Widget Engine are available at www.intel.com/pressroom/idf or connectedtv.yahoo.com/newsroom.]

Intel also announced the formation of The Intel® Consumer Electronics Network, a member-based community of hardware, software and services providers aimed at speeding the delivery of Internet-connected CE devices based on IA SoCs. Together, the network, which includes Alticast Inc1., Futarque A/S1, Giga-Byte Technology Co., LTD1, Tatung Co1., Unihan Corporation, Videon Central Inc1., and VividLogic Inc1., will receive early access to Intel CE platforms and will work to develop and market more feature-rich products to ultimately provide consumers with more choice.

Mobile Internet Devices: “Platform for Innovation”

Anand Chandrasekher, Intel senior vice president and general manager for the Ultra Mobility Group, discussed how Intel® Atom™ processor Z5xx series-based MIDs are becoming platforms for innovation in the mobile ecosystem. He added that the Internet revolution continues unabated with the rapid growth of social networking, user-generated content and location-based services. These trends are even more important for mobile users who are demanding the right device to take this experience with them.

Building on the launch of the Intel Atom processor for MIDs in April, Chandrasekher reinforced the growing need for performance, Internet and software compatibility, and wireless broadband connectivity in order to bring Internet innovations to pocketable devices. He showcased a range of MIDs coming to market across the target market segments and welcomed executives from Clarion1 and Panasonic1 to launch their products in the U.S. market. Chandrasekher also demonstrated the world’s first full 1080p high-definition video playback in a handheld device on the upcoming OQO1 MID. Additionally, he highlighted MIDs from Fujitsu1 and Lenovo1.

Supporting the diverse range of devices spotlighted at IDF this week in San Francisco is a rapidly developing software ecosystem based on the Moblin-based operating system. More than 10 software vendors, including GyPSii1 for social networking, Fuel Games1 for online gaming, Move Networks1 for Internet TV programming and Neusoft1 for UI and applications, announced plans for making their applications available for Moblin-based MIDs.

Continuing on the path of innovation, Chandrasekher reinforced Intel’s MID roadmap with the next-generation platform codenamed “Moorestown,” which is on track for 2009/2010. Holding up the first wafer, he announced that first silicon has been produced, reinforced the versatility of the architecture, and the opportunity to target the communication MID with data and voice capabilities.

Developing for the Future of Computing

Renee James, vice president and general manager of Intel’s Software and Solutions Group, described how software developers play an essential role in bringing emerging technologies and Internet opportunities to life. Processor performance and the move to Intel’s multi-core processors with multi-threaded software are accelerating advancements in all aspects of visual computing for richer and more believable experiences.

James and DreamWorks Animation1 CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg jointly unveiled a new brand, InTru™ 3D, that will represent the next generation of movie storytelling and enhanced 3-D viewing experience. The InTru 3D logo represents stunning computer generated 3-D imagery made possible by the unique combination of Intel technology and DreamWorks creativity. The logo will be employed by Intel and DreamWorks in promotion of 3-D movies, and presented within all of DreamWorks’ 3-D movies beginning with “Monsters vs. Aliens.”

James also announced Visual Adrenaline, Intel’s new visual computing developer program. The program offers resources to help developers, publishers, artists, animators and other gaming and digital content creation and consumption professionals take full advantage of Intel products and technologies as they create tomorrow’s most compelling visual experiences. More information on Visual Adrenaline is available at www.intel.com/software/visualadrenaline.

Additionally, Intel announced the next generation of parallel programming tools that offer new options for multi-core software development for mainstream client applications. The Intel® Parallel Studio includes expanded capabilities for helping design, code, debug and tune applications to harness the power of multi-core processing through parallel programming. Intel Parallel Studio will ease the path for parallel application development to deliver performance and forward scaling to many-core processors for Microsoft Visual Studio developers. For more information, visit www.intel.com/go/parallel.

About Intel

Intel (NASDAQ:INTC), the world leader in silicon innovation, develops technologies, products and initiatives to continually advance how people work and live. Additional information about Intel is available at www.intel.com/pressroom and blogs.intel.com.

Intel, Intel Atom and the Intel logo are trademarks of Intel Corporation in the U.S. and other countries.

CHUMBY INDUSTRIES DEBUTS ITS INNOVATIVE chumby™ INTERNET DEVICE AND CHUMBY™ NETWORK

Company secures deals with leading content providers including: CBS, MTV Networks, MySpace, The Weather Channel Interactive, AOL's SHOUTcast and Scripps Networks to offer always-on personalized Internet broadcasts

San Diego, CA - Feb. 25, 2008 - Chumby Industries announced today the public launch of the chumby™, its much-anticipated compact consumer Internet device that enables people to receive a constant personalized broadcast of their favorite parts of the Web. The chumby device is currently available in the U.S. at www.chumby.com for $179.95 including shipping.

A little bigger than a coffee cup, the Wi-Fi connected chumby provides people with a fun, hassle-free way to enjoy what they want most out of the Internet at a glance and wake up to thousands of different streaming Internet radio stations, custom "alarm tones," videos and more. With a large and growing base of content from the Internet, including the latest news, weather and entertainment, as well as the ability to share photos, widgets and e-cards with family and friends, the chumby is one of the most versatile and lifestyle-friendly Internet enabled devices on the market today.

The company also announced that CBS, MTV Networks, MySpace, The Weather Channel Interactive, AOL's SHOUTcast and Scripps Networks will offer compelling content through the Chumby™ Network, a dynamic and rapidly expanding open pipeline of user created and sponsor-supported commercial widget applications.

ABOUT THE PARTNER CONTENT

CBS programming will provide the Chumby Network with up-to-date CBS news, CBS sports and entertainment buzz from Entertainment Tonight and more, as well as video widgets of the Late Show with David Letterman, Big Brother, The Early Show, Wallstrip and college basketball games.

"We are excited to provide a range of CBS content to the Chumby launch community," said George Schweitzer, president, CBS marketing group. This unique device is a great new platform and an imaginative and friendly interface. And you can't spell chumbys without C-B-S! "

MTV Networks will feature the latest music, movie and game news from MTV and VH1, interactive Babealizer photos from Spike.com and an animated SpongeBob SquarePants character widget from Nickelodeon.

"Across every demographic we serve, our fans want to connect with our brands through devices and platforms that are fun, engaging and relevant to their lifestyles," said Greg Clayman, executive vice president, digital distribution and business development, MTV Networks. "With its innovative design and open technology, the chumby device is a great fit for the sensibility of our brands and the growing variety of ways our audience interact with our content."

MySpace will enable chumby users to stay connected and interact with their MySpace friends. Its widget supports interactions with users' photos, friend requests, messages, comments, blogs, bulletins and much more. Users will also be able to view their friends' profiles and send messages straight from the chumby.

The Weather Channel Interactive will offer up-to-date custom local weather conditions, forecasts and radar images from weather.com.

AOL will provide its SHOUTcast service and allow chumby owners to tune in to over twenty thousand free online radio stations from DJs and broadcasters around the world.

"We're pleased to provide the Chumby user with unparalled access to radio stations and programming from around the world via SHOUTcast," said Lisa Namerow, general manager, AOL Radio and SHOUTcast.

Scripps Networks will offer a widget from its popular Food Network. The Food Network widget will present users with a variety of tantalizing, tasty recipes from the experts at the Food Network Kitchens - served fresh to your chumby daily.

"Food Network fans can use their chumby to get recipes from the famous Food Network Kitchens that can be used right where they need them most - in their kitchen or even by their grill," said Doug Hurst, senior vice president and general manager of non-linear distribution for Scripps Networks, parent company of Food Network. "As the leaders in lifestyle media, we continue to create new ways to deliver our content - like the fun, bite-size format the chumby offers - to best serve our audience's current digital lifestyle."

The Chumby Network is supported by commercial sponsors and provides free content to chumby owners and "virtual chumbys" that can be placed on other connected consumer devices and social networking sites. In addition, chumby users can exchange content with other users ("chums") and share their customized widgets, photos and more.

"The richness and diversity of information on the Web has become critical to our everyday lives, so it becomes more important than ever to stay connected to our 'Internet life' and be able to access a wealth of information simply at a glance," said Steve Tomlin, founder and CEO, Chumby Industries. "The powerful combination of the free Chumby Network and the open and always-on chumby creates a compelling offering to consumers to easily create, view and share what matters to them most from the Web without the need to browse on a PC. And media companies can showcase and monetize content on an exciting new distribution platform that reaches consumers in different parts of their lives and at different times of the day."

ABOUT chumby
With an LCD touchscreen and embedded squeeze and motion sensors, the chumby delivers a robust audio and video entertainment experience to owners, including:

• Personalized wake-up experience - programmed wake-up to any of the thousands of audio sources available on the chumby
• Fun - games, humor, e-greetings, gossip, cool entertainment content
• Photo sharing through top photo-sharing sites such as MySpace, flickr, Facebook and Photobucket
• Music - over twenty thousand free radio stations
• Constant updates from top Internet sites
• Monitoring - auction updates, on-going searches, such as Craigslist, and friend status updates from MySpace

The chumby can be plugged into any electrical outlet, so users have the flexibility of placing it on a nightstand, bathroom counter, office cubicle, coffee table, kitchen counter or out on a patio. It automatically finds an available Wi-Fi connection and streams personalized channels from the Chumby Network, which continuously delivers refreshed content via widgets such as music, games, movie previews, customized alarm clocks, special offers and more.

Some of the most popular content and widgets include top streaming Internet radio stations, podcasts, daily video clips, news from The New York Times and Google, various fun and animated clocks, the addictive chumball™ game that uses the chumby's embedded motion sensor, moon phases, sports news and game updates, tech news from Engadget and TechCrunch, entertainment gossip blogs, and web-cams pointed at traffic, zoo animals and everything you can imagine.

The chumby, which measures about 5" wide, 4" tall, and 3" deep, comes in a soft Italian leather casing in a variety of colors including black, latte and pearl. In addition, chumby owners may express their personality by decorating their devices with chumby charms for sale on the site or their own "bling."

About Chumby Industries
Headquartered in San Diego, CA, Chumby Industries makes, sells, and licenses the chumby™, a compact device that connects via a wireless Internet connection and gives people a fun, hassle-free way to enjoy what they want most out of the Internet, always on and simply at a glance. Chumby Industries also runs the Chumby™ Network, a rapidly expanding open pipeline of user created and commercial widget applications from high-profile media partners such as CBS, MTV Networks, MySpace, The Weather Channel Interactive, AOL's SHOUTcast and Scripps Networks among many more. Offering the latest news, weather and entertainment as well as the ability to share photos, widgets, e-cards and more with family and friends, Chumby Industries provides an open platform, enabling the chumby to be constantly updated by any user, developer, media company or content creator to enhance and improve the Chumby experience.

If you're not familiar with the basic premise, chumby is a Wi-Fi gadget with a touchscreen centered around widgets. Think little snippets of the internet that it automatically picks up after you've subscribed to them, kind of like mini-channels. Like Chuck Norris facts. Or the weather, or MySpace, which has a pretty rich widget actually—you can add or delete friends, check out pictures or whatever. You don't pay a monthly subscription for access, BTW.

My favorite (weirdly) was a clock that uses numbers clipped from Flickr photos. (It's even kind of pitched as a brilliant desktop clock, ironically.) Streaming video, like for the Letterman Top 10 is a little better than YouTube. You could stream a whole half hour program and get through it, but I don't recommend it.

Best of all, it's not a totally closed device—it's Linux and Flashlight 3-based running an ARM processor, and totally hackable—they've even thrown up the schematics online. So it's easily to program new widgets or really dig into it to do something entirely different. The catch is that for now, you've gotta use the Chumby Network, which, as Saul points out, isn't quite as open, and some widgets have ads.

The interface was designed by Susan Kare, who did the icons and fonts for the first Mac. It's a great actually—clean, bright and attractive—only hampered by the slightly fidgety nature of the touchscreen. It responds better to taps w/ the back of your finger, but some of the widgets do scrolling, which isn't as smooth as it is on the iPhone. But stil, fairly good.

Other than the touchscreen, there's a button on top which sort of does everything. It's easy to feel through the fabric, though I kind of resent it being there at all. Not really used yet are the mic (it's developer candy) and the accelerometer, though I played a game that makes use of it which could kill hours of productivity time.

The squishability is ace, and I think kind of key to its appeal. I'm not big on the current color selection—black white and tan, but I was promised more were coming. I suggested green and blue, at a minimum, but they wanted to avoid giving off a kiddy vibe at launch.

The big question: Who is this for? Well, us, you. It's for people with a "rich internet life" who "already have all those other things" like an iPhone. It's supposed to sit on our kitchen counter or on our desk, bringing in little digestible bits of stuff we're already neck-deep in, the morsels we "really care about."

I'm not sure if they're going to get people to care about chumby though. If you already have one, I could see it quickly becoming embedded in your personal sphere, something you look at constantly and regularly—but I think it's going to be a challenge to get people to add another internet gadget to an already crowded desktop. [chumby]

Aquos Net won't change the world, but as a prototype of what's to come in the industry, it's pretty freakin' cool.

This video is more for the hardcore Chumby enthusiast, but fast forward to the middle if you want to see the Chumby in action. YouTube seems quick on the device, with fluid playback. And for $200, it might be a nice toy to fiddle around with on a lazy Sunday morning. Did that come out perverted to anyone else? It wasn't meant to. (For once, I know.) [cheapedia via engadget]

As you can see in the screenshot above, it has an entry for a Unit Converter, as well as three widgets: a phonebook (something that's already available in the Phone section of the iPhone), a Translation widget and a World Clock, also already present and accounted for on the iPhone. The iPhoneologists also posit that there could be a dictionary in the offing. That firmware screenshot seems legit, but we're still not so sure about those icons in the pic above, which are probably made up.

Since iPods have gone without radios for so many years, it seems unlikely that the iPhone would adopt such a capability. However, there is already a radio on board with the iPhone, so maybe it's not that much of a leap to guess that there may someday be an FM radio inside the iPhone, too. But we know what radio we'd like to see in there: 3G instead of the EDGE network. [iPhoneology]

Product Page [Via Technabob]

Two gadgets for your iPod from newbies Koloroo. The $4.99 TipKalc can work out how much you need to leave for that nice waiter who spat in your soup after you complained it was cold (my tip for that is a fat zero and a slap in the chops). It can also calculate how to split your bill, as long as there are not more than five of you at the table. Might as well use your cellphone calculator, IMHO - it is free, after all.

For $7.99, the KolorWheel (what is it with the overuse of the letter K here? Enough already.) gives you access to thousands of "scientifically formulated"* color schemes so that you can match your iPod to your pants**. Or you can tell Tarquin, your interior designer, EXACTLY what shade of Tuscan Aubergine you want for the pedestal mat in the bathroom. – Ad Dugdale

*Eh? Perhaps I am being thick - I frequently am, you know...
**This is a lie.

Product Page[Koloroo via MacNN]

TechReport takes a closer look at this MP3 player-sized device, which has a D-pad front buttons and top buttons, as well as a kickstand so you can prop it up on your desk.

Overall, being able to access applications like RSS feeds, music control, and hardware monitoring without having to swap out of what you're doing is really cool.

The display is only QVGA (320x240) so you won't get a whole lot of information, but it's fine enough for text and graphics in terms of Gadgets. There's even a little taskbar at the bottom showing you what's going on.

Asus's implementation is a good start, but TechReport thinks that Asus needs to still work on refining Gadgets for the interface. Once that's done, maybe we'll all be SideShow freaks. Sorry, that was pretty corny. – Jason Chen

A ScreenDuo SideShow [TechReport]

This neat display reminds us of Chumby, the little device that displays the widgets of your choice, continuously updated. We like widgets (WTF is a widget, anyway?) in any form, and would like to have a whole wall full of them. But as a desktop trinket, the Widget Station will do just fine.

No one is saying when it might be available or at what cost, but we're ready now. We're chasing after the company, trying to get one in here to test. Stay tuned. – Charlie White

Here's a video (in Spanish), but even if you don't speak the lingo you can still see how it works:

Product Page [Emtrace Technologies]

The response time is pretty decent for a cellphone, and the graphics are actually quite good. As you can see in the video, each cell takes up half the screen until you maximize it. The widgets there are good for a launch product—sports scores, weather, stock, call list—but should get much better as people develop new ones for it. Since it's open source, you can bet they'll be coming soon. So far our verdict is a positive one. – Jason Chen

Product Page [MyCellTop]

10:26: Ho ho, he's checking Apple's stocks live, and it's going up.

WidgetStation [Techeblog]

All you need on your phone is Java MIDP 2.0, 128x128 screen and internet access. You can sign up for free and get the client sent directly to your mobile. Nokia is taking the same tact as Apple and Yahoo and letting users create and share their own widgets, so look out for some interesting ones as this gets more exposure. We don't see anything that locks these Widgets out from non-Nokia phones, so go nuts, Sony Ericsson fans. – Jason Chen

Widsets, widgets para el móvil [xataka via Oh Gizmo]

Remember the time when a widget was simply an abstract concept in your math class? Your teacher probably tried to stump you with a question like this: "A company has ten machines that produce gold widgets. One of the machines is producing widgets that are a gram light. How do you tell which machine is making the defective widgets with only one weighing?"

Widget have since been redefined as downloadable, interactive, virtual tools. But they still have a connection to math—just add up the numbers. Let�s imagine for a moment that you are Brian Deboer. He�'s the creator of an Apple freeware widget called Sudoku based on the popular Japanese numbers game.

• Number of weeks in Apple�s Top Five: Six
  
• Number of total downloads: 290,000
  
• Amount of money made from his first �freeware� widget: $50

  Fifty bucks barely pays for Brian�s servers, which make the widget available for mass consumption. But, perhaps more important than the money is the mindshare. Whether on the airplane, in a Starbucks or at work, Sudoku graces the personal lives of nearly 300,000 people. You may not know Brian, but it�s likely that you will. That's because Brian has created the ultimate, addictive, portable experience.

  Welcome to the Widget Economy. It�s the online version of the Experience Economy, posited back in a 1998 Harvard Business Review article by James Gilmore. No longer, Gilmore suggested, would mere service offerings be enough for companies to maintain a competitive edge. Instead, they needed to combine those services with experiences that would foster an emotional attachment between the company and the consumer. Retail outlets like REI built 60-foot rock climbing walls, McDonald�s kept the kids happy with gigantic playscapes, and, let'�s face it, Disneyland has been selling experience since 1955.

  The Widget Economy, like the Experience Economy before it, represents a triumph of affluence, globalism, and multiculturism. You can view job listings in Japan, a live video feed from Venice, realtime quotes from the Australian stock exchange, and homes for sale on the Isle of Wight.

  Even more significant is that while the Experience Economy was able to commoditize the �third space� (the term used by sociologists to describe places other than home or work), the Widget Economy capitalizes on the fourth dimension—that is, our online life. What used to be the physical space of retailers is now the digital space of e-tailers.

  When I asked Brian in an e-mail why he made the Sudoku widget, he responded: �First, it was the challenge and the fun of creating it. Plus, his wife loved playing the games in the paper and was bored when she'�d finished them all, so he decided to make a computer version for her.�

  Thus, widgets are the last layer to make our online life complete. Instead of sipping coffee at Starbucks with your Sunday paper and single Sudoku, you can take your Sudoku widget with you everywhere. And not just one Sudoku, but an infinite amount of fresh content, Sudoku-oriented or otherwise.

  While some widgets, like the Chicken Lickin� Yahoo widget, have limited value and a short �new experience� span, there are plenty of widgets that provide a continuously updated and engaging experience.

  

  Take, for example, the Akamai Net Usage Index for Retail, which enables users to monitor the world's online retail consumption from their desktops, providing realtime insight into the trends of consumers� online buying habits.

  Finally, let'�s address the hardcore question: Where is the real �economy� in this? Most widget bloggers and creators agree that widgets are shareware. A recent entry on MacObsver.com illustrates this point: �I won'�t pay money for any widget, unless it changes my life. I just don�t see a business model based on widget-creation.�

  But let�s keep in mind that critics once scoffed at the ridiculous notion of buying bottled water. Today those same critics are swallowing Ozarka and their pride. In a similar trend, consumers now pay for the customized experience of �owning� what had been free television viewing by subscribing to TiVo, and exchanging the free radio experience for Sirius.

  Will we pay for widgets one day? Absolutely. Widgets will go the way of ring tones, downloadable music, podcasts, and VOD. Any widget that offers an experience deemed not just desirable, but necessary, will be deemed worth the expense.

  Consider the eBay Watcher widget, which costs $5 per two downloads. I emailed its creators, Richard �Jordy� Jordan and �Hawk,� his raptor-named coding colleague. I specifically asked them why, with an infinite number of shareware widgets, the eBay watcher widget was launched with a price tag.

  �"A huge amount of our personal time has gone into the widget, and it still does," Jordy replied. "It continues to give us some incentives to continuously update and improve on the widget for everyone. We also use this to see if there is really a need for the widget.�"

  It�'s clear that Apple, Yahoo! and Google �get� the widget economy. Current value is measured in the emotional attachment and mindshare they receive from coders using their development environments, and in the number of consumers using their operating systems. Yahoo! acquired Konfabulator for an undisclosed price, marking the formal launch of its Developer Network. Eventually, every traditional retailer will have a widget. Retailers like Pizza Hut, Krispy Kreme and eBay already have widgets created on their behalf. I jokingly asked Jordy if he hoped that eBay might one day come knocking on his door. Jordy'�s response? �"We are certainly interested if eBay would like to talk to us.�"

  Once widgets pick up momentum not only on the desktop but other platforms, like VW�s Gypsy in-car computer system, the fourth dimensional Widget Economy will become obvious with cafeteria-style widget plans for the masses. It remains to be seen if we would pay for the privilege of a portable Sudoku. And since it�'s really a numbers game anyway, I think I already know the answer.

  Laura Richardson is a Senior Design Analyst in frog design�s Austin studio.

  Read more frog Design Mind.