Chumby: Next best thing or overpriced gadget with Cthulhu as its logo?

Farid

Artist formely known as Vysez
Veteran
Supporter
I was reading this blog entry about that new gadget Chumby.

Chumby-th.jpg


The enthusiasm from the author of that entry made me look for more information about that stupid looking product. So, I went straight to the source, the gadget's official web site, and after reading more about it, I can safely say that for the life of me I can't understand what the appeal of this product could be.

I think if it wasn't powered by Linux nobody would have ever talked about that thing. It's basically a large screen net aware MP4 player that acts as a glorified desk clock... And the best thing about, as far as I'm concerned, is that it sports the almighty Cthulhu as its emblem:

chumby_logo_text.gif


Absolutely everything else about this thing makes me thing "over engineered ugly as sin desk clock," with at best a chance to get a niche market as a uber geek, with too much mula to spend, desk clock.

Of course, being a reknowed contrarian and devil's advocate myself, I'm sure someone will play the smarty pants card and try to defend the market viability of this Chumby-thing by drawing analogies with other tech products that would also be useless in a certain manner. And you know what? Good luck defending this one, folks, 'cause it's one hell of a stupid product and you'll need a lot of well crafted rethoric devices to get some positivity to surround this thing. No, seriously, for shit and giggles, I'd like to read some lines in the defence of that product. The only obvious argument I would arguably accept is: "All high-tech gadgets are cool." But this one could be considered an axiom by now. And even this axiom is put to a difficult test when it comes to Chumby... 'Cause the thing looks as uncool as it gets.
 
What is that thing? A Linux-powered hacky sack or some kind of weird geekalicious masturbation device?
 
Here was I getting excited that it was a Cthulhu digital pet device like Tamagotchi.
I'd buy two, if Chumby was that.

Interacting with the ancients from the sea, in an all in one ugly plastic box surrounded by leather, now that would be awesome. Then again, that's not saying much. I'd buy Cheerios cereals, if the box had Cthulhu on the box... And I hate Cheerios.
 
Unless my eyes deceive me, that "thing" sports stitched leather. It'd be less tacky if if were decorated with Christmas ornaments, glued on macaroni elbows and old lady perfume.
 
I would see a use if it were a ugly portable, get something like Nintendogs on it and Im sure with advertising (innovative design, blabla) it will sell great against all rational thinking - and keep selling as parents will replace the Chumby`s that were abused as curveball.
But its not (taken from the linked article): "it needs to be plugged into a power outlet all the time to work".
 
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