In The New York Times Magazine: The Chumby

TINKERER’S TOY:
A gizmo that needs hackers to make it better for the rest of us

This week in Consumed: The Chumby. On one level it’s an example of an “ambient device,” but in this case its usefulness depends entirely on the creativity of consumer-hackers. (“The Chumby model attracts people who crave actively creating something that will be enjoyed passively.”)

On another level, its creators suggest that this device reverses the traditional consumer-electronics dynamic:

The alpha-geek development model proposes a revision of a gadget’s life cycle: As creative people keep hacking into what a Chumby can be, the device theoretically becomes more useful the longer you own it. There are elements already in the Chumby that nobody has yet exploited — like a microphone. “Maybe somebody will figure out how to turn it into a Skype phone,” Tomlin suggests. The company is also hoping others will make devices — digital picture frames and the like — that will accept the Chumby Network’s feed. Tomlin doesn’t rule out future generations of his object, but argues that “the same Chumby today is better than it was when someone bought it in November, and one that you buy now will be better in six months.”

A fascinating idea, to be sure. But is this thing bound for garage sales of the future? You decide. The column is here.

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