Chumby

The Chumby was any of a line of networked devices produced from 2006 through 2011. They were basically "Internet-enabled clock radios", able to play Internet radio stations, set alarms, and run various apps to display the time, weather, news, and other things that could either be generated by programs or retrieved from the Internet. It is Linux-based, and uses Adobe Flash (SWF, ActionScript) for app development.

Its dependence on a central server (which handles authentication of accounts and serving of apps) was highlighted by the manufacturer going out of business at the end of 2011, which threatened to render all Chumbys inoperative if the server went down. However, volunteers managed to keep the server running, and eventually one of them acquired the rights to the company's remaining assets including the chumby.com domain name in order to keep it operative. At present, however, the service is cut down to a single clock app until funding can be arranged to keep a more extensive service operating.

Links

 * Wikipedia article
 * Official site