• Registered: 2007-12-27
  • Posts: 17

Topic: New Contol Panel Update

Just rebooted my Chumby to the new Control Panel Update.  This is just incredible.  I am really loving this.  Now I can listen to radio stations and music.  Thanks to all the people who have contributed to this great device and all the staff at Chumby for all their dedication and effort.  For me the Chumby is in a stage that it's ready to be released to the general public.  I am finding new widgets quite frequently now that I like and add to my Chumby.  At this point the Chumby has surpassed all of my expectations that I originally purchased it for without being another computer.  I definitely feel that I have gotten more than what I paid for when I bought my Chumby.  Keep up the good work!

Bob
Columbus, Ohio

  • From: Washington DC
  • Registered: 2007-10-23
  • Posts: 88

Re: New Contol Panel Update

I just found out about it on Chumby.com. I was updating some widgets, and saw the news.
Can't wait to get home and check it out.

"Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."

Ganson's Website

  • From: San Diego, CA
  • Registered: 2006-08-29
  • Posts: 159

Re: New Contol Panel Update

bobkin, your post warms our collective hearts -- it stings when I hear the uninformed question the value, because I know how much effort, and how little margin, has gone into this; it delights when I hear the informed realize how much Chumby really does for them, especially those who have been tracking us from the beginning and who see that it does just keep getting better and better.  We really do want this to be the best $179.95 anyone ever spent :^)

Steve Tomlin's Website

  • From: Chicago, IL
  • Registered: 2007-11-11
  • Posts: 235

Re: New Contol Panel Update

Steve,

When I told coworkers about this little device back in December, the resounding response was "You're going to pay that much for that?!". Now that I have one sitting on my desk at work, everyone stops by and pokes and plays with it. They have all seen the new features keep showing up. Now everyone who see's it loves it and I am sure a few of them will be placing orders. I know I have never regretted the purchase - so much so that I had to by a second unit just to leave at work. Keep up the good work.

-HuckFinn
  • Registered: 2007-11-02
  • Posts: 6

Re: New Contol Panel Update

I, too, love the new control panel but I can't seem to get the "My Music Files" to work.  The best I get is "1 Music Files Found On USB" but it doesn't play anything and reboots after a bit.   Anyone else having this problem?   Ideas?  Solution?

  • Duane
  • Duane
  • Blue Octy
  • Offline
  • From: San Diego, CA
  • Registered: 2006-08-24
  • Posts: 8,199

Re: New Contol Panel Update

Yeah - there are open issues with the My Music Files section that require a firmware update to resolve.  If you use "simple" file names (short, no spaces, punctuation, etc) this will work better for you today.  Or you can wait until the firmware is updated -  "soon".

Duane's Website

  • Registered: 2007-11-15
  • Posts: 25

Re: New Contol Panel Update

Duane be careful with that "soon"... certain people will expect things like tomorrow... smile

  • Registered: 2007-12-23
  • Posts: 12

Re: New Contol Panel Update

I've been using the Beta Control Panel.  My software version is 1.2.  Have I and will I receive the new control panel update?

  • Registered: 2007-12-23
  • Posts: 12

Re: New Contol Panel Update

Hmm, upon closer inspection I see my Control Panel is 2.6.70.  Thanks!

  • Registered: 2007-11-09
  • Posts: 38

Re: New Contol Panel Update

I don't mean to pick nits, but is the alarm now reliable?

  • bobs
  • New member
  • Offline
  • Registered: 2008-01-13
  • Posts: 7

Re: New Contol Panel Update

The beta version allowed us to turn off the Alarm control screen. It is now grayed out. Am I missing something?

Also a quick mention (as I will find a better place are to post more info) but has anyone had more lockups with this update?

  • Registered: 2007-12-27
  • Posts: 17

Re: New Contol Panel Update

Thanks Steve for your nice response.  I have another comment.  After working with the Chumby over the past several months I find I rely on it so much on a daily basis, just like my home computer, that I cannot conceive living without the Chumby.  I have put all my other wi-fi handheld devices into the drawer and haven't touched them since.  I logged in this morning and found the delegate scoreboard in the widget section (thanks to dmaxwell) and for the past several weeks wished I could view it on my Chumby and there it suddenly was.  All of the people there are so up-to-date and seem to anticipate what the consumer wants without even asking for it.  I feel very fortunate because I haven't experienced any problems with my Chumby since receiving it, but, then, I only use the main control panel and haven't touched any of the beta stuff.  There is so much of the new roll-out things that I can barely keep up with them all.  This is one HAPPY CAMPER!!!

Bob
Columbus, Ohio

  • From: Chicago, IL
  • Registered: 2007-11-11
  • Posts: 235

Re: New Contol Panel Update

bobs,

For the alarms screen setting, if you want to hide the alarm screen you need to choose some other audio source besides one of the three default sounds. It is a bit unintuitive to me, but if you set it to play any radio chumby station or other audio source you can then hide the alarm screen. If you set the duration to :00 nothing will play and the screen will not show up. If you want more information you can see the post here...

http://forum.chumby.com/viewtopic.php?id=1655

-HuckFinn
  • Duane
  • Duane
  • Blue Octy
  • Offline
  • From: San Diego, CA
  • Registered: 2006-08-24
  • Posts: 8,199

Re: New Contol Panel Update

asher wrote:

I don't mean to pick nits, but is the alarm now reliable?

Yes, it's *more* reliable, but not 100% reliable.  There's only so much that can be done in the Control Panel itself.  The next firmware release fixes a number of other bugs in the sound subsystem and the Flash Lite player upon which the Control Panel depends, which would increase the reliability even more.

Product Management has an active project to enumerate all of the possible alarm usage and failure modes and identify solutions - it's an overall goal to maximize the reliability of the alarm subsystem.

It's actually a very difficult problem with such a complex software stack, especially one that allows uncertified third-party content.

Duane's Website

  • From: Kansas
  • Registered: 2008-01-28
  • Posts: 231

Re: New Contol Panel Update

Duane: regarding your answer to me on topic:  Use the squeeze switch to step through widgets by yin7yang64, PLEASE tell me you will be putting back the upper left corner of the screen tap to get back to the control panel? I've downloaded the new control panel and love the music and podcasts, but now that I got so used to the screen tap, pressing the button on the top is so hard. Makes it much more difficult, for instance to turn volume up or down once you've already set it down. Used to be one handed operation to tap the corner of the screen, NOW I have to pick him (or her) up, hold it while I push the button on top so I don't knock the lamp over. Then, I am so awake I can't go back to sleep. I don't understand why it was there before but not now...I LOVED it and so would everyone else if they had found it too! If you can't put it back, is there anyway I can go back to the other version of the control panel? I already have a radio.
Thanks, B

  • Duane
  • Duane
  • Blue Octy
  • Offline
  • From: San Diego, CA
  • Registered: 2006-08-24
  • Posts: 8,199

Re: New Contol Panel Update

It was removed because several widgets were showing up that required that corner to be accessible as part of their UI.

Some developers and users were complaining that they were unexpectedly entering the Control Panel when they thought they were interacting with the widget.

Duane's Website

  • Registered: 2008-02-17
  • Posts: 2

Re: New Contol Panel Update

Hello Everybody. Newbie here, I have been keeping tabs on the chumby developments and am considering purchasing one. Are there any screen capture images showing the new control panel update features ?

Are there any screen captured images illustrating the different capabilities/features of the chumby?

Thanks

  • Duane
  • Duane
  • Blue Octy
  • Offline
  • From: San Diego, CA
  • Registered: 2006-08-24
  • Posts: 8,199

Re: New Contol Panel Update

Yeah, try here.  It's been updated with the latest functionality.

Duane's Website

  • Registered: 2007-11-02
  • Posts: 6

Re: New Contol Panel Update

Duane wrote:

Yeah - there are open issues with the My Music Files section that require a firmware update to resolve.  If you use "simple" file names (short, no spaces, punctuation, etc) this will work better for you today.  Or you can wait until the firmware is updated -  "soon".

Understood.   I renamed my files to something simple like "Song-###.mp3" and it's working great.    Thanks.  Looking forward to the fireware update, though. 

Also, is/will the file name, song information, etc. display on screen?   Right now all I'm seeing is "## Music Files Found On USB.  Now Playing: Song # of #"

  • From: Chicago, IL
  • Registered: 2007-11-11
  • Posts: 235

Re: New Contol Panel Update

I second this, it would be awsome if the My Music Files showed the mp3 tag info instead of just song #. Is this somewhere on the horizion?

-HuckFinn
  • Registered: 2007-11-09
  • Posts: 38

Re: New Contol Panel Update

I third it.  I'm excited to play them, but don't know what's next, and the tracks play out of order

  • Registered: 2007-12-23
  • Posts: 21

Re: New Contol Panel Update

Hey, just another note of praise.  With this firmware update, the audio quality is MUCH better.  Great job, guys!

  • Registered: 2008-02-25
  • Posts: 51

Re: New Contol Panel Update

I don't exactly see the difference between version 1.2 and 2.6.70. Can anybody tell me?

This might seem a bit off-topic, but what is the difference between a New Member, a Member and a Chumbian? Is it just the time you've been registered, how many posts you've done, or something else?

  • Registered: 2008-01-08
  • Posts: 172

Re: New Contol Panel Update

New Member/Member are number of posts, Chumbians work for Chumby Industries.

  • Registered: 2008-02-25
  • Posts: 51

Re: New Contol Panel Update

So after 10 posts you are considered a member? ok. But I still can't figure out the difference between version 1.2 and 2.6.70.