The current chumby is designed to be a wifi device.

If you don't have wifi, it becomes a simple clock.

since chumby will have 2 usb ports i think it'll be easy to add a rj45 connector to it, but ofcourse this will decrease the cool factor

I thought about the house wiring comunication with that same idea on my mind. It would be cool to just plug your chumby and let it stream all the info from the computer without setting any WiFi or additional cables.

shouldnt see why you couldnt compile a usb ethernet driver and plug one in. but like the Chumby guy said (sorry forgot your name ), its not really practical.

although, you could possibly intergrate a homeplug system into the plug. but personally, id rather have wi-fi. you can pick access points up for peanuts

you can get usb homeplugs. so if there is a linux driver, shouldnt see why you couldnt just plug on in.

i dont think you can run homeplug and power through the same plug. actually, thinking about it, that sort of contradicts the whole homeplug concept.

problem is, the homeplug would either be on the wall, so you would have some chobber wall wart, cos you got a switching mode power supply and a homeplug system. or it goes inside, but then you got a heat issue. my homeplugs get very warm, usually about 40 degrees C. and they are well ventilated.

its a nice idea, but wi-fi is the better option. if you dont have wi-fi yourself, see if you can use a neighbours. you aren't gonna use too much bandwidth, so i shouldnt see why they wouldnt let you.

yeah, i realised that half way through posting.

you still got the extra space and heat issue though.

you can pick wi-fi access points up for peanuts though. and if you buy a chumby, id be surprised if you didnt have wi-fi.

itd be something to think about. maybe wire something to the chumbilical for ethernet. then people have the option for it. it just seems that you are trying to accomodate the minority. the majority of people will have wi-fi, or buy wi-fi for use. hell, i bought wi-fi for my mums laptop, and she doesnt use it that often.

possibly offering a usb ethernet dongle, or an addon is the best option. cos then people can choose, and theres no extra cost for the majority, and for people who need ethernet, the cost is minimal. it also gives people the choice as to whether they use homeplug. or if they choose to use ICS on a pc, or whatever.

its not just a clock though.

you are sort of missing the point. the chumby is meant to be a beside computer, for reading you emails, and playing your mp3s. id bet more people have wi-fi than have cat5 in the bedroom.

and you can get expensive beside clocks with projectors and crap. so there is a market for them.

Well, um...we don't make those.

if you aren't paranoid about wirelessness.. then go buy yourself a 3 dollar wireless router.. and save yourself from ugly wires with adapters with more software... 

heres one on sale right now: http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/prodde … ;langid=EN

I agree...point missed entirely...I might well be the only girl on this forum as yet...who knows? I don't want to sit with a laptop or a PDA. I want something that is nice to hold....not cold plastic...something that can be personalised to reflect me!! To reflect my style! Even to make into a furry creature friend! Current hardware mods just don't do it for this girl geek! I'm also old enough to remember how much fun a computer with a tiny hard drive could be...if I wanted all the bells and whistles I'd go out and buy a $5000 laptop...I'd prefer to curl up with a fuzzy, soft chumby to read an e-book personally...anyway with all the clever hackers involved in this project I am sure it is going to be a very functional device just a little ways down the track. (I so want one!).

But what if I don't want to put it beside my bed?
I can totally see cases where people might need that extra internal USB for hacks, and only hook up the wifi for updating data, or simply plug it into their network occasionally. You guys might see it as a fancy clock, and others may see it as something completely different. And they'll probably be disapointed when it can't fulfill their dreams, but that'll happen whatever you design it as.
It would be nice if you guys eventually release a more powerful Chumby available for slightly more for such people that need the extra power, which I can see as extremely probable.

Exactly.

As a community the best attitude we can take is that the chumby is what it is and think about how we can add to its functionality and aesthetic in small increments. And to share those discoveries through the forums.

Focus on the cup being half full please...(personally, I feel like my cup is more than half full with chumby...)...then proactively solve your issues.