Topic: How Did You Find Out That Chumby.com is Trying to Save the Dash?

I am curious how the Dash owners found Chumby.com.

Reddit?
Google Search?
A psychic?

Re: How Did You Find Out That Chumby.com is Trying to Save the Dash?

Google search to Sony forum (when there were still posts)
Sony forum referred me to Chumby Community

Re: How Did You Find Out That Chumby.com is Trying to Save the Dash?

Google search for Sony Dash

Re: How Did You Find Out That Chumby.com is Trying to Save the Dash?

Google search for Sony Dash.

5 (edited by riblet2000 2017-07-22 08:32:09)

Re: How Did You Find Out That Chumby.com is Trying to Save the Dash?

Knowing the connection between the Dash and Chumby, on a hunch I came here to see if anything had been mentioned when Sony posted the EOL notice in April.

Re: How Did You Find Out That Chumby.com is Trying to Save the Dash?

Google search for "Sony Dash end of life"

Re: How Did You Find Out That Chumby.com is Trying to Save the Dash?

Googling, when I found Sony shut down their forums.

Re: How Did You Find Out That Chumby.com is Trying to Save the Dash?

Already knew about the Chumbysphere, from the time it arose from the ashes of Chumby Industries.

I do suspect that there may be a portion of Dash users who remain unaware of it's Chumbian roots.

Re: How Did You Find Out That Chumby.com is Trying to Save the Dash?

dashedhopes wrote:

I do suspect that there may be a portion of Dash users who remain unaware of it's Chumbian roots.

Yeah, the "powered by chumby" sticker on the back of the Dash box was pretty small. smile

Cleaning up any loose bits and bytes.

Re: How Did You Find Out That Chumby.com is Trying to Save the Dash?

diamaunt wrote:
dashedhopes wrote:

I do suspect that there may be a portion of Dash users who remain unaware of it's Chumbian roots.

Yeah, the "powered by chumby" sticker on the back of the Dash box was pretty small. smile

Wellll, since both of mine were white-box refurbs, neither had that sticker...

If the Dash unit itself had powered by Chumby written prominently on it's case, I'd be more inclined to grant you that point, but the portion of Dash users that I'm thinking of in my comment, probably didn't study the packaging to any great degree beyond seeing a really classy looking clock with net features & if they did, probably wouldn't have known what a Chumby was, let alone how it powered something (little blue octopoda furiously peddling a tiny bicycle?)!

Re: How Did You Find Out That Chumby.com is Trying to Save the Dash?

dashedhopes wrote:
diamaunt wrote:
dashedhopes wrote:

I do suspect that there may be a portion of Dash users who remain unaware of it's Chumbian roots.

Yeah, the "powered by chumby" sticker on the back of the Dash box was pretty small. smile

Wellll, since both of mine were white-box refurbs, neither had that sticker...

If the Dash unit itself had powered by Chumby written prominently on it's case, I'd be more inclined to grant you that point, but the portion of Dash users that I'm thinking of in my comment, probably didn't study the packaging to any great degree beyond seeing a really classy looking clock with net features & if they did, probably wouldn't have known what a Chumby was, let alone how it powered something (little blue octopoda furiously peddling a tiny bicycle?)!

Oh, I was agreeing with you... Sony minimized the connection back to chumby.

Cleaning up any loose bits and bytes.

Re: How Did You Find Out That Chumby.com is Trying to Save the Dash?

diamaunt wrote:
dashedhopes wrote:
diamaunt wrote:

Yeah, the "powered by chumby" sticker on the back of the Dash box was pretty small. smile

Wellll, since both of mine were white-box refurbs, neither had that sticker...

If the Dash unit itself had powered by Chumby written prominently on it's case, I'd be more inclined to grant you that point, but the portion of Dash users that I'm thinking of in my comment, probably didn't study the packaging to any great degree beyond seeing a really classy looking clock with net features & if they did, probably wouldn't have known what a Chumby was, let alone how it powered something (little blue octopoda furiously peddling a tiny bicycle?)!

Oh, I was agreeing with you... Sony minimized the connection back to chumby.

Ah!, I see.

It always puzzled me why Chumby Industries didn't make a prominant powered by Chumby splash screen part of whatever agreement was made with Sony. Very few folks who saw my unit sitting on the living room table ever seemed to know what it really was - even the more geeky types often assumed that I'd hacked up some kind of android tablet...

Re: How Did You Find Out That Chumby.com is Trying to Save the Dash?

As you can imagine, a small company negotiating with a big company like Sony is naturally a somewhat lopsided affair.

While Chumby had some prominence in some communities, Sony didn't consider that an important factor for marketing the device to customers.  There were many conversations about features, including issues like hackability and so on, that fundamentally came down to "that geek stuff is what *chumby* users like, but we don't think Sony users care".

There's some truth in that statement.  They did studies and surveys, and that's the conclusion that was reached.

The trick is that surveys and studies are built around existing preconceptions about the way thing are, not what they could be.  Steve Jobs is alleged to have said that the Macintosh would never have come to be if they'd relied on consumer studies to define it.  Only a handful of companies will take actual risks.

The dash happened because the upper management of Sony at the time thought that Sony had become too conservative and worked with us, as a small nimble company, to try something new and shake things up to hopefully bring some of the company's original spirit back.   Unfortunately, not long after the dash was released, that whole management team was replaced and the effort was not extended.  We were, in some ways, a tool in an internal conflict for the soul of Sony and our side lost.

Unfortunately, while I was there and involved through the whole process, I'm not really able to tell a lot of the more interesting stories about that period.

Re: How Did You Find Out That Chumby.com is Trying to Save the Dash?

Duane wrote:

As you can imagine, a small company negotiating with a big company like Sony is naturally a somewhat lopsided affair.

While Chumby had some prominence in some communities, Sony didn't consider that an important factor for marketing the device to customers.  There were many conversations about features, including issues like hackability and so on, that fundamentally came down to "that geek stuff is what *chumby* users like, but we don't think Sony users care".

There's some truth in that statement.  They did studies and surveys, and that's the conclusion that was reached.

The trick is that surveys and studies are built around existing preconceptions about the way thing are, not what they could be.  Steve Jobs is alleged to have said that the Macintosh would never have come to be if they'd relied on consumer studies to define it.  Only a handful of companies will take actual risks.

The dash happened because the upper management of Sony at the time thought that Sony had become too conservative and worked with us, as a small nimble company, to try something new and shake things up to hopefully bring some of the company's original spirit back.   Unfortunately, not long after the dash was released, that whole management team was replaced and the effort was not extended.  We were, in some ways, a tool in an internal conflict for the soul of Sony and our side lost.

Unfortunately, while I was there and involved through the whole process, I'm not really able to tell a lot of the more interesting stories about that period.

Thanks for that, Duane - some interesting info there. I agree with the observations on surveys/studies - these often appear to be conducted (or the results drawn) with a view to support an already established opinion/directive.

Re: How Did You Find Out That Chumby.com is Trying to Save the Dash?

As with a lot of others, Searched Sony Dash in Google. Actually, I think I searched "Sony HID-C10".

Re: How Did You Find Out That Chumby.com is Trying to Save the Dash?

I got the "kill" firmware this morning and started searching Google to see what others were doing. I hoped there was a way to flash it back but found that something even better was in the works.

Re: How Did You Find Out That Chumby.com is Trying to Save the Dash?

I went to Google which led me to Reddit which led me here.  Thanks for taking this on!

Re: How Did You Find Out That Chumby.com is Trying to Save the Dash?

Google to Chumby.

Re: How Did You Find Out That Chumby.com is Trying to Save the Dash?

Reddit

Re: How Did You Find Out That Chumby.com is Trying to Save the Dash?

A google search about Chumby which actually lead me to Reddit which lead me here. Go figure.

Re: How Did You Find Out That Chumby.com is Trying to Save the Dash?

Google search...

Re: How Did You Find Out That Chumby.com is Trying to Save the Dash?

I found a Dash in an electronics recycling bin. I googled it and came across Duane's unbricking instructions. It worked!

Re: How Did You Find Out That Chumby.com is Trying to Save the Dash?

We are mentioned on the Sony Dash Wikipedia page also. Just in case someone looks there.

Tar, feathers, congress. Some assembly required.

Re: How Did You Find Out That Chumby.com is Trying to Save the Dash?

I knew Chumby was a relative and I knew the end was near for Sony. A lot of searching for alternatives to the Dash, and checking on Chumby.

Re: How Did You Find Out That Chumby.com is Trying to Save the Dash?

Google search