1 Topic by zurk (edited by zurk 2012-02-22 21:18:48)

  • Registered: 2010-05-10
  • Posts: 222

Topic: Which android alternative to chumby as an alarm clock ??

Anyone got any idea about which android device can act as a good alarm clock ? I am hoping to replace my chumby one once it dies with a good android device.
ideally i would like :
touchscreen
night mode
alarm with backup alarm (preferably hardware like the chumby one)
good alarm scheduler like the chumby one
wifi
AC adaptor with backup battery

I was looking at the archos 3.5" home connect alarm clock but dont know how it is.
http://store.archos.com/archos-home-connect-p-5027.html

anyone used it ? recommend any alternative ? thanks.

  • From: Somewhere on or near Earth
  • Registered: 2009-12-16
  • Posts: 774

Re: Which android alternative to chumby as an alarm clock ??

I have been thinking about the same thing. If anything happens to Chumby Inc. I figured I would go with an Android device. Pretty much any Android device would do.  Have you considered using a used Android phone or one of the cheap Chinese Android tablets? You should be able to pick up either for about the same price as the Archos. It is just a matter of discovering which apps best suit your needs. I am hoping the Galaxy note fails totally so I can pick up a 5" Android device cheap. A guy can hope...

Of course no Android device would truly replace a Chumby.

Tar, feathers, congress. Some assembly required.

BoloMKXXVIII's Website

  • Registered: 2012-02-07
  • Posts: 535

Re: Which android alternative to chumby as an alarm clock ??

zurk: is your Chumby One misbehaving in any way?  what makes you think it's going to die?

On topic, my favorite Android alarm app is AlarmDroid... and in fact I just sent a feature request to its author suggesting the ability to launch external apps with alarms (and the ability to check the internet connection before doing so, so if it's set to launch Pandora but no connection is available, it can play a backup alarm tone).

Bolo: if anything happens to Chumby Industries, your Chumby will still be far from bricked -- one of the many awesome things I'm discovering about Chumbies smile

  • Registered: 2010-05-10
  • Posts: 222

Re: Which android alternative to chumby as an alarm clock ??

good call. i found the ainol novo 7 inch advanced tablet for $129 on ebay with a stand for $10. runs android 4.0.
chumby one is not misbehaving  but with chumby no longer manufacturing anything, widgets no longer getting updated and a device with a screen, wifi and cpu which runs 24 x 7 x 365 (and runs hot) its just a matter of time before the backlight or display or some other hardware goes. plus its 3 years out of warranty, even if chumby decides to honor the warranty at all. i bought it for $50 used off craigslist, with $20 put in for the battery, so either way its long since given its ROI in full. i expect it to die long before chumby turns off their servers, so im not worried about that.

  • From: Austin, TX
  • Registered: 2009-05-07
  • Posts: 471

Re: Which android alternative to chumby as an alarm clock ??

Remember that there is a Chumby app for Android too.

unwiredben's Website

6 Reply by BoloMKXXVIII (edited by BoloMKXXVIII 2012-02-24 03:43:10)

  • From: Somewhere on or near Earth
  • Registered: 2009-12-16
  • Posts: 774

Re: Which android alternative to chumby as an alarm clock ??

Doktor Jones wrote:

Bolo: if anything happens to Chumby Industries, your Chumby will still be far from bricked -- one of the many awesome things I'm discovering about Chumbies smile

My code writing days ended over 25 years ago. As much as I love my Chumby One and Infocast 8 (now a Chumby 8) I just don't have the skills anymore to hack software myself. The Chumby fan community is very small compared to the Android hacking community. Just spend some time on the XDA developers site to see what I mean. I have my fingers crossed for Chumby Inc. but there are a lot of bad signs out there. I still think they should have gone to a subscription model. Even a few dollars a month per user would have probably been very helpful towards keeping the project healthy. I hope I am making a mountain out of a mole hill but I want to be prepared either way.

Tar, feathers, congress. Some assembly required.

BoloMKXXVIII's Website

7 Reply by steelpaw (edited by steelpaw 2012-02-25 14:07:59)

  • From: Australia
  • Registered: 2009-03-19
  • Posts: 503

Re: Which android alternative to chumby as an alarm clock ??

zurk wrote:

Anyone got any idea about which android device can act as a good alarm clock ? I am hoping to replace my chumby one once it dies with a good android device.

Yes, but why do you want to get the replacement Android device now? Do you believe Android devices are about to go off the market? Why not wait until your chumby actually dies, and look at what Android devices are available then? Any information you get now is going to be months or indeed years out of date by the time you actually need it.

  • Registered: 2010-05-10
  • Posts: 222

Re: Which android alternative to chumby as an alarm clock ??

looks like im replacing mine with the novo 7 elf and paladin tablets.

  • From: Somewhere on or near Earth
  • Registered: 2009-12-16
  • Posts: 774

Re: Which android alternative to chumby as an alarm clock ??

Looks like I will be replacing one of my Chumbies with this: http://www.gracedigitalaudio.com/mondo-p-212.html

Hardly a real replacement but the one Chumby spent its life as an internet radio anyway. Still no real replacement for my other Chumby. I may go the cheap Android tablet road instead of the used Android phone option.

I have been testing Zurk's software and at least my Chumbies won't end up in some drawer somewhere. Zombie Chumby anyone?

Tar, feathers, congress. Some assembly required.

BoloMKXXVIII's Website

  • bobsz
  • Blue Buddy
  • Offline
  • From: Long Beach NY
  • Registered: 2011-01-01
  • Posts: 546

Re: Which android alternative to chumby as an alarm clock ??

@Bolo- I've been looking at radios, too. That one above looks good. But they say it uses "free" streaming services. Do you know if you can program streams directly into that radio without a provider in between? Thanks.

  • From: Somewhere on or near Earth
  • Registered: 2009-12-16
  • Posts: 774

Re: Which android alternative to chumby as an alarm clock ??

According to the manual (the radio has not been delivered yet) you can add streams through their web site.

From the manual:

If you want to listen to a station or podcast that is not in the Reciva stations list, and you know the streaming url for the station, then you can add it to your own personal list of stations. This is entirely personal to you.
On the Grace website, please log in and then click on ‘Manage My Stuff’, and then click on ‘My Streams’ or ‘My Podcasts’.
From this section of the website you are able to search for your personal audio content provided you know the streaming url. As with My Stations you can organize your list into folders and keep personal notes about the content.
Next time you use your radio, under the My Stuff icon you will find My streams. Selecting My Streams will show the stations you placed in My Streams, and similarly selecting My Podcasts will give you your podcasts.


The user manual can be found on this page: http://www.gracedigitalaudio.com/mondo-p-212.html

It uses more than just free streaming services. It works with the paid version of Pandora and SiriusXM. There may be others but I have not looked into it more than that yet.

Tar, feathers, congress. Some assembly required.

BoloMKXXVIII's Website

  • Registered: 2011-02-10
  • Posts: 66

Re: Which android alternative to chumby as an alarm clock ??

Look at "Alarm Clock Xtreme" as far as Android apps go.  Still using my chumbys for all our multiple alarms all day long, but I don't take them on vacations etc smile

  • Plank
  • Busy Chum
  • Offline
  • Registered: 2008-05-17
  • Posts: 217

Re: Which android alternative to chumby as an alarm clock ??

I have a Grace Mondo.  I feel it is the best internet radio on the market.  The Logitech radios are good too, just a little more complicated.