It was bound to happen.

Could this be the time Sony can give you the keys and bring these units to Blue Octy?

It looks like they've erased all of the posts in the dash forum.

Duane,
Seems like you have another option in mind for what can happen to the Dash units. Can you share? Can there be a firmware change that would direct the Dash to the Blue Octy servers? My guess is that among the Dash customers there are at least some potential subscribers, don't you think?

Would it be legal to come up with a *firmware* that would direct Sony Dash units to the Blue Octy server? They were once tied to the Chumby.com server. It seems Sony should be willing to let this otherwise *door stop* become useful again. The music sources are similar with the exception of Slacker, which seems like their preferred choice. (Well, Lollapalooza is a offshoot of slacker). It would be great to be able to add iHeart to the Dash music lineup. I do like Slacker a lot and have used it quite a bit. The video on Dash is very good. I have watched movies on Snag or Crackle with great success.

Too bad this little gem is going away but anything you can salvage would be great.

Duane,
Hope you are not so busy that you are not working on a fix to plug Dashes into the system. Does it mean you would have to access to the Sony server to see what needed to be done to point them to the BlueOcty server?

Oddly enough I just order two Pebble watches which is now a topic on this forum.
https://forum.chumby.com/viewtopic.php?pid=53866#p53866
Maybe Duane could bring in Pebble to the BlueOcty world? Duane may soon be the master of the castaway technologies.

The problem with the Zurk offline software was that it involved making unauthorised (and, indeed, unlawful) copies of the Chumby widgets. To do something similar in a lawful manner, one would have to contact each widget developer and get their consent.
The Chumby widget developers had agreed to one thing (making their widgets available on the Chumby service, where they were able to obtain feedback; and remove or modify their widgets) and the Zurkware did something quite different (taking copies of the widgets for offline use, with no further opportunities for the widget owner to get feedback or make changes).
In terms of legal action, it would be difficult (more like impossible) for a widget developer to demonstrate that they had suffered actual, quantifiable loss from the unlawful use of their widget. This means that the risk involved in promulgating something like Zurkware is low because you almost certainly won't be sued [this is not legal advice - I am not a US lawyer].
However, there is also the moral element. People volunteered their time and effort to make widgets for the Chumby. It is wrong to renege on the agreement that they made.

just updated my dash and now it is stack with Sony logo flashing.
I found old firmware and will try to downgrade

drive.google.com/open?id=0BzS1mC9v_Q8jRHl0QmtEWlZnQVE

just downgraded using link above and dash is working again. Pandora is working. I have not tested other apps.
Mostly I use dash for the internet radio and I need to type all links into dash again..
So, I can confirm that downgrade will bring dash menu back..

how to downgrade:( from sony support site)

Before You Start
•This is a mandatory update for all HID-C10 units.
•This update requires a 128 MB or larger USB storage device.

Download the Update File to Your USB Storage Device
1. Insert your USB storage device into an open USB connector on your computer.
Note: Most USB storage devices will be compatible with dash, but we can help you check: Check now.

2. Click the Download Now link at the top or bottom of this page and save the update.zip file in the main (root) directory of the USB storage device you just formatted.
IMPORTANT: Do NOT open or unzip the file.

Updating the dash

1.Remove power from the dash device by unplugging the AC adapter.
2.Insert the USB storage device into the USB connector on the left side of the dash device.
3. Press and hold the MENU/SNOOZE button (located on the top of the dash device) as you reconnect the AC adapter.
IMPORTANT: Do NOT release the MENU/SNOOZE button.

4. The Special Options screen appears. After the screen appears continue to hold the MENU/SNOOZE button for another 3 seconds, and then release the button
5. Wait about 90 seconds until the Special Options screen is displayed, and then select Install Updates

6. At the Update Options menu, select Install from USB
The update should take about 6 minutes to install. When the update is finished, the Welcome to Dash demo video will begin to play. Then, you can remove the USB device and you're done!
Notes: ◦If you don't get the Welcome to Dash demo video, please repeat these steps

I guess the Sony engineers could not be bothered to thoroughly test their "final solution" for the Dash. They were probably in a hurry to get it done before management turned off the lights.

Unknowingly, I installed today's "update" which brought my Dash to the black screen with the flashing SONY.  I tried to roll back by going to setup.  The option to "install update from USB" is greyed out even though I have a USB attached with the update zip file.  The only option is to install from network. Is there a way around this?  Oddly, it says that my current version is 1.7.1526.

I tried to update one of my C10s and it got just to flashing "sony" logo.  So....I did what I should have done first -- checked here!  Ugh.  I've now just unplugged my 2nd one.

On the first one, I can boot up to the "Special OPtions" screen, with the 1.7.1526 update.zip file on a USB stick in the slot....but none of the the 3 options on the screen do anything.  They are all bright, like they are "active", but when I try to tap them, nothing happens. 

Thanks for any ideas....at least I know I have one unit that is still viable...

Unplug it and keep watching the forum here for news, hopefully coming soon.