Chumby’s cute; is that enough?

From Union-Trbune By Mike Freeman UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER April 24, 2008 click to read more. 
Advertisers will be needed to make toy profitable    It resembles an alarm clock – except it’s squishy like a beanbag. You can buy charms to hang on it. To say it’s being marketed as cute would be an understatement.     Say hello to Chumby, a tiny Linux computer disguised as a snugly toy – sort of a Tickle Me Elmo for gadget geeks.     Chumby is the brainchild of San Diego venture capitalist Stephen Tomlin, chief executive of 40-employee Chumby Industries. The touch-screen device connects via Wi-Fi to the Internet and streams information that owners choose – local traffic, weather, sports scores, appointments, podcasts from the New York Times – to Chumby. The information either scrolls across the screen every few seconds or comes out of speakers.     “There is a group of people for whom the Internet is vital to their lives,” Tomlin said. “It’s too important to be trapped on a beige box in the den.”