Launched today, chumby constantly streams your favourite parts of the Internet to its 3.5 inch colour touchscreen. Streamed content ranges from weather forecasts and sports scores to eBay bids and your favourite online radio stations. Needing only a power outlet and Wi-Fi coverage, chumby provides friendly, touchscreen-based access to Internet content in the kitchen, the lounge, the backyard, or on a bedside table.

Once configured and registered, chumby displays a constant stream of your favourite widgets—tiny applications that are downloaded to appear on the device's 320x240 pixel screen. Through the chumby website, you can personalise chumby to display whatever you want: News items, surf reports, traffic details, jokes, or even job ads.

Around the size of a coffee mug, chumby is soft to hold and easy to use. Internode is selling chumby in Australia for $299 (including GST).

Content and Communications Coordinator for Internode's Content Services Group, Richard Burke, said Internode will offer locally designed applications for chumby in the near future. "We've developed our own widget that allows you to read news and network advisories, and we plan to offer various new customer service tools in this way as well," he said.

"Chumby can play streaming audio from around the Internet, and we are working with Chumby Industries to provide convenient access to the Internode unmetered streaming radio station service in the near future. Chumby provides the perfect Christmas gift for anyone who wants their favourite Internet content at their side, without being stuck behind a keyboard."

Visit http://chumby.on.net for information about how to purchase chumby from the Internode Online Store. The website for Chumby Industries is at http://www.chumby.com.

About chumby

The chumby lets users select their favourite parts of the Internet and delivers them in a friendly, always-on, always-fresh format. Over 1,000 widgets in more than 30 categories, ranging from news and entertainment to videos, music, sports, and more are available from high profile media partners such as CBS, MTV Networks, MySpace, New York Times, The Weather Channel Interactive, AOL's SHOUTcast, and Scripps Networks. Chumby also offers user generated content as well as thousands of Internet radio stations, the ability to share photos, e-cards, and more with family and friends. Chumby is head-quartered in San Diego, CA.