Sony Dash now available and reviewed by Engadget
Announced back at CES 2010, the Sony Dash is now available for purchase at a price of $199.99. Don’t remember what the Dash was all about? That’s understandable – it’s been several months since the announcement and all we seem to care about these days is the Apple iPad.
In any event, the Dash is best described as Sony’s version of the Chumby device featuring a larger 7 inch touch-screen display and support for Sony’s BRAVIA Internet Video services. Features and specs to the Chumby include:
- Access to over 1000 free widgets on the Chumby platform
- Access content from providers such as CBS, Netflix, YouTube, Pandora, Slacker, etc
- Format(s) Supported : Windows® Media Video 9 (up to MP@HL 1080p) Microsoft VC-1 (up to AP@L3 720p), MPEG 4.10/H.264 (up to MP@L4.0 1080p)
- Format(s) supported:
MPEG-1 Layers I, II, III/MP3 (up to 320kbits/sec)
MPEG-4 AAC-LC (up to 192kbits/sec)
Windows® Media Audio 9 (up to 384kbit/sec) - Measures 7-7/16 x 5-5/8 x 2-3/8″
- Accelerometer supports Vertical Flip
Digital Ambient Light Sensor - Real Time Clock with Battery Backup
- USB 2.0 Mass Storage Class
- 7 inch 800 x 480 resolution capacitive touch-screen display
- Wi-Fi : 802.11b/g, 2.4 GHz WPA, WPA2, WEP Encryption WiFi Certified
- Built-in speakers
Wondering how the Dash performs? You can find a review of the Dash over at Engadget here. Unfortunately, it’s a less than stellar review – especially in light of the Apple iPad. Now granted, it’s not fair to compare the Dash with the iPad since we’re talking about two different device categories, yet as Engadget noted:
“whenever we found ourselves doing more than just glancing at the Dash for quick bites of info, we were reminded that the iPad is actually much better at some of these tasks.”
The Dash, like both Chumby devices, is essentially a media consumption device – a glorified alarm clock that happens to have Internet access and the all-important app aspect. If you’re looking to do more than casual consumption of media, then you’ll probably be disappointed. Here’s what Engadget thought of the device:
“So, should you buy the world’s most complicated alarm clock? It all depends on what you want to do with the Dash. If you’re looking for something that can sit by your bed, play some internet radio at you, and ambiently display some Engadget headlines and photos from Facebook, the Dash is perfect. If you’re looking for something to really pick up and use to browse through photos, or pick songs, or even watch movies, we’d go a different way. Despite its name, the Dash is too stationary and too slow to be valuable in those situations.”
