Someone once said that the only two electronic devices to successfully converge were the alarm clock and the radio. True or not, a new product with a funny name hopes accomplish a feat much more difficult. Chumby is neither an alarm clock, a radio, an iPhone or a digital picture frame, but it combines elements of each in a device about the size of a softball. Aside from it’s color touchscreen, Chumby resembles a beanbag clad in buttery-soft leather, which makes it fun to look at and handle.  Mine arrived on Friday, and so far I’ve really liked it.

Here’s how Chumby works: plug it in, set up the wi-fi connection, and then go to the website and pick widgets that interest you: weather, news, sports scores, email, blogs, flickr photos, you name it. You can also play games and listen to music through internet radio or by hooking your iPod up to Chumby.  The touchscreen, though not as slick as the iPhone’s, is quite capable, and as an alarm clock, Chumby works well enough that I’ve unplugged the beast I’ve been using for the past two years. Good riddance.

Chumby is a new kind of information appliance, aimed at filling the gap between your TV and the Web in a way that your cell phone just wasn’t designed for. “Hands on” learners can check out my virtual Chumby, below. It’s got the same widgets as the device that’s sitting on my night table as I write this. (Save a few private ones, like Facebook, which I took out because it’s none of your business where one of my distant acquaintances is going this weekend.)

Will Chumby catch on? At $179, it’s still a bit steep for Joe and Jane Mainstream, but like all open platforms, it’s the software that will make the difference, and that’s where Chumby has a chance to really shine. Sure, it does some pretty impressive stuff today, but I’m more excited about what it will be able to do.  Since the device runs on Linux, geeks the world over are already writing custom Chumby widgets, which its creators are distributing for free on the their website. With Flash support, an accelerometer (for motion sensing), a microphone, a squeeze sensor and a bunch of other cool features, who knows what kind of killer app they’ll come up with. Personally, I’d like a Skype widget so I can use this thing to make phone calls.