Manufacturer Sony Electronics | Introductory price $199 | |
 | ||
Operating system Storage No user accessible memory Display WVGA resolution (800x480) 7.0" (measured diagonally) Input Microphone, accelerometer,
digital ambient light sensor
USB 2.0 (Mass Storage Class) | ||
The Dash is a device manufactured by Sony that connects using Wi-Fi to the Internet. It has a touch screen which the user can use to browse information or listen to music. It is not a portable device since it does not have an internal battery. It is positioned as a personal internet viewer which can act as an alarm clock, Internet radio, digital photo frame and many other uses. It has applications which can be downloaded onto the device. These are the same as those supported by the Chumby device.
History
Sony announced the Dash at the 2010 Consumer Electronics Show. It was made available for sale in late April 2010. Originally the device was only usable in the United States, with users in other countries being locked out with the message "Error: Missing XAPI Service Mode". On June 25, Sony released a software upgrade allowing Dash to be used in other (if not all) countries, however subsequently restricted international service again in November 2011. The device does not have international power settings, and can only be powered by mains electricity of 120 V 60 Hz.
Sony introduced two updated versions of the Dash hardware in September 2011. The HID-B7 and HID-B70 refreshed the hardware, with the HID-B70 adding a battery backup. This revision of the Dash device removed Netflix and YouTube streaming support.
On March 14, 2015 the Sony Dash stopped supporting all streaming content, including Netflix, Pandora, Slacker, and YouTube, although the device continued to authenticate with Sony and act as an alarm clock. While there has been no public response from the company, such service returned on April 24, 2015.
As of March 2016, Sony continued to provide limited support for the Dash, such as promised fixes for a leap year issue and a firmware update to address a problem with the control panel.