Mobile Magazine » peek

Peek 9 handheld email only device gets social networking and map apps

Michael Kwan — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 21:50:07 +0000

Do you remember the Peek? It might look like a QWERTY packing smartphone, but the only thing it can really do is send and receive email. In this day and age of smartphones that do so much more, why on Earth would you want a dedicated email device? Well, that hasn’t stopped the unveiling of the new Peek 9.

Yes, it’s a “brand new” device from the same people that brought you the other Peek devices in the past. From the outside, it looks an awful lot like its predecessors, featuring a color display and a hardware keyboard. Considering that they had a hard time selling the “lifetime” service for a significantly reduced price, I don’t fathom that the new Peek 9 will make huge waves either.

If you must know, the Peek 9 can do a little more than just email, but it is a text-only device. No voice calls. Beyond email (with support for MS Exchange), the Peek can do text messaging, social networking, PeekMaps (but no GPS), and even “PeekTop Apps.” Those are apps managed in the cloud; Like a built-in streaming RSS reader, view Word and PDF documents, open spreadsheet attachments, and support for Microsoft Outlook Exchange ActiveSync.

The Peek 9 itself is cheap at $70, but you’re still forking out $20 a month for very limited functionality. My advice? If you want email on the go without the smartphone premium, get one of those cheap messaging phones instead.

Mobile Email Service for Life with Peek Pronto Messenger

Michael Kwan — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 20:55:29 +0000

Even though things don’t always work out quite the way you expect them to work out, convergence devices seem to be the way that we are heading. Our cell phones can play music, take pictures, and surf the web. Even so, there is still a certain appeal to standalone devices and that’s what Peek is trying to offer you.

The Peek Pronto isn’t a new device, but Peek is offering a rather scary-sounding deal for people obsessed with mobile email access. Rather than buying the Peek handheld and then paying for each month of service as you go along, you can instead pay one flat fee in the beginning and get email for life. Or at least as long as the Peek service stays up and running.

The newest deal attempting to sway people in Peek’s direction is $300. For that one-time price (presumably plus tax), you get your hands on a Peek Pronto and lifetime service. You never have to pay a monthly fee again. If you’d prefer something a little cheaper, they also have a $229 deal for one year of service and a Peek Pronto.

Keep in mind that the regular price charged by Peek for its mobile email service is $20 a month. If you take the lifetime plan for $300, even if you assume the handheld is free, you earn your money back in just 15 months. Then again, you might prefer having your smartphone for email. I know I do.

Source: Gizmodo

Peek Provides Recession Relief, Lowers Prices on Email Devices

Michael Kwan — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 19:11:32 +0000

Are you feeling the need to send email messages while on the go, but you’re not at all that interested in investing in a real smartphone? That’s where the Peek Handheld is supposed to come into play, but it may have still been more expensive for you? Well, recession relief is on the way.

The economy is going through some tough times and Peek wants to cut you some slack, especially since some of the direct competitors in the market are hitting up the lower end of the price scale too. Cheap is good when you’re watching your wallet, right?

As such, the original Peek Classic handheld has been bumped down to just twenty bucks. For a little more style and flash, you can go for the Peek Pronto. The latter has been knocked down to just $60. Both of those are much cheaper than even a $99 iPhone or BlackBerry Curve.

The bad news is that they’re not cutting any slack when it comes to the monthly service. Unlimited wireless email on either Peek handheld will still run you $20 a month. Remember that the Peek is not a cell phone; it’s a mobile email device.

Given that price, I’d be more inclined to get an all-in-one device, no? The contract price on several smartphones is south of $100 these days. Unlimited email through some carriers is only $15 a month.

Source: WSJ