Comments on: TwitterPeek — Brilliant or a Bust?

By: johnkzin

johnkzin — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 03:15:32 +0000

IMO, the Peek was a few days late to the game. 3-5 years ago, it would have been a great idea. Today, it’s dreadfully inadequate.

At this point, they need more than just email and/or twitter. They need to beef it up enough to run, say, Android. Give it wifi and EDGE, unlimited data and email/IM messaging (but not SMS/MMS), and a dpad and “android buttons” between the keyboard and the screen (Android doesn’t require a touch screen, but without it, it’d definitely do better with a dpad than with a scroll wheel). If it doesn’t already have a microSDHC card slot, and mini-USB client for data sync and charging, add those two features. Have that be the base/cheap model.

Then make a Peek Pro that has all of that, plus 3G, camera (photo, video, flash), 3.5mm headset (stereo output only, since this isn’t for voice communication), maybe a full size SDHC card instead of microSDHC, and maybe can act as a mifi. And make the screen size the same as the G1 (not just the resolution, the total size). Or bigger, if they can pull it off, but probably not.

That might be worth it. (in fact, if the pro version had all of the rest of that, and preserves the full 5 row qwerty keyboard, I’d definitely buy it)

From Android, they’ll not only have email, IM, and calendar … they’ll also get Twitter, Facebook, and other social sites. And if they put a GPS into the Pro version, they might get the Google/Android navigation service too. Though, for me, the biggest deal would be the mifi part :-}

By: cobalt

cobalt — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 01:07:20 +0000

I can see how this could be useful for some organizational purpose. A big family reunion, etc. Twitter is a good one-to-many form of communication, more so than email. I mean, I think Twitter is pretty stupid as a social phenomenon, but if you look at what it’s good for, that’s what it’s good for.

The problem with texting from your cellphone to Twitter is that it costs you money, and if you have a regular phone button layout, it takes forever. This device costs $7 per month or $200 total. I pay what, $15 per month just for limited text messaging? And $40 overage fees or whatever if I go overage?

As far as the Peek goes, I’ve noticed a lot of elderly people now use email and stay in touch with family and friends and to receive and sometimes send photos. They may not use any other aspect of the internet and a computer, at least not often, and they may not use a cellphone. If someone had handed you a Peek in 1990, you would have been blown away. Well, imagine you have a population of people who know how to use email, have dial-up modems, and think a cellphone is a luxury item. That’s like 30% of Americans.

By: seamonkey420

seamonkey420 — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 21:15:54 +0000

bust. why would we want a single device that only does twitter? email i can understand but those that don’t like computers for email are the last to use twitter (imo, but i could be way off base too).

By: Oliver

Oliver — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 20:25:35 +0000

I am shocked that the company that made Peek is still in business.

By: alslayer

alslayer — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 19:47:13 +0000

I have a peek email device and I love it. I bought the unlimited plan and I don’t have to worry about monthly payments. I guess I like it cause I am unemployed and can’t afford an expensive phone. Honestly I still don’t know why people use twitter. I guess if I was a twitter person I might get it but I am not.

By: Jalapeno

Jalapeno — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 19:30:21 +0000

My elderly father in law uses a peek that I gave him for emailing his friends. For him it has been the best gift I have ever given him. The Peek is good for people who are not too tech savvy and are afraid of computers; however, I don’t see that demographic using twitter to communicate.

By: Rob

Rob — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 18:52:04 +0000

tell me how many people you’ve seen with a Peek email device and that’ll tell you whether the twitter version is brilliant or a bust.

I can’t tell you the first person I’ve ever seen use one or talk about buying one.