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View Full Version : have you here of this new device?



wildman4god
November 8th, 2008, 07:16 PM
I have found this device called peek, www.getpeek.com, It is an email only device for $80.00 and cost only $20.00 per month for service. Now before you all go an knock it for not having alot of features, remember its not made for you, it's made for people who can't afford a smart phone or don't have good credit, not all of us have alot of money but would still like basic communication ability. Its actually turning out to be very popular and you'd be surprised what you can do via email, there's alot of service, like google where you can do google searches and hacks via email and i have heard of services that let u use email to update twitter and facebook, myspace, etc.

The only thing I would change about it, which would only require a firmware update, is add pim (contacts, calender,memo, and todo with a today screen on the home screen) that can sync with evolution, outlook, etc. and also give it some thing like pidgin messenger so u could im people on mulitple protocals.

So what do you all think of it. and try to look at it as if you didn't have a lot of money to throw around.

DanTheFlyingMan
November 8th, 2008, 07:37 PM
It's a nice looking device, but that price seems excessive given its capabilities.

wildman4god
November 8th, 2008, 07:45 PM
I would tend to agree, untill you try and look for another device that does email and see that they are alot more expensive. It was orginally $100.00 when it released a couple months ago and even though it has proven popular they dropped the price by $20.00 so one can assume that as time goes down it will get cheaper. I would still buy it, planning on it as soon as I can.

jdrodrig
November 8th, 2008, 07:59 PM
I think David Pogue reviewed it a couple of weeks back...

Paqman
November 8th, 2008, 09:17 PM
How much do you pay for a mobile device in the states? In the UK I pay the equivalent of just under $27 a month for my phone with unlimited data and a ton of minutes and texts. Paying $20 just for email seems pretty ridiculous.

init1
November 8th, 2008, 09:46 PM
Who is Peek for?
Anyone! Except for hardcore techies.

Oh well guess it's not for me then ;)

wildman4god
November 8th, 2008, 09:52 PM
How much do you pay for a mobile device in the states? In the UK I pay the equivalent of just under $27 a month for my phone with unlimited data and a ton of minutes and texts. Paying $20 just for email seems pretty ridiculous.

in the states an unlimited service is usually around $100.00 a month for contract, u can get cheap as 30 to 60 dollars a month for unlimited if you go prepayed but you won't have as many features, and plus if you have bad credit you can't get a contract phone with out paying $100 - $200 deposit plus you pay full price for the phone and depending on how advanced the phone is (u usually need a smart phone for good email access) you can spend over 200 to 300 dollars. so in the states good anyware email access from an 80 dollar device at only 20 dollars a month is not a bad deal.

wildman4god
November 8th, 2008, 09:54 PM
Oh well guess it's not for me then ;)

it depends on how much you can afford, my friends would consider me a hardcore techie and i plan on buying the thing because i like communicating by email and i can afford it, and being a "hardcore techie" I will find ways to maximize it usablity, in the end its for people who can't afford a smartphone or the monthly bills of a smartphone, especially if all you want is email.

init1
November 8th, 2008, 10:07 PM
it depends on how much you can afford, my friends would consider me a hardcore techie and i plan on buying the thing because i like communicating by email and i can afford it, and being a "hardcore techie" I will find ways to maximize it usablity, in the end its for people who can't afford a smartphone or the monthly bills of a smartphone, especially if all you want is email.
Yeah, it does seem like a useful device. It would be more appealing if it had a browser, though.

wildman4god
November 9th, 2008, 03:24 AM
Yeah, it does seem like a useful device. It would be more appealing if it had a browser, though.

yeah but if it did, it would need better hardware and more bandwith on the network so it would increase the cost and monthly charge and if you had better hardware people would expect to beable to add more apps, and before you know it you have a 300 dollar smartphone again, they had to draw the line someware, the only things I hope they include in future firmware updates is im similar to pidgin and a pim with a today home screen.

Glucklich
November 9th, 2008, 03:55 AM
I agree. If the target market is people with bad credit it's way too expensive. 20 dollars every month? Nah, I don't think so. Save a bit more and for 200 euros (250 dollars) you can get a low of the line laptop (which in my opinion, it's actually pretty good and a great deal) and for the exact same amount monthly (15 euros) you can get ADSL. Which is way better because when your girlfriend gets that "indisposition" thing, you can watch porn. Yep, payback is a bi*ch.

t0p
November 9th, 2008, 04:13 AM
Even a regular GSM cellphone will have a built-in browser, plus most can use java apps so you can run, for instance, the opera mini web browser. So then you can do email through the web (gmail, yahoo, hotmail etc etc) plus surf the web plus make phone calls plus send sms. You can also get a telnet/ssh client for java phones (MidpSSH). And many phones have a built-in email client.

My mobile phone (sony ericsson w800i) is a 3G phone, but the model's been round a while now so they are sold pretty cheaply. On pay as you go, unlimited data costs maybe £15 per month, and being on prepay doesn't limit any of the services I mentioned above. Plus, as it's 3G, it can handle streamed video okay so I can use the mobile youtube app on it.

So, I have all that on my phone, and it certainly doesn't cost any more than that thing you like. I know which I prefer...

init1
November 9th, 2008, 04:36 AM
yeah but if it did, it would need better hardware and more bandwith on the network so it would increase the cost and monthly charge and if you had better hardware people would expect to beable to add more apps, and before you know it you have a 300 dollar smartphone again, they had to draw the line someware, the only things I hope they include in future firmware updates is im similar to pidgin and a pim with a today home screen.
They could draw the line at browser, but I do see what you mean.

kernelhaxor
November 9th, 2008, 04:37 AM
20$/month for just email? I would never buy it .. the 79$ is good but 20$ every month is a deal breaker for me

Frak
November 9th, 2008, 05:05 AM
We use these where I work. Since many of us are busy on-the-job when we are contacted, it becomes useful to have a device stripped of features we don't use.

Desktop Support Technician/IT Administrator

tdrusk
November 9th, 2008, 06:01 AM
Someone has to crack this. Then it will be worth it.

wildman4god
November 9th, 2008, 01:22 PM
The makers of this device said they are always trying to improve the firmware, so it maybe a possiblity for a mobile browser, I am just saying with a processor of only a little over 100MHz and 8 MB of memory it won't handle much, I would be elated if they did decide to add a browser, where I could do simple things like google searches (with google hacks that takes care of alot) and check my facebook (myspace would be to graphics heavy) or an app that post to twitter. But i am just hoping they add im support. as for hacking its based on linux and you know the saying "where there's linux there is a way" :D