Yesterday we sat down for an interview with Amol Sarva, CEO of the email-handheld startup
Peek. We're in the midst of transcribing what was a fairly interesting conversation, but in the middle of our chat he proposed a curious deal, and we wanted to put it out there (as well as see the company put its money where its mouth is). Sarva and co. are pretty convinced that while the Peek may not be the perfect device for the hardcore gadget junkie, it is the perfect device for their moms or girlfriends (or boyfriends, we assume) -- in fact, they're so convinced that they're offering to pay a month of said junkie's iPhone or G1 bill (up to $150) if they buy a Peek for their mom... and girlfriend. According to Amol, if you buy two of the devices (which you can get for $79.95 right now) and activate them, the company will cover your November cellphone bill. Amol himself will be heading up this project, and as long as you place your order by December 1st, you can make the magic happen. Wildly, Amol says to just email him with the account info at: amol (at) getpeek (dot) com.
posted November 26th 2008 11:14AM
I think you guys are vastly underestimating the number of Americans who still pay for AOL dial up cause they think they need it for email and rarely visit the internet, usually to see pictures of felines with questionably witty blurbs written in poor english.
Sad it has to be two of them. My boyfriend doesn't have a cell phone but I was thinking about getting him a Peek for Christmas, so we could keep in touch out and about without him having to use a phone (because he hates them so much). I can't think of anybody else who would want one, though. Nuts.
I like the idea of the Peek but it is kinda expensive on the monthly data charge. FYI, the Peek at the Target in Fort Smith AR is on the clearance rank for 24.98 so it might be more acceptable i guess.
I've got a promise for you Amol, if you put WIfi into one of these things and bring it to the UK, I'll buy one. And not with your worthless Dollar neither - in Sterling!
No love for Windows Mobile users?
Peek is the second most useless thing I have seen. After the SIM ejector tool that is packaged with iPhone 3G. Why would someone want to pay 20 bucks per month to check their Yahoo!, Hotmail or Comcast email accounts?
They're like a newbie BB. They're where BB was essentially 7 years ago. This also reminds me of a GoodLink I once had.
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/02_48/b3810041.htm
Does this work overseas???
$20/mth? Yikes. For $7/mth I get unlimited web browsing (Opera Mini) and e-mail (GMail) on my cell.
I'm a tech-loving guy and I bought the Peek because of the Cost. $20 a month for mobile email and sms, this is cheaper than any cell phone data-only plan out there. I have internet access at work and home, and only need email (I don’t like to send personal emails at work). This device is replacing my cell phone.
Also, Amol is a great guy. I had an issue with the Peek I bought on the 26th. He read my comment online, initiated a conversation and resolved the issue. Great customer service. I will most likely buy another one in a few months.
What is this? I don't get it really!
Why would you buy this?