Peek handheld: $49.95 for "today only"

Peek's kinda-sorta email-only handheld is one of the more polarizing devices to hit this year. On one hand, anyone who cares that much about email in their pocket probably already owns an email-capable handset; on the other, those satisfied with their pay-as-you-go phone may seriously be interested in adding this to their arsenal. Regardless of your take on things, we figured you should know that it's available for "today only" at $49.95, clearly setting the bar for a Cyber Wednesday in years to come. 'Course, that $19.95 per month data requirement isn't going anywhere, but half a Benjamin might be worth it just to crack this sucker open and test your hacking skills.

[Peter @ Dec 3rd 2008 3:32PM]

I'll wait...looks like every week it drops. who knows maybe the company will be sold for 99 in a month

[Google @ Dec 3rd 2008 3:32PM]

April fools?

This is... useless.

[StalematE @ Dec 3rd 2008 3:53PM]

about as useful as an inflatable dart board.

[Kevlar @ Dec 3rd 2008 4:01PM]

From someone who actually OWNS an inflatable dart board, that analogy is as useless as this handheld.
(The darts are magnetic, BTW)

[Luke D @ Dec 3rd 2008 4:05PM]

I'd love to see you inflate metal.

[JerJer @ Dec 3rd 2008 8:55PM]

*stiffles giggle*

[cargojack @ Dec 4th 2008 2:34PM]

I think the target market is something like the www.Jitterbug.com crowd.
I have t-Mobile and pay $15 a month for unlimited text messaging.
The Peek, if the monthly fee was a little less, might almost be worth it.
It would mean having to carry another device around though.
Does anyone know what the SMS is like on the Peek? Does it text message with a 10 digit number or do you have to send the message to the other phone's email address? That is, is the Peek assigned an SMS only 10 digit number?

[Totalfixation @ Dec 3rd 2008 3:32PM]

If the service was for $5 or maybe $10 at the most. I would give it a very tiny amount of consideration, but for $20 it just doesn't seem feasible at all for any level tech junkie.

[From My Cube @ Dec 3rd 2008 3:34PM]

im still trying to figure out who the target market is....as per the engadget article...if your using pay as you go, why the heck would you need mobile email

[BigD145 @ Dec 3rd 2008 3:40PM]

You can get cellphone internet access for 20 or less on top of normal service and get the advantage of a browser with your email.

[Electromodo @ Dec 3rd 2008 3:45PM]

@From My Cube

I would guess one of the target people would be those who are still locked in the AT&T contract and who were foolish enough to get a cheap phone that can't handle emails properly. So until their 2-year contract is over they could use this email device.
Of course, the percentage of those people will be small, still...

[Neil @ Dec 3rd 2008 3:36PM]

I don't care about a one time cost for the hardware, its the service cost that will kill you.

[oGMo @ Dec 3rd 2008 3:37PM]

Why would you get this over a much more functional Blackberry? Especially when you can get blackberries for nothing or *less* if you shop around (yes, you can make money on the deal). Same data cost, and it runs google maps, google talk, etc. So wtf?

[Frankfurter @ Dec 3rd 2008 3:39PM]

Why is "today only" in quotes?

[Kevlar @ Dec 3rd 2008 4:06PM]

Quotes are being used incorrectly for emphasis.
For anyone with grammatical proficiency, it appears the quotes are being used to signal irony or altered-usage, and that the sale doesn't necessarily only occur today.

[Ignacio @ Dec 3rd 2008 4:23PM]

"Quotes are being used incorrectly for emphasis."

Or, you now, because it is an actual quote from the graphic... ;)

[Frankfurter @ Dec 3rd 2008 5:06PM]

So is $49.95, but that wasn't in quotes.

[Eli @ Dec 3rd 2008 5:09PM]

The quotes are being used correctly; Engadget is showing that Peek says the sale is today only, but implying that the price will continue dropping.

[Frankfurter @ Dec 3rd 2008 5:15PM]

I immediately took it to mean that Engadget was implying that it's -always- $49.95, and it was a marketing gimmick. I think the quotes are wrong. Let's hear from some self-proclaimed English majors.

[konshuss @ Dec 3rd 2008 5:20PM]

Implications come from the reader - you generate those ideas in your head.

This - in legal terms - strictly English, indicates nothing more than a quote from Peek regarding the duration of the sale. THEY said it. It may or may not be taken cynically by YOU to indicate it may still be on tomorrow, but having read this site for quite some time, I'd say this is more or less Engadget covering their asses when it comes to who claims what. That's all.

[phail @ Dec 3rd 2008 3:43PM]

i would pay $5/mo not 20

[digitallysick @ Dec 3rd 2008 11:34PM]

Yeah i would pay 10 a month but not much more

[nd @ Dec 3rd 2008 3:43PM]

I saw em on clearance at Target the other day for $49.98. I laughed.

[Butato @ Dec 3rd 2008 6:21PM]

Are you walking us through your day? I'm eagerly awaiting the next exciting installment.

[Paul @ Dec 3rd 2008 3:45PM]

What I want to know is this company sponsoring Engadget or what? This device is absolutely useless yet Engadget seems to be cramming it down everyone's throat.

[avy001 @ Dec 3rd 2008 3:50PM]

Could be because Peek took them out to dinner.

[Mikey @ Dec 3rd 2008 4:15PM]

I think they may see that it has the potential to become better/more useful. If only the company would add a browser/media player and lower the service fee...

[j_g_puff @ Dec 3rd 2008 7:26PM]

Could be because Engadget is a tech blog reporting on gadget news.

[Ray @ Dec 3rd 2008 3:46PM]

I played with one at target, it fell apart in my hands.

[HybridTwin @ Dec 3rd 2008 3:52PM]

Is anyone else bothered by the expanding ad at the top of the home page?

[Patriks7 @ Dec 3rd 2008 3:55PM]

Try Firefox with Adblock.. works like a charm..

[Jim Halpert DM @ Dec 3rd 2008 3:52PM]

I'm guessing tomorrow they'll be $49.99?

[Abyss @ Dec 3rd 2008 3:53PM]

Funny thing is, I saw a Peek in the box at Target on the clearance isle yesterday. Price? $24.99

[Karter @ Dec 3rd 2008 3:57PM]

I saw 4-5 of them down at the (San Bruno, CA) Tanforan Target on clearance for about $25.

[Vineet Madan @ Dec 3rd 2008 4:01PM]

Agree with other posters, $5/mo for an email-only service seems reasonable. Adding blackberry data to an existing voice plan on T-mo is $19.95/mo so why wouldn't I do that if I really wanted email? I still don't understand the purpose of this device, is it for people who want mobile email but never want to have the option of making a phone call?

[John @ Dec 3rd 2008 4:11PM]

If this were $5-$10 a month and included a very simple text web browser and rss reader i'd consider it to supplement my $20 tracphone. I only pay $80 a YEAR for it, if you don't talk or text a lot it is a Godsend.

[tiago @ Dec 3rd 2008 4:12PM]

my adblock plus could not block this advertisement from engadget.

[Hmm @ Dec 3rd 2008 4:15PM]

I hear they wont price match even within 30 days if you bought it from them

[Rand @ Dec 3rd 2008 4:16PM]

I can see two usage models.

1.) It is for all those people who buy those Franklin Electronic Dictionaries/Translators. You know the ones I'm talking about. The ones you see at every Office Product or Electronics store...but you never actually see anyone buy one.

2.) It'll be that gift grandma buys you for Christmas because what you told her you wanted and what she thinks she heard say you wanted = This Thing.

[Jonathan @ Dec 3rd 2008 6:38PM]

I think quite the opposite. I think this would be the perfect gift for ME to give GRANDMA. I mean, my grandmother wouldn't know what the heck to do with a real computer. But something like this would be perfect for her to e-mail the grand kids and stay in the loop.

If she lived in the US, I would definitely buy this for her.

[Mert @ Dec 3rd 2008 4:21PM]

Oh the best part about it is the OS called "Peekux" :)) Why would you even bother with somethng like this when you can get any phone with decent e-mailing plus more for around the same. Way to go on going backwards in evolution...

[Derrick @ Dec 3rd 2008 4:26PM]

I have one and love it. I don't want all the extras of a blacberry and if for people like me with slow credit, the deposit alone on an ATT/Sprint/ or just about any carrier would be at least $300 on top of the price of the phone and the monthly service. While the device does need some tweaking it does do what it is intended to do. Plus the customer service is second to none.

It seems like most Blackberry users are intimidated by this device because they are no longer the elite that can check thier email on the road.

[OMGizzle! @ Dec 3rd 2008 4:50PM]

Slow credit, intimidated Blackberry users, elite.

What you're saying is a bag of hurt.

[ryan l. @ Dec 3rd 2008 4:31PM]

I think it is getting a bit much...the peek has potential but its target market is certainly not this blogs audience.

[Rob @ Dec 3rd 2008 4:35PM]

I actually own one of these things.

It does what it does and $20/month is worth it for me.

I have a phone with e-mail, but this is used when I would pay through the nose for roaming data.

[michaelportent @ Dec 3rd 2008 5:01PM]

I'd love this thing. I've owned a slew of pay as you go phones to avoid contracts. What I'd reeeally like though, is a data plan for my iTouch.

[mercurysunblast @ Dec 3rd 2008 5:09PM]

Someone...PLEASE HACK THIS!
Then I'll buy.

[someguy7234 @ Dec 3rd 2008 7:37PM]

Seriously... If It had wifi (or a way to at WiFi to it) this could be interesting. Based on the "Embedded 104MHz ARM7 TI chipset" that they quote it as having, its probably OMAP which means it can run a 2.6 kernel no problem. Problem is that it doesn't seem to have any connectors except internally, which sorta makes this hacking thing a bummer.

Don't most cell phone companies offer a check 1 or 2 email accounts from your cell phone for like 5 or 10 bucks a month anyway? (ie. ATT Xpress mail)

[CraigJ @ Dec 3rd 2008 5:14PM]

Yep. I got an iPhone last year, and already being on AT&T I kept my plan and added unlimited data for $20. So my $20 gets me unlimited e-mail, and unlimited internet browsing. Does this thing even have a browser? $20 for e-mail only seem recockulously expensive.

[mike @ Dec 3rd 2008 5:19PM]

Actually, I would pay up to $30 a month for this service, I mean just read what the website says about it: "Now shipping with new November software, including shortcuts!!!"

How is this not a steal at such a low monthly rate? dont you people like shortcuts?