Video: eccentric Peek demonstration highlights the pain of 2-year contracts

Most of the world probably missed this stunt because of how short lived it really was (thanks, NYPD!), but at any rate, we found it wacky enough to pass along. Back in late November, a few Peek faithful donned prisoner uniforms and walked around chained to BlackBerry Storms on the day Verizon launched the touchscreen RIM device. Naturally, Verizon officials were none too pleased, and everyone involved in the protest was asked to leave shortly after they arrived. Thanks to the wonders of YouTube (vid's after the break), you'll be able to watch it over, and over, and over again. Death to contracts... er, something!

[Via SlashGear]

Read - Peek's take on the event
Read - YouTube video of the prank

[Kris120890 @ Dec 9th 2008 7:01AM]

Classic

[Dave @ Dec 9th 2008 10:27AM]

I took a peek at the Peek because I figured as the tech guru in my local circle of friends I was going to need to be in the know. In doing so I learned that this crap device is overpriced about $15 dollars a month. $5 monthly service would be more like it for what you get. Access to three email accounts (POP3 only). All HTML messages scrubbed down to plain text. JPG images are the only supported attachments. I personally would never want to carry a device that has such limited functionality. My HTC Touch Diamond is the only device I want to worry about keeping charged and carrying. The Peek people however have the contract thing right though in that anyone that has a Peek should avoid locking into a contract on it because in about a week after buying it they're going to want to chuck this thing against a wall in disgust for buying it in the first place. What about overlap in the segments of the population that choose to use a Peek and those that don't. I don't think there's an overlap. The only people that might be okay with the simplicity of what this thing does is grandma and she's not about to use any kind of remote device to check her email. The only thing Peek has going for it is a segment of the population that simply cannot afford anything else. Oh gosh, does that mean that Oprah is going broke?

[Grant @ Dec 9th 2008 12:50PM]

@ Dave,
Gonna agree with you there.
for only plain text email it's simply not worth $20 a month, most people already have a cell phone that can do pop3 mail with html, probably even with a keyboard considering how many phones now have them, And it probably costs less than $20 to add on.
For my data plan i pay $30 a month, but that's full internet access and mail, including imap, and it pays for it's self considering how much time i save surfing my favorite sites while commuting instead of wasting time other places where i could be productive.

[Grant @ Dec 9th 2008 12:52PM]

Correction: $15 dollars a month for peek. still not worth it.

[Pete @ Dec 9th 2008 7:01AM]

Whahahaa great stunt, love it!

my 2c

[pete @ Dec 9th 2008 5:33PM]

Peeks ad campaign:

-Bad Youtube videos (check)
-Calling some favors from friends at Time mag (check)
-Taking engadget out for dinner a few times = free ads (check)
-Last resort: Free peek with purchase of blackberry (pending)

[Colin Jones @ Dec 9th 2008 7:01AM]

I'm happy with contracts, in the UK, you can get most of the lastest phones for free with an 19 months contract.

[Richard Lai @ Dec 9th 2008 7:11AM]

You mean 18, surely? I have never heard of a 19-month contract before.

[adrian @ Dec 9th 2008 8:20AM]

Or a 1 month sim based rolling contract with 30 days notice (but no phone) which is good if you have a nice phone already.

[Paradox @ Dec 9th 2008 7:04AM]

Nice stunt! But dont you have the option to buy without contract?

[Poke4Christ @ Dec 9th 2008 9:01AM]

Unsubsidized prices are inflated. Do you really think that sprint pays 280 dollars to bring the touch pro down to 299? If service and phones were bought seperatly we'd actually have direct competition on the phones and prices would drop. The more stuff like this happens, the better.

[David @ Dec 9th 2008 4:08PM]

For example.. In China rarely are any phones subsidized, on top of that there is a black market for cell phones. However, cell phone prices are just about equivalent to the non-subsidized prices here in U.S. Here in the U.S., you can buy a phone at Amazon or Newegg or any store, it does not have to be a contract-binding phone. In fact non-subsidized prices for cellphones here are much lower than the rest of the world. We are lucky that we do not have such high VAT.

And it is obvious that sprint does not pay $280 to bring the Touch Pro to $299. Of course a retailer will not pay retail price. That is like saying Best Buy pays $19 for batteries that they must sell for $19.

[chefgon_ign @ Dec 9th 2008 7:06AM]

You have to hand it to the Peek guys, they're really trying hard.

Of course, this whole demonstration becomes pointless when you consider the fact that Blackberry Storm and Peek have pretty much zero target market overlap. Peek's market is pretty much defined as "people who don't want a blackberry"

[Pastry Chef @ Dec 9th 2008 7:13AM]

They could always purchase the phones at unsubsidized prices if they want.

[who? @ Dec 9th 2008 4:13PM]

Unsubsidized prices are basically how much it cost to make + a large fee for not becoming the greedy service provider's bitch for a couple of years. Something has to change here- especially with the economy the way it is right now.

[Alexandre Emond @ Dec 9th 2008 7:17AM]

Here in Canada subsidized contract are 3 years and exit fees are way worst: 100$ PER remaining months.

[bandigolo @ Dec 9th 2008 2:43PM]

Where does a carrier get off charging more to cancel "per month remaining" than the plan itself would net them?

[omegamale @ Dec 9th 2008 7:20AM]

*looks for the gun behind his back, that forced him to take out a contract he was unhappy with*

[Gadgetgirl @ Dec 9th 2008 9:30AM]

Your brains or signature on the contract-you had a choice...

[bilgi @ Dec 9th 2008 7:31AM]

a classic (or usual) think

[James @ Dec 9th 2008 7:42AM]

I would have told him to shove his peek up his ass.

Its not a protest they are just pushing their own shitty product. Why would someone carry around a second device for just email when they can get a smart phone with a data plan the same price as the peek's and get email, sms, phone, camera, internet, ect.

And for the people complaining about signing a 2 year contract, nobody forced you to, if you didnt want to then you should have paid extra and got it contract free.

[FThorn @ Dec 9th 2008 7:51AM]

I have not had a contract except for cell phones early years. Why?
Just prepaid. If they had plans for $5 a month like I spend then I might bite.

[chefgon_ign @ Dec 9th 2008 10:14AM]

Prepaid cell phones are a huge ripoff if you actually use your cellphone. If you don't use your cellphone, why do you even carry one? I don't understand the draw of prepaid.

[dubya @ Dec 9th 2008 1:03PM]

There's a whole range of usage between "never uses it" and "dictating the minutia of my life constantly". I need mine when I travel 4-5 times a year, and maybe a handful of other times, and that service costs ~$100/year with prepaid rather than a minimum of $30/month.

[Mitch @ Dec 9th 2008 3:48PM]

http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/Survey-Only-About-Half-Consumers/story.aspx?guid={C4B48569-5374-4B63-9937-2540D8A167C6}

This is a really good read regarding prepaid wireless services, and I think a lot of you guys should check it out.

~25 million people are on contracts when they would be better suited on prepaid services.

44% of Americans talk on their cell phones 200 minutes or less a month .

[EdgeOne @ Dec 9th 2008 7:51AM]

And how is a 2-year contract with a Storm any different than any other PDA phone Verizon sells or even the two-year contract with at&t for an iPhone? Sure I don't like signing them, but I also don't like paying over $500 for a phone either.

[chefgon_ign @ Dec 9th 2008 10:16AM]

It isn't. This isn't about Verizon PDA phones or AT&T iPhones, it's about the Peek which is $80 to outright purchase and charges month-to-month without a contract.

[FRZ @ Dec 9th 2008 9:57AM]

That's just sad.

[Mike @ Dec 9th 2008 10:07AM]

What they should be protesting is the enormous size of the Blackberry Storm.

[Lee @ Dec 9th 2008 1:44PM]

Uh, then you must REALLY hate the iPhone because its BIGGER that the STORM!

[max @ Dec 9th 2008 10:08AM]

i was at that verizon store and watched the female prisoner turn her back to the camera and start texting on her sidekick. so much for using the product you're trying to sell us.

and one of the guys admitted that the peek audience and blackberry audience wasn't the same so i think they knew that their whole demonstration was kind of idiotic.

[Patriks7 @ Dec 9th 2008 10:23AM]

Wow, you Americans seem to definitely have crappy contracts..

[Mitch @ Dec 9th 2008 3:39PM]

Too bad the average American consumer is too ignorant to find that one out.

[mos @ Dec 9th 2008 11:21AM]

These people looked like they came from Cupertino. No wonder there was no iPhone billboard. :)

[kevjohn @ Dec 9th 2008 11:23AM]

Heck, I was starting to think I was the only one who hated contracts. I REFUSE to sign a 2-year deal.

Signed,
Pay-as-you-go Nokia 6010 User

[noyon @ Dec 9th 2008 12:05PM]

In the US consumers get @%@#$ed by cell service providers. Nearly everywhere else on earth, you DON'T:
- lose your minutes for incoming calls
- lose your money for incoming texts
- basically everything incoming is FREE
- there is no contract, all prepaid. and dirt cheap.
- phones are not subsidized. all unlocked.

It's really ridiculous.

[jay @ Dec 9th 2008 12:16PM]

You can thank our "free market" system, ba dum bum kssscch!

[Woody @ Dec 9th 2008 5:17PM]

Then get the hell out of my country you non patriotic bastard! I don't bitch and moan about how "bad" we have it. Oh my, I spent 1 minute on the phone and was charged 1 minute for it. Oh no. People in other countries can't pay for food let alone a fricken phone so quit ya bitchin.

[omnicloud @ Dec 10th 2008 4:01AM]

Rogers.

[Grant @ Dec 9th 2008 12:38PM]

I'm all for hating on the man, but if it wasn't for my latest 2 year contract, my latest phone would have cost me $600 instead of $200. I don't know about anyone else, but as long as the service remains fairly reliable, i don't see a problem with contracted services.

They're are always pay as you go alternatives, and sure they are more costly, but it's like anything you buy in bulk, you save more the more you buy.

[Grant @ Dec 9th 2008 12:40PM]

http://htcphonestore.com/product.asp?itemMDL=HTC_TOUCH_PRO

I stand corrected, $800.

[Electromodo @ Dec 9th 2008 2:31PM]

Hmm... After 7 years with AT&T I just switched to verizon because it had an option of 1 year contract. AT&T did not.

The phone I bought (Omnia) was $200 with 2 years contract and $270 with one year contract.
Needless to say, I've chosen 1 year option.

So Blackberry Storm does not have an option of 1 year contract on Verizon?

[Woody @ Dec 9th 2008 5:14PM]

Ugh, maybe these people should get a job. Then they can afford to have the 2 year contracts. Why don't they bitch about tv and internet contracts while they're at it.

[vdogg89 @ Dec 9th 2008 6:02PM]

lol noobs, the peek doesnt do phone calls.