Peek Pronto: is a new Peek device on its way?
By Joshua Topolsky 
posted March 18th 2009 7:16PM
posted March 18th 2009 7:16PM
Update: It looks like Peek can't help themselves. On their hacky blog, Geeky Peek, they offer this tasty morsel:
Pronto is Leaked
What is Pronto?
I don't have much to say, but I will give a leak away.. it is much, much faster in every way possible.
The time to open a menu on 1.08 is .09 seconds. The time to open a menu on Pronto, .04 seconds!!!!
This device does exactly what it is supposed to. Instead of paying $50 a month for a data plan on a cell phone, you only have to pay $20. Most people use their blackberrys to check their email anyway. Why get stuck in a two year contract?
exactly! All my colleagues at work (I won't name which bank) use their BlackBerry for email only and they still carry a dedicated phone!
will this ever do IM? some clients like to use IM to chat with their agents, and this would appeal to another niche, the "IM niche". 20 dollars a month and I can use a normal cell phone that can actually send and receive calls.
If they finally add exchange support, I'd really consider it.
If they add exchange calendar support, I'd go sit in line to buy it--guaranteed. That would sell like fricking HOTCAKES.
This is a copy of the invitation of Apple, for the introduction of the Macbook's and Macbook Pro's.
Nos really creative at all!!
LOL
I think the fundamental idea behind the Peek is a great one. A lot of people, and by that I mean "People who don't read Engadget" would probably love to have a little device that let them read and reply to email on the go without any other confusing options. If I hadn't gone smartphone crazy with a Pearl and now an iPhone 3G, and wanted to have just basic email, I would have snared myself a Peek long ago. Everything I read tells me that they're a small company trying to make a niche for themselves, and I hope they manage to do it.
These devices definitely aren't perfect, as the Pronto's need for speed helps illustrate. But I don't think they need to do much to the hardware except maybe boost the RAM and CPU power. Wifi? Why bother, to be honest. Without a web browser, you don't need to handle that much bandwidth throughput. It'd just cost too much money to manufacture, and kill battery life.
My mother has a bed and breakfast way up in CDMA-only-land, and if they had T-Mobile service in her part of Maine, I'd suggest she get one.
For the ppl who have been saying that Peek should add exchange support, It can be if exchange is setup correctly... check out this link..
http://blog.getpeek.com/2008/11/microsoft-exchange-and-peek-it-can-be-done/
http://i.gizmodo.com/5174806/peek-emailer-spotted-running-a-very-fuzzy-maps-app This site might shed some light on the Peek
That's not a maps app.
Hilarious!
It is from a remailer that a peek user made. You can send email to ent@retroforth.org with various subject line commands and it will mail you back various things.
Weather is one of them and it just added radar map support as attachments.
Many Peek users use this service.
Try it yourself, send "help" (without quotes) in the Subject line of an email to get the commands.
Very handy service.
Peek Pronto is just a firmware update from the current version 1.08 to the new version coming in early April 1.09.
1.09 will feature push email so instead of the up to 5 minute polling that peek currently does, messaging is said to be instantaneous.
There are also a number of performance enhancements, as hinted at, and feature refinement based on their own testing and input from their more active users (many of whom hang out at http://boards.getpeek.com
My understanding is that every firmware upgrade so far has resulted in faster response times of the menus and displays so are. The releases have been 1.04 (original shipping release), 1.06, 1.07, 1.08 (the current release which added a bunch of keyboard shortcuts) and, next month, 1.09. 1.09 is supposedly more business focused with push email and direct outlook support. You used to have to call Peek to set this up manually and probably required some changes on the Outlook end by your email admin.
I find it interesting that people keep complaining about the price of these things. You can pick up a Peek for around $50 and if you pay for multiple months at once (still no contract, just choosing to pay for 3 months or a year at a time). The bill for unlimited mail and texting is just $16.95 a month (for either).
My Verizon bill for an unlimited text (only, no email) is $20. Email tacks on another $30 or so. Plus I have a contract at $40/month and probably have to spring for a phone that has a better keyboard for around $60 (or more).
Or, I could get a basic phone plan at $40 a month with a free phone and pay around $50 for a peek and pay $16.95/per month (3 months at a time) and save $33 a month.
That's close to $400 a year that I have saved if I go this route.
I still don't get how that doesn't make sense.
Sure, I can't browse the web, but I the only mobile browser that is even remotely good is on the iPhone and it is frickin expensive and you get locked into a carrier for as long as AT&T has the iPhone monopoly. A Peek user can shop around for the cheapest phone service and the still get cheap unlimited text and email.
Peek is definitely targeting a specific market.
There are maps!
I have an existing Peek, I just an email saying it would drop tomorrow, March 24th.