Boy, Peek wasn't kidding when it called its new device
Pronto. With nary a press announcement to froth up the minds of mobile emailers the device has rushed straight to availability for $79.95, sadly in just one color. What does the $30 premium over the earlier Peek get you? Push email, Exchange support, and the device now allows for up to five accounts (the previous maxed out at two). The Pronto also supports PDF and Word attachments and (so the company claims) has overall faster performance (by 50 percent says the PR). Peek is also advertising unlimited text messaging, and while we're not yet sure if that's any different than the
limited support the last model had, the Pronto should help you keep in touch with your daughter and your mother in one device. Service is still just $19.95, shipping now to the eager hands of complexity-averse messaging addicts everywhere.
Update: According to the PR, the Pronto is available exclusively at Amazon.com from March 24th until
March 31st, then will begin selling at getpeek.com April 1st, and in stores at Radio Shack come April 8th. Also, it's worth noting that the company has retooled the keyboards on the new devices, making the previously stiff keys a bit easier on the thumbs.
[Thanks, Mike H.]
posted Mar 24th 2009 6:59AM
is there instant messaging on this thing? how about support for rss feeds?
I really looking forward to this...
Yes, it kind of has RSS support: you can set email subscriptions to RSS feeds through sites such as rssfwd.com . LifeHacker has a good comparison of some services ( http://lifehacker.com/software/rss/rss-on-email-123370.php ). They forward the RSS feed directly to your email. Useful stuff.
snapask.com is also a great tool: you can email basic queries, and it will email back responses. It forwards Wikipedia pages, gives you a flight status, weather forecast, dictionary definitions, etc.
This opens the door for instant messaging(push email) but it's not on it yet as far as I know. Current Peek users can get the update(1.09) for free sometime next week. Well, that's what they told me anyways.
If only this thing had Exchange support (not IMAP, but native), the market for these things would be huge.
isn't that the whole point of the pronto: push/exchange...
and i totally called it!
I thought that was how push worked. However, after Googling a bit (based on your reply to my original comment) it appears this new Peek does have Exchange support. The Engadget article didn't mention it specifically, so I figured it didn't. Damnit; now I want this really badly, but have to decide between getting this and keeping my Treo 700WX or waiting 'til May to get the BB Niagara.
PS: And for the record, I don't think the title of the article said "Exchange Support" when I originally posted.
It is still just a Blackberry without the phone part. What's the big deal?
20$ a month vs 45-90$ a month.
I use 3 accounts on my old Peek - wonder if they are now disallowing that on new non-Pronto units.
Yep, it looks like there's a pretty clear break at 1.08 to 1.09. If you were a customer earlier, you get the Pronto upgrades for free -- 5 accounts, searching, unlimited texts. If you're new, you either get less than current subscribers have *now* for $40 and more for $80 with the software-only different Pronto.
Looks like they let texting out of the bag too early, but to make things "right", are giving current customers a free upgrade. Seems to be the right thing to do, and if you assume only 50% or so are going to know to mail their units and follow through (or buy the upgrade cable), you both save money on bandwidth and get a good test base for Pronto pronto.
Where do you get the upgrade cable? Anyone know if its USB or serial? I would much rather buy the cable and be able to flash my own device than mail it away.
i dont understand why these devices are succeeding in the marketplace
rest assured, they're not
Why are they doing well? Because many people do not want over bloated Swiss Army knife phones. At some point, all the fees, and applications on iphones and G1s an Blackberrys make them un-fun to use. The Peek does email well and is much cheaper monthly than the aforementioned devices.
@ Cargojack: Yeah... but those people are already carrying phones anyway. Is there actually a weird subset of geek that needs perpetual access to email and messaging, but doesn't carry a phone that's already capable of doing those things? Maybe Peek is going after the elusive "deaf Blackberry user" market.
In my case, my company makes me carry a bberry that is totally locked down. While some personal use is allowed, I'd gladly pay $20 per month not to worry about having my personal emails/text messages used against me. Now if only it had some limited web browsing, then I'd really be sold.
The push sounds very nice. However now that there is new hardware, there also now seems to be a limit on accounts on the old that showed up at the same time. I'm only pulling from 2 accounts now, but thought I could add more? Gonna try now :-)
@XODOME - (or anyone else who might know) will the 1.09 on the old hardware support the push email?
it is NOT new hardware....the only difference hardware wise is all the new ones have a revised keyboard but all other internals are still exactly the same. it is just a software update...so yes push will work on the "old" ones.
also you could have up to 3 accounts on the "old" ones just like i do now.
still not sure if this is enough to make me keep mine though...if it only it had instant messaging.
They're claiming it does have Exchange now.
http://blog.getpeek.com/?utm_source=MadMimi&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Pronto&utm_campaign=Pronto
Crap, I just bought one yesterday. Fortunately they're upgrading it to a Pronto for free just by sending it in for a reflash.
Is this/will this be available in Australia anytime soon?
God that thing is UGLY!!!
Why Why Why is this thing even selling? Sony tried this also and I do not see that one selling either. The monthly rate is just too high.
If you buy service in 3 month units it costs $16 a month, which is what unlimited SMS and MMS cost on tmobile, so in fact it is not too expensive at all.
These could be great parent/grandparent email devices, if they put them together with a cheap, low-bandwidth service plan. My parents would love to have email, but have no good options for internet service in their area.
$20 a month is too much, though. But I could bite at $100 a year.
I gave my mother one of these -- she's seriously in love with it.
I'm seriously in love with your moth- nah, far too easy.
Like your moth- naaaaah.
Sounds like something sold at Baja Fresh.
Classic reply.
I have a BlackBerry, but this device intrigues me. Eventually, if they add social network integration and sell these everywhere like 7-Eleven and the supermarket (if they don't already), I imagine it doing very well. Like pay as you go cell phones, but with facebook, email, texting and IM? I rarely "talk" on my phone.
... I am not advocating illicit Jack Bauer type behavior but... and I use my BB for all the other stuff it can do but I am sure there are a lot of people who have a BB but only use it for what the Peek does. Oh, and add a camera to the above list... I think that's it.
i think there is a market out there for like a super mobile device.not a lot of people want to actually talk anyway. i want one.
If they offer the one time purchase fee without the monthly service charge again I would get it.
"Lifetime Service" is available through April 12 if you buy your Peek through Costco (in-store or online). I believe that gets you a 1.08 Peek that can be upgraded for free to a Peek Pronto. Now, the bad news: the lifetime service package is $399, though that includes a Peek device.
this thing is inexplicably win
aint nobody gonna buy this shit, why have another bill when you can do everything on your phone
my 1990's high school calc calculator was way cooler looking than that.
RIM should consider remarketing their Mobitex phoneless Blackberries.
I have a smartphone and thus have no reason whatsoever to want one of these.
...and yet I do want one. I can't explain why.
Any word on PDA functionality? Calendar, notes?
Yeah, none.
I would like that.
this is nice. please pick me, thank you
Interesting device, wonder if you can put a cbr on it.
I think I could find uses for this.
Don't know what it be good for along side my BB but I am sure my wife would like it...
OK...so why am I paying a monthly rate to check email only....I don;t know maybe in these times its a good idea to drop the cell phone and work with email only... I mean, it is cheaper than any plan out there for cell service right? I do most of my correspondence by email anyway.. Don't know what other people think but lets just say, I am thinking about the peek BECAUSE after I dropped my first gen iphone into a can of paint and the speaker and mike are basically unuseable (that is after 5 minutes under the sink faucet and it still works listening to GDGT podcast right now, it rocks but..) I think a peek is all I would need. Lets get real, my wife is the only person who calls me anyways, and I can call her from my work phone. I like the idea of peek, OK! kill me, flame me, what ever. Later Ralph
I suddenly want a pager.
Cool, too bad I already bought one.
i'm in
me, me, me!!
This would be useful.
ok, sure
These things look pretty cool. I would give it to Teddy. Does that get me extra points for being nice?
mine!
would like to try it.
What is that thing?
Still, I'll take it...
Let me try...
Send it my way!
Do these peek support encryption of content at all? Bit of PGP (or GPG) support? If not then that severely limits the whole concept IMHO.
I would have gotten one, but I just bought an ipod touch to use as a pda (unfortunately, can only get email when there's wi-fi).
I have a cellphone w/ a basic text messaging plan. It's a non-smartphone. I can't check email on it, partly because I don't think the cost ($15/month) is worth it. I added data (internet) to my plan today, used it for about 3 hours, hated it for being so slow to just check email, and removed the data plan from my phone line. I am just going to use gmail filters to forward emails by sms to my phone because then I don't need to log in just to check email.
It would be useful to have for my work email. And the screen is bigger than my non-smartphone. I would definitely consider getting one... may not look cool but it's utilitarian.
I've been dying to replace my smartphone with an email only device. I'll carry a cell phone in my car for emergencies (911 calls are free) and continue to do all my communicating via email. Let's see $240 per year vs. $720 a year? No-brainer.