peek
Latest
Unbagging: Peek CEO Amol Sarva
Unbagging is a new feature inspired by one of our favorite Flickr groups: what's in your bag? The premise is simple -- empty out your bag, arrange what's inside, and snap a photo. Engadget will be taking a look inside the bags of some of the people we know and love in the tech world, combining our two favorite pastimes of gadgetry and voyeurism. Want to be included? Send an email to unbagging [at] engadget [dot] com with your submissions! Today's Unbagging installment comes from Peek CEO (and all around bon vivant) Amol Sarva. Clearly a man who loves the written word, you can see no less than three separate pieces of reading material here (though of course, two are made from dead trees -- do they still count?). If you want to see the whole list, click on through after the break. For a larger picture, as well as a group of reader submissions we've gotten, hit the gallery! %Gallery-74155%
Peek Pronto with lifetime service: $299
Peek -- the handheld, bare bones email device which recently celebrated its first birthday -- has just launched a deal that's actually quite a deal. You can now get a Peek Pronto (the latest model) with lifetime service for $299. The Amazon exclusive includes all Peek's standard subscription features -- up to five email accounts with unlimited Push emailing, plus extras like its Twitter and Facebook feeds, -- only this time, it's forever. The deal will cover any future device upgrade you might make, too. If you or anyone you know were ever on the fence about buying one of these badboys, now is probably the time.
Peek manages to survive a whole year, promises more features for year two
We actually first caught wind of the Peek email-only handheld around 13 months ago, but today Peek is celebrating its first year as a company with a shipping product. During the past year, it has managed to ship two distinct devices and a good bit of functionality, but most importantly, it has managed to survive. Not sure if you've noticed, but the past dozen months have been twelve of the most tumultuous (financially, anyway) in American history, yet this startup is still going strong and looking forward to a second year full of "new features and services" and even a few international launches. Generally we don't stop to wish companies a happy first birthday, but seriously -- how many of you expected this firm to be around in late 2009?Read - First Peek birthdayRead - Tales of survival
Peek cuts Peek Classic, Peek Pronto prices to $19.95 and $59.95
Peek's already offered lifetime subscriptions and all sorts of other incentives in the hope of wooing folks away from more expensive smartphones, and it looks like the company's now giving good old fashioned price cuts a(nother) try. As The Wall Street Journal reports, the basic Peek Classic has been slashed to just $19.95, down from the original $99.95 (or $49.95 more recently), while the Peek Pronto, which adds push email and Exchange support (among other features), will now run you $59.95 instead of the $79.95 it demanded when it launched just back in March. Service, however, remains at the same $20 per month as before.
Peek issues call for developers, yearns to build Linux-infused model
Peek always has been a company for the people, with its suits sitting down late last year to listen intently to input from users regarding hacks and tweaks. Now, the outfit's looking for a bona fide Linux guru, someone who could get Linux running on the Peek's ARM7 processor and look suave doing it. The kicker? Should you succeed (and impress), you could score a "mini-consulting gig" with the top brass at Peek, and your work could one day revolutionize the fabled email-only handheld. Seriously, there's nothing but fear and debilitating hesitation stopping you, so once you're over that, hit the read link and get to work.[Via SlashGear]
Engadget's recession antidote: win a Peek Pronto with a free year of service!
This whole global economic crisis, and its resulting massive loss of jobs got us thinking. We here at Engadget didn't want to stand helplessly by, announcing every new round of misery without giving anything back -- so we decided to take the opportunity to spread a little positivity. We'll be handing out a new gadget every day (except for weekends) to lucky readers until we run out of stuff / companies stop sending things. Today we've got TWO (2!) Peek Prontos on offer. That's right -- your chances of winning today are much higher than normal because we've got two of them to give away. Read the rules below (no skimming -- we're omniscient and can tell when you've skimmed) and get commenting!Special thanks to Peek for providing the gear!The rules: Leave a comment below. Any comment will do, but if you want to share your ideas for fixing the economy, that would be cool too. You may only enter this specific giveaway once. If you enter this giveaway more than once you'll be automatically disqualified, etc. (Yes, we have robots that thoroughly check to ensure fairness.) If you enter more than once, only activate one comment. This is pretty self explanatory. Just be careful and you'll be fine. Contest is open to anyone in the 50 States, 18 or older! Sorry, we don't make this rule (we hate excluding anyone), so be mad at our lawyers and contest laws if you have to be mad. Winner will be chosen randomly. The winners will receive one Peek Pronto and one year of free service. Approximate value is $320. If you are chosen, you will be notified by email. Winners must respond within three days of the end of the contest. If you do not respond within that period, another winner will be chosen. Entries can be submitted until Friday, March 27th, 11:59PM ET. Good luck! Full rules can be found here.
Peek Pronto: Push email, Exchange support, multiple accounts
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.]
Peek Pronto: is a new Peek device on its way?
We don't have much to go on here save for the image above (which a tipster discovered on Peek's peekforbusiness.com page). If we had to take a flying leap, we'd say that the company does indeed have something on the way -- perhaps a 3G device? That's pure speculation, but if anyone out there on the interblogs knows anything we don't, feel free to pass it along!Update: It looks like Peek can't help themselves. On their hacky blog, Geeky Peek, they offer this tasty morsel:Pronto is LeakedWhat 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!!!!
Peek arrives for small businesses in $149 5-pack
As Peek continues to poke, prod and experiment in order to find the best niche(s) to serve, it has now pushed out a sweetly priced 5-pack designed for small businesses. Reportedly, "lots" of these smaller operations have been looking for "more affordable solutions" to everyone toting BlackBerry devices, and this is Peek's answer to that so-called demand. The offer, which delivers five Peek email-only handhelds for $149.95, is set to expire on April 3rd, and business owners should still be aware that each handset will require a $19.95 monthly fee to stay connected. Peek's David Madden has informed us that this offer is just the tip of the iceberg, noting that it has "a few more tricks up its sleeves for the SMB market." We're literally on the edge of our seats here -- aren't you?
Peek finds that Costco customers greatly prefer lifetime subscriptions
We're not about to say "we told you so," but Peek's own David Madden has contacted us with a detail so telling that we simply had to pass it on. In an effort to understand whether the email-only handheld really would sell better if not hamstrung by monthly fees, it has been offering it up in two forms at Costco. A "$44 + monthly fees" package and an all-inclusive "Peek-for-life" bundle that sells for $399. So far, a whopping 70 percent of sales have been for the lifetime Peek, despite the fact that said bundle is a Benjamin more expensive than Peek's own one-day lifetime sale earlier this year. He also goes on to say that this pricing strategy (the no monthly fees one) "may yet be vindicated," hinting that the model could become a permanent option in the future. Oh, and we told you so.
How to make an iPhone game
The folks at Gogogic asked Twitter if they wanted to see how the company's iPhone games were made, and since the answer was in the affirmative, we all get the benefit of looking into just how one iPhone developer put their game together. It starts with a wiki; the company keeps a collaborative site of all the ideas they have for upcoming games, and if the decision is made to go ahead with an idea, that wiki page branches out into the planning documents behind the eventual app. Concepts are drafted in sketches, conversations, and outlines, and eventually they feel like they have the idea "fully developed," at which point the game goes into a proposal pool, and then is eventually picked for production.That begins with an animatic, as you can see above -- before they ever write the first code line, they map out what will happen in certain game situations. It looks like they used Flash to put that together pretty easily, but you can see how well it shows off game design elements and how things should work during gameplay. After that, there's nothing to it but to do it -- the game is coded, art and sound elements are put together, and of course the usual run of playtesting and so on takes place (the company is going to show off how to test and publish games in a future post).The game above turned out to be called Symbol6 (Hexago was a working title), and is in the App Store right now. Thanks to Gogogic for sharing a look behind their process -- there are tons of developers working on apps at the moment, and it's neat to see how someone else does it.
Peek for Life: $299.95 one-day sale means no monthly fees
Our biggest gripe with the Peek email-only handheld has always been the incredibly annoying $19.95 per month data plan. If you jump in today, however, you can forget all about those recurring charges. It seems the suits at Peek have finally stumbled upon what could actually be a viable business model for this unique handset, as they're offering the unit up for $299.95 with data included for the life of the device. Unfortunately, the deal is a one-day only affair, but truthfully, we fully expect this option to become the norm in the not-too-distant future.
Engadget's NYC reader meetup / holiday party is tonight!
This is it! The Engadget reader meetup / holiday party is happening tonight in New York City! All of the information you need is below, but we'd like to stress a few points: The venue capacity has a limit, so make sure you get there early, and plan to wait in a bit of a line. It is snowing like crazy in New York -- so please bundle up and come prepared for the elements! We'll do everything we can to move people inside as quickly as possible, and there's a coat check at the venue for your heavier gear. Bring your ID! Without it, you can't get in! And the rest of the details about the event: We're giving away tens of thousands of dollars in gear! Including... SanDisk 2GB, 4GB, or 8GB microSD cards for the first 200 people through the door! Free food, and free drink tickets for the first 500 people Live Q&A session with Engadget editors Music for the evening will be provided by Justin VanDerVolgen (of !!! and Outhud) The event is 18 TO ENTER / 21 TO DRINK, AND YOU MUST BRING AN ID. ADMISSION IS FREE. Sorry younger readers, but we'll do a follow-up all ages event soon! The venue capacity tops out at a tiny bit over 1000, so you if you're coming, be sure to get there early! When: Friday, December 19th, 7:00PM to 12:00AMWhere: Hiro Ballroom, 371 W. 16th St., New York, NY. 10011You can discuss plans for the event on Facebook here. View Larger Map For media interested in attending, please ping us at: nycreadermeetup [at] gmail [dot] comNote: space for media is very limited as this is a reader event. Readers, you're all set -- no need to email us.
Engadget NYC reader meetup, December 19th: new giveaways, more info
By now you should have heard about the Engadget NYC reader meetup / holiday party taking place TOMORROW, Friday, December 19th. If you're not clued in to all the happenings, this should bring you up to speed. We'll have participation (and giveaways) from the following companies: Nokia, Microsoft (Zune and Xbox), T-Mobile, Palm, HP, SanDisk, Peek, VIA, Sling, Bug Labs, Neat Receipts, Panasonic, Livescribe, Rhapsody, and Make.Some new additions (to the already large stack of items): VIA has just handed over an Artigo A2000, Peek is going to be flooding the event with a whopping 12 handhelds to give out (celebrating its 12 days of Peekmas), Bug Labs is offering a BUGBundle, and Livescribe has provided us with a Pulse (courtesy of Target)! And remember, those are just a few of the goods on offer.Remember, feel free to bring any hacks, mods, or other generally awesome tech you want to show off to us and other Engadget readers -- you don't get the chance too often!Here are some super-important details about the event: We're giving away tens of thousands of dollars in gear! Including... SanDisk 2GB, 4GB, or 8GB microSD cards for the first 200 people through the door! Free food, and free drink tickets for the first 500 people Live Q&A session with Engadget editors Music for the evening will be provided by Justin VanDerVolgen (of !!! and Outhud) The event is 18 TO ENTER / 21 TO DRINK, AND YOU MUST BRING AN ID. ADMISSION IS FREE. Sorry younger readers, but we'll do a follow-up all ages event soon! The venue capacity tops out at a tiny bit over 1000, so you if you're coming, be sure to get there early! When: Friday, December 19th, 7:00PM to 12:00AMWhere: Hiro Ballroom, 371 W. 16th St., New York, NY. 10011You can discuss plans for the event on Facebook here. View Larger Map For media interested in attending, please ping us at: nycreadermeetup [at] gmail [dot] comNote: space for media is very limited as this is a reader event. Readers, you're all set -- no need to email us.
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 eventRead - YouTube video of the prank
Engadget Podcast 120 - 12.05.2008
We're back, and better than ever! After a quasi-relaxing Thanksgiving break, the Engadget Podcast is on the scene and strutting like 1970's disco dancers. Enjoy the soothing sounds of Josh, Paul, and Nilay this week as they discuss Nokia's newest smartphone entries, the Peek email device, Blockbuster's foray into streaming movies, and lots and lots of personal stuff that no one has ever heard before. Side note: Josh is suffering through mic problems and had to resort to his internal mic -- if you have any good suggestions for a USB mic or headset, let us know in comments! Otherwise, enjoy the 'cast! Hosts: Joshua Topolsky, Paul Miller, and Nilay Patel Producer: Trent Wolbe Music: Snow 01:51 - Nokia N97 hands-on part II: the reckoning 31:18 - Nokia E63 hands-on 37:45 - Peek handheld: $49.95 for "today only" 51:08 - Blockbuster joins the movie set-top-box game with 2Wire MediaPoint player Subscribe to the podcast [iTunes] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes (enhanced AAC). [RSS MP3] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in MP3) to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically. [RSS AAC] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in enhanced AAC) to your RSS aggregator. [Zune] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in the Zune Marketplace Download the podcast LISTEN (MP3) LISTEN (AAC) LISTEN (OGG) Contact the podcast 1-888-ENGADGET or podcast (at) engadget (dot) com.
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.
Peek CEO: buy two Peeks, your next iPhone or G1 bill is on us
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.
Peek email device: now with text messaging and image viewing capabilities
It's barely been two days since we heard that "Dan" at Peek had opened a suggestion box for would-be customers to recommend "minor" tweaks for their email only handheld, so we assume today's news is unrelated. Regardless, there was a pretty decent upgrade to the device last night, adding the ability to view image attachments, as well as text messaging capabilities. Texting works through an SMS email gateway, with users entering numbers in the "To:" field, but we're not going to start nitpicking about technicalities. Seriously though, if they add a way to make calls to this thing, we're totally sold.[Via jkOnTheRun]
Peek wants your input on hacks / tweaks to make e-mail handheld better
Well, would you have a gander at this spectacle. Some "Dan" character over at Peek has gone and stolen our thunder, completely dashing our hopes of hosting up a "How would you change" article on the outfit's e-mail only handheld. All (nonexistent) personal beef aside, we'd wager that this scenario is actually far more beneficial for end users, particularly since you know the company is all ears. Over at the Peek blog, the outfit pleads with users and spectators to chime in on how the handheld could be tweaked (in "minor" ways, mind you) in order to be superior. Additionally, it's looking to open up a set of APIs for the public in order to facilitate the hacking of Peek for its own betterment. We always said this thing would be way more appealing with Opera Mini loaded on there alongside a VoIP application, and lookie here, the price has stooped to $80 with no contracts attached. Consider our interest finally piqued. Ugh, that was awful.[Thanks, Jacob]
