Your membership has expired

The payment for your account couldn't be processed or you've canceled your account with us.

Re-activate

Save products you love, products you own and much more!

Save products icon

Other Membership Benefits:

Savings icon Exclusive Deals for Members Best time to buy icon Best Time to Buy Products Recall tracker icon Recall & Safety Alerts TV screen optimizer icon TV Screen Optimizer and more

    TwitterPeek: "Epic fail of the week"?

    Consumer Reports News: November 04, 2009 01:58 PM

    TwitterPeek

    For Twitter addicts who relish the thought of having another expensive mobile device clunking around in their pocket or bag, TwitterPeek is for you. Released yesterday by Peek Inc., TwitterPeek looks like a smart phone with a full QWERTY keyboard but connects only to Twitter. No phone. No emails. Just Twitter. Price: $100 for the device including 6 months of wireless service. After that, service runs $8 a month. (For $200 you can get the TwitterPeek plus a lifetime service plan.)

    Peek seems to be building a name for itself as a maker of single-function mobile gadgets. The company's Peek Classic ($20 plus a $15/month service plan) just sends and receives email. The Peek Pronto ($60 plus service plan) emails and also allows unlimited texting.

    You could make a case for the efficacy of the Peek Classic and Pronto, given the high cost of many data plans for smart phones. The idea behind TwitterPeek, on the other hand, is one even some of the Twitterati have trouble understanding. From the Wall Street Journal:

    "On Twitter, it's attracting its fair share of skeptics. "TwitterPeek is my vote for epic fail of the week," Josho2001 tweeted. "I don't see this having much demand. Two words: Smart. Phone," wrote Marie Goltara. A third Twitter user, Nelanka, added, "TwitterPeek is the final sign that the end is near. I figured this would have come out around 2012."

    If you're savvy enough to be a dedicated Twitterer, isn't it also likely you'd be capable of tweeting (for free) from your cell or smart phone? —Nick K. Mandle


    E-mail Newsletters

    FREE e-mail Newsletters! Choose from cars, safety, health, and more!
    Already signed-up?
    Manage your newsletters here too.

    Electronics News

    Cars

    Cars Build & Buy Car Buying Service
    Save thousands off MSRP with upfront dealer pricing information and a transparent car buying experience.

    See your savings

    Mobile

    Mobile Get Ratings on the go and compare
    while you shop

    Learn more