TwitterPeek – a step too far for embedded gadgets?

Years ago, Nokia used to talk at length about the happy day when we would all carry three or four portable devices, each with a wireless connection, each optimized for a particular use. Then the era of the all-in-one smartphone dawned and Nokia started touting the N95 as a phone that was also a music player, camera, emailer (and now new functions have been added, from book reader to camcorder to TV). So why the huge upsurge in wireless devices that only do one thing really well? Not just the music players and portable games consoles, but the huge number of ebook readers, and now even a device that is dedicated to super-efficient tweeting on the move.

The TwitterPeek has launched in the US, and should come to Europe next year. It is made by New York gadget start-up Peek, whose first product was a single-application device, also called Peek, for email. This was enhanced a year ago, with Peek Pronto, to support text and has been marketed as a cheap, no-frills alternative to a BlackBerry for those who need to be in touch all the time, but don’t want a smartphone (mainly tweens). It fits firmly into the wave of devices that come with an invisible wireless connection and a flat fee for a specific service ($20 a month for the $79 Peek) with no other data charges.

Now TwitterPeek has made its debut, priced at $100. It comes with full keyboard, always-on tweet delivery and nationwide internet coverage over embedded 3G, plus six months of service. After that, service costs $8 a month, but there is no contract. There is also the alternative of a lifetime plan for $200 upfront with no monthly fees. Like its emailer brothers, the TwitterPeek does not make calls or come with a full browser.

Twitter, despite its huge popularity, may be a step too far for the dedicated device market, especially as many handset makers and operators are enhancing the way they support the social networking service on ordinary phones (3, with its forthcoming INQ Twitter phone, is a good example, and its data deals are getting so cheap they will be in the reach even of tweens). “TwitterPeek is for people who want Twitter, but don’t want to surf the web on their phones. Do they exist?” asked journalists at PC Mag.