Peek Email Device is the top gadget of 2008?
The upset of the year is not happening on the ice or the gridirons, instead it is happening over at Time’s website. Believe it or not but a poll over at Time.com has the Peek Email device leading the list as the top gadget of 2008. Not the sleek Flip Mino portable video camcorder, the iPod Touch, the MacBook, or the many other fantastic products that are among Time’s options, it is the Peek that is the fave amongst the Time respondents. You remember the Peek. It is that email only device that runs on T-Mobile’s EDGE network and provides unlimited email access for $20 per month. It is not just slightly ahead of the competition either. It is mopping the floor with them, garnering almost as many votes as the iPod Touch and the MacBook combined. We’re going to reserve comment on this one and turn it over to you readers. What do think? Is the Peek really the gadget of the year or this a case of some wild online ballot stuffing? Chime in and let us know if the Peek’s rightful place is atop Time’s list, or if Time readers are crazy and the Peek belongs somewhere back around 1998.
[Thanks, Horatio!]
Tags: 2008, EDGE, ipod touch, MacBook, Magazine, mobile email, online poll, peek, TIME, Time.com, top gadget
To me, The Blackberry Storm, Bold, and 8900 Cruve should be label as top gadget of the year. In order i name them is 1st, 2nd, and 3rd.
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How come someone at Time.com didnt pick up on this obvious “voting irregularity”? This would be akin to, oh, Ron Paul running away with the election tomorrow…
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This may not be a bad thing. Most high end PDAs and Smartphones are hovering around and above the $200 price mark, with data, e-mail, and voice bundles going for high prices as well, it seems that while technology is getting better older devices are phased out while on the whole these devices are staying about the same price.
While things are cheaper now and much better technologically than they were 10 years ago, the average person still cannot afford these devices. Being a Blackberry addict, I often forget about those who don’t need a Blackberry or just feel the price tag is a little steep. Devices like the Peek show that some corporations are interested in the lower middle class-middle class market.
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I agree with goldenuno. This gadget looks like something that would have been pretty cool 5 years ago. Now a days any smart phone out there can handle emails, some im sure work as good or better than this Peek. I dont even think this gadget belongs in the list for top gadget of the year!
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Look at that, then look at this: http://na.blackberry.com/eng/devices/archived/857957.jsp
Shocking similarity!
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this device is a joke. anyone who really needs their email THAT badly owns a blackberry or various other smartphones.
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Well boys… Some DHS agencies are ordering this device and combining them with their Nextel chirp… a good Homeland dull experience
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that ballot was stuffed like Sarah Palin on prom night…
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^^^Good one Dtest54^^^ lol
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Shenanigans.
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From the people who named Adolph Hitler and the Ayatullah Khomeini as man of the year….
Are you really suprised?
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I don’t think it is the Gadget of the Yar, but I do find it very tempting. I have a iPhone 3G, a Blackberry Curve, and a Treo 700p.
The Treo is the best device for email. Unfortunately it is too big to carry around.
I don’t like the way BIS works for my email. It is impossible to do Inbox Zero when you have two copies of the message (BIS and IMAP).
So I end up using my iPhone everyday It is a great device (except for the dropped calls), but it sucks for email because it lacks a keyboard.
So, $20/mo is almost worth it.
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I told you so.
Most BGR readers don’t need this but it is a great option for someone who doesn’t want to pay $100/mo for a cell phone plan.
People are getting priced out by the ever ascending data plans so this is a breath of fresh air.
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some people don’t need blackberry’s, iphones and the terrible windows mobile devices…
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wait a minute…let me get this straight. There’s a portable device, that allows you to access your email at any time? When did this happen?
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i like this device. it’s not for me, i enjoy my BB Curve. i need the phone.
i can see how a lot of businesses would benefit from it. i work with people that only use email. i never talk to them on the phone. so this would be great. and they wouldn’t have to pay for voice charges.
once google sets up sms text from your gmail account this is a keeper. especially for some parents. teenagers can text their friends all they want with no worries of overage fees and no voice plan.
my brother has a work phone so he can’t include his teenager on his phone plan so this could be the answer for him. google away for 20 bucks a month.
include wifi and then i could understand the rating.
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Time further throwing away street cred. This is from the same company that picked You as the person of the year two years ago. That’s right. You.
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How about HTC Touch HD - nothing comes close to it: WinMo 6.1, TouchFlo 3D, huge screen, incredible package.
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To jackson miller.
Never used treo how is its email better then your curve? Rim has the best email around btw what is an inbox zero?
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unquestionably is ballot box stuffing.
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Who cares about a time.com poll? Bunch of tossers anyway over there. But the idea of the email-only device is exactly how RIM started back in the day, like XenomanX said. Professionals have their corporate Blackberrys, but there are plenty of folks that don’t want to spend $50/month or more, don’t NEED their email on their hip, but would like it if it were cheap and easy enough. Could be a huge market for this.
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I agree Jake.
This gadget should have WiFi for those for don’t want to pay 20 dollars a month.
Where can I find more info on “Google sets up sms text from your gmail account”?
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Are they serious? I wouldn’t call the iPod touch top gadget of 2008 either.. sure there’s an updated model but the only major difference is the App Store.
Granted, this Peek e-mail device would be useful, as $20 a month is a heck of a lot less than the $100 a month for my sprint blackberry service that I only use for e-mail.
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@C Man –yeah, I sure wouldn’t have picked you as the person of the year, no offense. ha
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go to cnet or engadget and search google sms. it’s a feature in their labs section.i don’t have a specific link to give you. i read a bunch of different articles on it the other day. they supposedly took it off labs, but i think it is back up.
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