Peek announces the Pronto as RIM giggles like a schoolgirl
You remember Peek, don’t you? Well the company is back and confident yet again that it’s going to take the world by storm with the new Peek Pronto. Retailing for $79.95, the Pronto ups the ante from its past offering by allowing users to manage up to five email accounts with push and support for PDFs, DOCs and pictures on a device with a full-QWERTY keypad, 8MB of internal memory and a 2.5″ QVGA 65,000-color display. As with the original Peek, the Pronto runs contract-free on T-Mobile’s GPRS network for $19.95 per month, which not only includes unlimited email but also unlimited text messages via an email gateway. So will the Pronto take off like its predecessor never did? Who knows, but one thing is for sure — if the new Peek Pronto is named Time Gadget of the Year, we might have to close up shop.
GPRS network??????????????????
That’s considered cellphone “snail mail” nowadays…
Peek sounds like a great idea! Why would I want to carry one device for email, cell phone, text messages and web browsing? I can carry at least TWO devices!
Maybe I should also carry a Palm Pilot so I could have a calendar and task manager!
They need to give it a browser. The service plan is comparable to many data plans on devices that do a lot more then the Peek offers. Give it a browse or drop the monthly by half…
Hold on a min, I’m putting my Bold on ebay right now!
Doesn’t tmobile offer a personal BIS plan for web/email for blackberries around the same price? This seems like too small of a niche product. Has anyone seen one of these in real life?
Perhaps for $80 and $240/year it might be fun to play around with it.
Peek, you’ve revolutionized the need to carry way too many gadgets around. Nice work.
Seen it in Target and its not all that, its rather big. Its like carrying a Kindle in your pocket.
As for BIS email only at TMO, I think its $9.99 but that was a while ago so FIIK,FIIC!
To expensive. My storm data package with verizon is $30 and I get web access. This only does email and text messages (no camera) for $20. For this to be a hit (amongst the youngins i’m sure) it will have to be in the $11.95/mo range. remember beepers? $6 a month got you a BEEP!
oh yeah. The previous version is on sale at Walmart for $50 and the box doesn’t show the monthly bill nor do the employees know what it is. Tricky!
@RogerA: TMo killed the $9.99 Blackberry plan (for all but the grandfathered) a while back. I believe $20 is now their BIS price.
@ jayrodathome
How much does the unlimited text messaging plan cost again with Verizon?
This is a good device for a person who doesn’t use a lot of airtime (prepaid) but has a need for email/text.
Why are you covering this, BGR? How much did Peek pay you? Losers.
Yeah, I’m not sure what niche Peek is filling. People who have enough need for mobile email to warrant a separate device and service fee just get BlackBerries.
Seems… useless to me.
@jayrodathome: I don’t think this is targeted at kids.
Like everyone else, I don’t really know who this is targeted at but looking at the picture I’d guess soccer moms.
I don’t know any soccer moms personally but I would guess that like others have said, anyone that needs this functionality has already gotten a smartphone or at least a dumbphone with decent email.
Don’t soccer moms usually need calendaring, notes/tasks, etc in addition to email? A smartphone is the perfect solution for them, not this POS.
A nice device, but 8 years too late. In 2000 or 2001 one it would have been a great idea. There simply isnt that much demand for that price point – T-Mobile BIS is the same per month. And most people already need/have a cell-phone.
they need to target corporate companies fast.. believe it or not those old school motorolla two and one way pagers are still popular where a bb or wm device is too much.. as for consumers i dont know how they think they can make a buzz..
Its is going to be available via Amazon amd Radio shack
Although I have no idea what TMo’s revenues are with this device, you have to wonder if consumers carrying cheap feature phones with email capability and accompanying $15/Mo data plans will forego them just to pursue this? My money is on ‘no’.
@celz: Small biz may take a hard look at this these days, given the need to cut costs to survive, -if- the nature of their business has little-to-no sensitivity. Those required to protect information due to compliance standards, IP, trade secrets or otherwise won’t even give this thing an interview.
I have family that lives in the country. No cable access and only dial up for internet. Therefore email is a PITA. A device like this with cellular connectivity is a really good idea for a narrow market of people. The $20/month is the only reason I didn’t jump on the first peek for family members. I would rather see an option for “lifetime” subscriptions. Or a year for $99. An extra $250 per year is hard to justify for an email device. But I do “get” where they’re going with this.
LOL.
no doubt very few of us reading bgr would benefit from one of these
but there are people who would
it looks pretty cool to me: $20 for unlimited email and SMS!
Peek does sell their device with a lifetime subscription. I can’t recall the price off hand, but I remember seeing the sales data for Costco comparing the lifetime sales compared to the month to month sales, and a huge percentage of people bought the lifetime subscription one.
I agree with most commenters here.
Either drop the price to $10 or less per month, or add social networking capabilities such as Facebook, Twitter, AOL, Yahoo, MSN, ICQ, GoogleTalk, etc. If you’re going that route, get an SDK and have people make their own apps, too.
preety cool but i prefare my Blackberry thank you!!!!!!