TwitterPeek: A Twitter-Only Device

MOBILE E-MAIL DEVICE
maker Peek has partnered
with Twitter to make the
world’s R rst dedicated Twitter
device. TwitterPeek lets
you send and receive tweets
and direct messages, follow
new users, and view images
sent via Twitpic. It has a
2.7-by-4-inch color screen,a
full QWERTY keyboard, and
no-contract, nationwide un -
limited wireless coverage.
Available now from Amazon
or TwitterPeek.com, the
handset sells for $100. Y at
price includes six months of
wireless service; monthly
access will set you back $8
per month a] er that. Big
spenders can pay $200 up
front for the device and get
lifetime wireless coverage.
Missing Features
From the sound of it, however,
TwitterPeek leaves a lot
to be desired. For one, it
lacks a search function, so if
you plan on using it to track,
say, tweets about your business,
you’ll miss conversations
that use hashtags—a
user-created system of cataloging
tweets by subject—or
other conversations that
don’t have an @reply to your
company’s Twitter account.
It also has no Web browser,
so you can’t enjoy conversations focused on a blog
post or news item. Plans are
in the works to allow you to
preview Web pages within
TwitterPeek, but that will
still leave the device crippled
if you won’t be able to get a
complete view of what other
people are looking at.
I have to wonder about
TwitterPeek’s appeal. You
can already get Twitter on
any smartphone or feature
phone with Internet access,
and you can also send and
receive tweets by SMS.
If you want to avoid the
high data fees typical of
most phone plans, you could
try a cheaper Peek device,such as the $60 Pronto; that
unit will also let you send
text, and access Twitter via
Ping.fm. It’s still stripped
down, but at least you can
use it for three di_ erent
functions, all at a lower price.

article source : pc world .Ian Paul
—Ian Paul