I’ve never done this before. The folks over at Typepad asked if I’d like to monkey around with a Peek device. I said
yes. They mailed me one. No money ever changed hands. I took it on vacation and here we are.

I will remind you, however, that I’m no Walt Mossberg.

For the uninformed, the Peek is a bare bones email/text only device working to position itself among a growing population of smart devices. The Peek Pronto allows up to 5 email accounts, unlimited email/text, ability to view PDFs and images as well as exchange support.

I activated my Peek with before heading out for a week at Hilton Head, SC. Despite the fact that I rigged up my Peek cross-eyed at 11:30 pm after packing, total time to setup was a flat 2-3 minutes. And after an overnight charge we were good to go. I did leave the manual at home which as it turns out wasn’t an issue. As my IT guy might say, ‘this thing’s so easy even a doctor can figure it out.’

The Peek Pronto served as my wife’s sole access to email during our week away. She uses a standard flip phone so the novelty of portable email was something to see. Otherwise, it performed really well and was easy for us to understand and put to immediate use. Battery time was outstanding despite a bright, crisp screen. And interestingly the email reception on the Peek Pronto far exceeded what I was able to achieve with my iPhone on Hilton Head (notoriously poor cell coverage).

With the recent shake up in the smart phone market the price of the Peek Pronto has dropped to a mind blowing $59. This facile entry point with $20 a month buys you unlimited email and text. Not a bad way to stay connected on the cheap.

The $59 question is this: Are the desperate-to-be-connected going to quibble about 50 bucks and move to an iPhone or equivalent smart phone? I don’t know. I suspect that this device will find a home not with the desperate-to-be-connected but rather with the frugally minded and those who don’t need handheld web access.

As the market never lies, only time will tell.

For more insight, check out this Wall Street Journal piece, Peek Takes on Gadget Market