The original Peek spawned a successor, the Peek9, which is still active today. That threw in unlimited SMS messaging, though the service has since been deactivated as Peek’s text message gateway partner shut down.

Instead, Peek is looking to its so-called “Genius Cloud”, designed to run on any hardware from a basic dumbphone through featurephones and up to full smartphones. Peek’s servers handle data from Twitter, Facebook, email accounts and FourSquare, squirting real-time updates to devices running Android, BREW, Java and other platforms.

The company currently offers Peek for Android, a trimmed down “Peek Mail” client that promises reduced battery consumption, faster speed, an improved UI and more, though the company’s real goal is to partner with manufacturers and carriers.

Peek has been working to make its software compatible with Qualcomm’s ultra-low cost BREW platform – as powering the HTC Smart – as well as on MediaTek chips. The combination, Sarva says, will see very low-end smartphones produced to take on emerging markets in India, Africa and Latin America, among others, with unsubsidized pricing reaching as little as $50. The software is designed to cope with the sort of patchy, non-3G coverage that is common in such markets.

“This is a huge opportunity for us. We’ve built technology that no one cared about but now we’re suddenly being approached by guys who have the hardware that want to make it smart.” Amol Sara, CEO, Peek

Meanwhile, Peek is apparently in talks with consumer electronics makers – including those responsible for digital photo frames, cameras, tablets, clock radios and PMPs – regarding using the same software and back-end services in upcoming devices. “If you’re a camera maker, you can put in 3G and move in the direction of a phone” Sarva says. The expectation is that revenue from software applications will eventually account for up to 80-percent of Peek’s business.

According to Peek last week on Thursday, one of the providers it used for connectivity with the older devices closed for good. That means that all of the older Peek devices out there stopped working leaving some unhappy users.

Peek has announced that there is no fix for the situation other than for the users of the older devices to upgrade to a new Peek 9. The good news is that Peek is offering that upgrade to the new hardware free to owners of older devices. Owners of older devices should have received an email about the upgrade, if not owners of older devices can email at care@getpeek.com.

The Peek 9 has a very thin design and is designed to allow wireless communications like texting and email without having to spend lots of money on a data plan for a smartphone. The device has push email delivered to your webmail and Peak 9 device at the same time. The 9 can text directly to other cell phones. The 9 also supports Peektop apps that allow users to load their own apps for all sorts of tasks. Peek also integrates with Facebook and Twitter for keeping up to date with social networks. The device has a full QWERTY keyboard and works with Outlook and Exchange.

Battery life is claimed to be 4-5 days of typical use. The Peak 9 weighs 3.8 ounces, has a US Tri band GPRS 800/1800/1900MHz radio and supports GPRS. The screen is 2.5-inches with a 320 x 240 resolution and the device has 8MB of user memory. The CPU is an ARM7 running at 104MHz and it runs Peekux for the OS. The price for the device only is $69.99 and with two months of service included, the price is $99.99. Lifetime service is $249.99 with monthly service for $19.95.

And while that doesn’t necessarily mean something is on the horizon, the folks over at Engadget managed to wrangle some time with the Peek CEO Amol Sarva, and got it confirmed that the Peek 9 is indeed real, and coming soon. However, Sarva was quick to stop the flow of details, as an announcement is actually scheduled to reveal the device tomorrow.

So, until that time, you’ll have to take some solace in the fact that you may already know how much the Peek 9 is going to cost. The listings show it going for $69.99, but Sarva wasn’t able to confirm that quite yet. Will the new Peek be a specific service oriented device? Or does the company have something a bit more grand planned for their next device? We’ll have to wait and see.

[via Engadget]

Alternatively, if you’re willing to sign up to six months service in advance, you can have the Peek and half a year’s email access for €99 ($119).  Peek reckon you’ll see 4-5 days runtime from a single charge, helped no doubt by the fact that data is limited to GPRS maximum.

Frankly, if you’re travelling across Europe a fair amount and still want to get your email, there probably isn’t a cheaper way of doing it wirelessly (bar sticking to open WiFi hotspots).  Data charges in your home country are probably low, after all, but as soon as you start roaming they get significantly higher.

Spotnik are billed as “a telecoms company providing data services to next generation wireless products” and beyond that and their content-free site we’re pretty much in the dark.  Last time around, they were tipped as a new pan-Europe MVNO which would allow Peek to roam across multiple EDGE data networks without any user intervention.

There’s no word on whether the previously publicised prices – €99 ($146) for the device including the first six months of service, with a monthly service fee of €12.90 ($19) with no ongoing contract after that – will hold true, either.  We’ve got a request in with Peek for more information, and will update as soon as we know more.

Meanwhile Peek Pronto owners can head over to upgrade.peek.com and get their hands on the latest firmware, v1.09.20 for the Exchange-supporting emailing handheld.  Among the changes are a new lockscreen with date, time, number of new emails and number of new text messages all shown, a new dedicated texting UI, and an improved email inbox, along with various stability and bug fixes.

“Well we have to be innovative, necessity is the mother of all invention after all, right? So, we are progressing on some big stuff. Big stuff that will blow away folks. Not just an awesome “Peek for Life” promo. But really, truly big stuff. So stay tuned for Project Big Stuff.”

There’s no indication of whether this “big stuff” involves new hardware or is a service of some sort; the last hardware introduction turned out to be the TwitterPeek, a dedicated Twitter device that left reviewers relatively cold.  It’s a tricky line to walk – keep the simplicity that attracts your existing users, but keep innovating – and we’re looking forward to seeing what Peek come up with.

According to Varsavsky, that fact is the key reason why FON have decided to launch the Peek.  The roaming will be handled by the new pan-European MVNO Spotnik, and be seamless to the end-user: their Peek will simply log onto the new GPRS network wherever in Europe they travel to.

FON are promising the addition of browsing, Twitter and more in time, but the Peek will launch in basic email mode initially.  The company will ship it wherever their Fonera router can be shipped; you can find a list of locations here.

[via TechCrunch]

That price is the same for the life of the device, which since you can pick up a Peek Classic for $19.95 means the total two-year cost of ownership is $259.71.  That’s pretty much a whole order of magnitude less than some smartphones, once you’ve factored in the initial purchase price and a typical two year carrier agreement with data.

Of course, at that point we’d also be looking to the Lifetime Service Peek Pronto, which for $299.95 gets you no monthly bills whatsoever.  If you’re keeping your Peek for more than two years then it makes sense to go with the Lifetime option, frankly.

The default – and, right now, sole – standard view of your tweet stream truncates the messages; you have to hit enter on each to read the full text.  As for profiles, while you can follow someone on-device, you can’t read any of their existing tweets, only those they post subsequent to your following them.

There’s also no search, links lead to poorly formatted text-only pages, and only Twitpic images can be displayed.  Add in sluggish performance and while the pricing might be reasonable – when compared to an unlimited data package on a smartphone, at least – and PC Mag reckon they can’t really recommend it to either entry-level Twitterers or the sort of heavy-duty users who might like a dedicated device.

Peek are billing the TwitterPeek as a more straightforward alternative to a cellphone or smartphone Twitter client.  However, there are a few things you’ll miss by going with the dedicated device: right now, there’s no way to view the content of links in tweets (though Peek say they’re working on adding link previews), there’s no GPS for geotagging your location, and since the device has no browser there’s no way to quickly share a page with your followers.

There’s also no camera, which means that one of the most common uses of Twitter – sharing photos – isn’t possible either, and the TwitterPeek only supports a single account being active at any one time.  While we harbor a soft spot for the original Peek concept, we’re not so sure about this new device; it seems like you’re only getting half the functionality most would expect from a mobile Twitter client.  The TwitterPeek is available now, priced at $99.99 with six months of service (subsequently $7.95 per month) or – a far better deal – $199.99 for lifetime service.

It looks as though Peek have used the same Peek Pronto hardware as for their email model, but deleted the email and SMS support in favor of an instant-delivery Twitter client.  Peter Ha has apparently had a one-on-one session with the TwitterPeek’s packaging (no word on whether there was a functioning device in there or not), which lends even more authenticity to the story.

So far Peek themselves have remained quiet on the issue, and Amazon’s pre-order page has no suggestion of a release date.  Has Twitter really reached such a saturation point that a dedicated device – without a camera, mind – makes sense?

That compares very well with their existing Peek Pronto with a year’s service, which comes in at $229, just $70 less.  As you might expect, Peek have also done the math to compare the deal to what you might pay over the course of a 24 month contract with a standard smartphone, and they reckon that will be more in line with $2,500-$3,000.

The deal is currently at number one in Amazon’s PDAs/Handhelds chart, and number 73 in electronics overall, and according to Peek the first shipment has already sold out.  No word whether this is a limited-time offer, so if you’re interested then probably best to order now.

As you might expect given the capabilities of the Peek and the flat-rate data subscription, the various social networking services have been pared down in what they offer.  The Peek Facebook integration, for instance, supports reading through friends’ statuses and updating your own – there’s no photo browsing or messaging – while the Twitter integration is basically an RSS aggregator that delivers regular email digests about tweets (and in fact any other RSS feed you incorporate).

As for the mapping, Peek Maps is a basic geolocation service that uses cellphone triangulation – the Peek has no inbuilt true GPS – to pinpoint your position.  None of these features are likely to start a fire underneath any hardcore smartphone users, but then again those users aren’t really Peek’s target audience.  More details here.

For the person who manages to get things up and running, Peek are promising “a little mini-consulting gig” in order to show them how this new Mobile Linux Peek should go together.  No word on whether that’s a paid position or not, but either way it’s something impressive to go on the CV.

There’s a growing list of links to potentially helpful information over at Peek’s blog, including details on the handheld’s TI Locosto ARM7 processor.  This isn’t even a platform with high entrance costs for developers; Amazon have the Peek listed for just $19.99.

The only drawback is that you’ll have to like the aqua (e.g. blue) color scheme, as the gray and cherry models remain at the $49.99 MRSP.  You’ll also have to budget for the standard $19.95 monthly rate, which gets you unlimited email access; Amazon don’t seem to have updated their listing to take into account Peek’s cessation of unlimited SMS support for the original Peek device.  If you want SMS you’ll have to upgrade to the Peek Pronto.

Still, it’s a bargain and if the user reviews are anything to go by the Peek is a distinctly straightforward way to get mobile email access.  No word on how long the discount will last, though, so if you want one we’d recommend buying sooner rather than later.

The Peek device itself will be priced at around $100 in India, and will offer the same straightforward email access.  In contrast, an unlimited BlackBerry data plan in India costs around 900Rs. ($18) per month, to which a voice package would have to be added.  The BlackBerry handsets themselves are also more expensive than the Peek messenger.

We’re hoping this marks a shift from the Peek being US-only to launching in more countries.  No word on European availability, but given the size of the market it seems likely that Peek have been talking about bringing their messenger to the UK or mainland Europe.

Existing Peek users who have already been sending SMS messages through Peek’s texting gateway system will still have access to the service, but future buyers will only be able to get the functionality by picking up the Peek Pronto.  SMS support was added to the Peek Classic back in November 2008.

The Peek Classic is priced at $49.95, while the Peek Pronto – which adds Exchange support, up to five simultaneous email accounts, on-device searching and more attachment compatibility – is priced at $79.95.  Both devices require a monthly service charge of $19.95.

Video overview after the cut

The Pronto is also said to run faster than the original Peek, and the company is also promoting its unlimited texting abilities.  There’s also on-device searching, together with support for PDF and DOC attachments, as well as the regular picture attachment support. 

Battery life for the Peek Pronto is estimated at 4-5 days with typical usage, and the whole thing weighs 3.8oz and measures 4 x 2.7 x 0.4 inches.  The display is 2.5-inches QVGA resolution and there’s 8MB of onboard memory, triband US GPRS connectivity and a 104MHz ARM7 TI chipset running Peek’s own Peekux OS.  The original Peek remains on sale for $49.95 with the same monthly service charge.

[vimeo]http://vimeo.com/3822631[/vimeo]

Press Release:

PEEK PRONTO FACT SHEET

Peek Pronto:
Mobile messaging device

Peek Pronto
Features

Simple, but powerful
Building on the successful launch of its Peek mobile email device, Peek (www.GetPeek.com) is adding an exciting new product to its lineup – the Peek Pronto. Peek Pronto responds to the growing demand for mobile messaging that is both affordable and powerful.

Peek Pronto builds on the original Peek – not by
adding unnecessary bells and whistles – but by further enhancing
the core functionality of mobile messaging. The key features of
Peek Pronto are:

* push email;
* unlimited email and texting;
* compatibility with Microsoft Exchange;
* ability to view images/PDF/doc files;
* access to up to five email accounts;
* ability to search for emails on the device;
* 50% improvement in speed of the
software;
* larger font size option.

Peek Pronto retails for $79.95. A flat monthly fee of just $19.95
provides the user with unlimited emails and unlimited text
messages – substantially cheaper than a comparable
smartphone plan (for details see www.Peekonomics.com).

While Peek Pronto offers powerful new features, it continues
Peek’s philosophy of a stylish device that is easy-to-buy and
easy-to-use. There are no contracts to sign, and no hidden fees
or “gotcha” charges.

Peek Pronto takes just 2 minutes to setup and works
automatically with all major email providers including Yahoo!,
Hotmail, GmailTM, AOL and many more.

Peek Pronto’s full QWERTY keyboard makes typing easy, and its
large color screen and straightforward navigation makes mobile
messaging simple.

3/18/09 Pronto Fact Sheet 2

Peek Pronto is perfect for the busy person who needs to be
connected on the go, but does not want to pay a fortune for the
privilege.

Specifications Size:
Height = 102 mm (~ 4.02 inches)
Width = 68 mm (~ 2.7 inches)
Depth = 10.1 mm (~ 0.42 inches)
Weight = 109 grams

Color:
Charcoal Gray

Display:
2.5” diagonal
QVGA (Quarter VGA) which is 240 pixels high by 320 pixels wide
Languages: English

Battery: rechargeable lithium-ion battery
Charge: via power adapter
Battery life: average two to three days with typical usage

Availability Available exclusively at Amazon.com from March 24, 2009 until
March 31, 2009

Available online at www.GetPeek.com from April 1, 2009

Available at select Radio Shack stores nationwide from April 8,
2009

Pricing

Peek Pronto retail price: $79.95
Peek Pronto monthly service: $19.95

Peek and GetPeek are the exclusive trademarks of Peek, Inc.

Peek have also confirmed that a new device, the Peek Pronto, is in development and will soon be announced, after the teaser image in the gallery below was leaked to Engadget.  According to Peek, the device will be “much, much faster in every way possible”:

“I don’t have much to say, but I will give a leak away.. it is much, much faster in every way possible.

The time to open a menu on 1.08 is .09 seconds. The time to open a menu on Pronto, .04 seconds!!!!” Peek official blog

Our contacts at the company had nothing official they could tell us, but this looks like not only a new device but a new feature-set, and possibly even 3G connectivity to help achieve those all-round speed increases.  It’s also unknown whether the Pronto will have GPS, or merely online map access.  What also remains to be seen is whether existing Peek owners will be able to upgrade to the Google Maps app; given that it’s been spotted on what looks to be an original device, we’re hoping the answer is yes.

[Thanks Rad!]

Although intended – and, out of the box, delivered – as a basic email device, the Peek is gaining momentum as a readily-hacked gadget.  It’s a reputation the company themselves do nothing to deter; this WordPress implementation is actually the handiwork of Peek staff member Dan.

No details or specifics on the hack as yet, but we’re assuming it’ll go public once the Peek people have looked over the technicalities and decided whether it will put too much stress on their data package.  Recently the Peek team discovered that 70-percent of recent sales through Costco’s site were for Peek-for-life units (lifetime subscriptions for a one-off $399) versus the standard $44 device plus ongoing monthly fees.  They’re now considering that “maybe this lifetime deal should be more widely available.”

Add two Peek devices to your cart and you’ll only be charged for one of them.  Obviously you’ll have to pay two lots of service charge, but if you were thinking of picking up a couple of Peeks then this is a great way to get them for under forty bucks apiece; anyway, I’m pretty sure love hurts.

If you’re single, or cynical, or only staying together because of the children, you could always sell the second Peek on eBay.  The monthly service charge is $19.95 per device.

We’re fans of the Peek emailer here at SlashGear; while its singular purpose might not earn it a space in our pockets, we can imagine plenty of friends and family who could certainly use one.  Personally, I’m eagerly anticipating its launch in the UK, where I think data tariff-shy buyers are going to love the idea of an all-inclusive email handheld. 

There’s also news of an upcoming Peek REST API, which will allow developers to work with the handheld directly rather than through the inbox.  No ETA, sadly, but it’s another layer of functionality that will hopefully keep Peek ahead of the curve.  For examples of what you can do before the API is even in place, check out these third-party add-ons.

Inside the Peek:

[vimeo]http://vimeo.com/3008747[/vimeo]

Peek design decisions:

[vimeo]http://vimeo.com/3005852[/vimeo]

Unlike Friday’s deal, you’ll still have to pay the Peek service charge of $19.95 per month, but saving about 50-percent on the cost of the handset itself should sweeten that somewhat.  Meanwhile, if you live at a “1600″ address anywhere in the US, Peek will send you the emailer totally free.

Peek are also inviting their users to participate in a huge grouptweet, at twitter.com/peekinc, sharing thoughts, news and other observations about Inauguration Day.  More details at the company blog, here.

With this offer, you get unlimited email access and unlimited texting (which Peek do through their email servers) for however long you use the device.  Considering twelve months of standard Peek service normally costs just under $240, the Lifetime Service package almost pays for itself in the first year.

Although a relatively new device, Peek have already won both a number of awards and a loyal following of users.  A one-off service plan fee is something that has been repeatedly requested; Peek management have always said that it depends on the data deals they can negotiate with carriers.  Hopefully this one-day event will spawn more general availability of such a package.

Video of the Peek protest after the cut

On the back of the uniforms was a “Parole Date” suggesting that Storm buyers wouldn’t be released until November 21st, 2010.  While the people in the street appear entertained, Verizon were less enthusiastic.  They called the police, who politely but firmly asked the Peek people to leave.

In case you haven’t heard, Peek’s eponymous device is a basic, email-only alternative to a whizz-bang smartphone.  Costing under $100 (in fact a recent sale saw it at just $50) with a $20 all-you-can-eat monthly service charge, it recently won Time Magazine’s Gadget of the Year 2008 award.

I never exactly saw the appeal of this device, especially since its one and only feature is email access. Is it trying to be an old school BlackBerry? I guess no one can really know. But if you need email and you need it now, the Peek might be for you.

The only catch here is that you’ll have to shell out $20 a month for the network access. Other than that, though, this is a pretty good deal. Again, if email is your one and only means of communication. 

[via Gadget Review]

Rather than introduce a new app, sending an SMS uses the existing email system.  Instead of an email address, the phone number goes in the To: field; Peek’s servers shuttle it out accordingly.  There are a few limitations, particularly the fact that Sprint MVNOs don’t seem to be receiving Peek text messages, but a workaround with Virgin Mobile could be to add “@vmobl.com” to the end of the recipient’s phone number.

Image viewing, meanwhile, now includes “almost anything related to images” including bmp, gif, png and others.  That’s in addition to jpeg files, which Peek already supported.  No updated software is required on the Peek device itself, the new features should just work.

You can also pick up a new Peek handheld for $79, down from $99.

[via jkOnTheRun]

Size-wise, the Peek is thinner than many smartphones, and the setup is more straightforward too.  Charge, turn on, enter your email account details (username and password) and that’s it – the device will automatically check for new mail every 5 to 15 minutes.  There’s no way to manually check.

There’s a question over the pricing of the device – there’s a $19.95 monthly fee for unlimited email use – and some people will be turned off by the lack of even web browsing and the missing customization.  The keyboard could also be a love-it-or-hate-it thing. 

I’m still not convinced, but Gear Diary seem happy.  Check out the full review for all the details.