Courtesy of Peek
The TwitterPeek, shown above, is being marketed to hardcore users of Twitter.
Why the TwitterPeek will almost certainly never take off
A New York City start-up has released the TwitterPeek, the world's first Twitter-only device. But the Peek won't do much that a good smart-phone doesn't already do.
By Matthew Shaer | 11.03.09
Today a company called Peek officially unveiled the TwitterPeek, purportedly the world’s first Twitter-only device. The Peek, shown in the photo at right, is essentially a streamlined smartphone, without the voice and email capabilities – the Peek exists to tweet, and only to tweet. According to press material provided by Peek, the TwitterPeek is equipped with “always-on instant tweet delivery” and nationwide coverage that doesn’t require a Wi-Fi connection.
“TwitterPeek will make it easy and affordable for everyone who doesn’t have a smartphone to really enjoy Twitter on-the-go,” said Peek chief Amol Sarva wrote in a statement. “Newbies will finally ‘get Twitter’ once they have TwitterPeek in hand. Even businesses that Twitter will dig TwitterPeek as a convenient way to stay connected with their customers.”
The Peek pricing scheme is pretty straight-forward: $100 gets you the device, in blue or in red, and six months of free service. The plan is $8 a month after that. Alternatively, folks convinced they will totally love the TwitterPeek can fork over $200 for a lifetime plan, with no monthly charges. The device comes with a 30-day money back guarantee, and a 1-year manufacturers warranty.
So what are the odds that the TwitterPeek will take off? Pretty low. Our math, by the way, has nothing to do with the aesthetic feel of the TwitterPeek. (By all accounts, the full QWERTY keyboard and click wheel work flawlessly, and the color screen sparkles.) Instead, our big issue with the Peek is functional. This device fills a niche that not many people need filled.
Consider the average Twitter aficionado. He tweets from his laptop, and when he’s not in front of his computer, he tweets from his smartphone. When he’s using the latter platform, he gets help from a third-party application such as TwitterFon, which pulls in information from the feeds of his Twitter pals. In fact, between his laptop and his phone, he doesn’t have much need for a third device – everything, from email to his address book, is synced between his desktop and his mobile.
For this hypothetical user, where does the TwitterPeek fit? Presumably, he’s not going to fork over a hundred bucks just to carry another plastic platform in his pants pocket. In fact, we’re moving away from a time when we had to shuffle between phones and laptops and desktops. Netbooks are shrinking; smartphones can do more. As Monitor staffer Gregory Lamb has noted, laptops and netbooks could eventually reach a convergence point, and become one and the same.
Let’s play devil’s advocate for a second, and assume that the TwitterPeek might appeal to a younger user, with less disposable income. In this scenario, the price is the major draw: $200 for unlimited use, or $100 for six-months and the occasional top-up. It’s pretty cheap, yes. But wouldn’t a younger user be better served by a cheap smartphone with a whole lot of social networking functionality? Even if such phones cost $50 to $100 a month for service – something out of reach for high schoolers – they offers a lot of features that mom and dad will appreciate and the TwitterPeek can’t match.
For instance, T-Mobile just rolled out the Motorola Cliq, which it is marketing as a “social fanatic’s dream.” In a statement timed to coincide with the release of the Cliq, Motorola noted that the phone pulls data from “Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, Gmail, work and personal email,” and “automatically delivered to the home screen of the Cliq in easy-to-view streams.”
The Cliq currently retails for $199, with a two-year contract. Assuming that a user will need a regular phone along with the TwitterPeek, wouldn’t he or she be better served by just buying the Cliq? That way, they’d get a voice plan, and Internet access, and close to the same quality of Twitter access as the TwitterPeek owner.
But hey, we could be totally off-base here. Let us know. Drop a line on Twitter or in the comments section below.
—
Comments
3. Jeff | 11.03.09
I wish CSM had more journalists and fewer bloggers. Here I am, wasting my time reading this fluff, and then wasting even more time complaining about it. Get off my lawn, stupid kids!
4. Scott Boyd | 11.03.09
I too am not a twitter user, but the logic behind the argument of not needing this device between a personal computer and a smart phone seems logical. At the same time, it is still possible that there will be a group of people who cannot afford a smartphone yet (at this time; I personally believe that the prices of these devices will decrease) who may be interested in a relatively cheap device that can access something that they are a part of.
At the same time, I also believe that twitter itself will not last more than a few more years, just like Myspace is beginning to lose popularity.
5. Yo Mama | 11.03.09
As a parent, I can see this being a good alternative to a cellphone in most situations. Having to add a line and the necessity of an unlimited text package, the extra cellphone runs me over $30 a month. The majority of use is Twitter and other SMS. At that price, this thing would pay for itself after 6 months. And no fear of any crazy overage charges…
6. Erin | 11.03.09
I think it will be better than you think! I love the peek email device and saving the money from internet phone. I think my phone got too busy for me and is now just a phone again. I will get the twitter peek once I get more involved in twitter.
7. Kale | 11.03.09
I am sure there are people who will use this. Yes it is pretty limited, but could be a decent gift idea around Christmas, especially when you can bundle it with lifetime service. I made a poll at http://www.dipoll.com/?p=614 where you can vote on whether you would actually use the twitterpeek, or just stick to your computer.
8. Craig Miller | 11.04.09
I’ll admit that I’m not really a twitter user, but I agree with the author that this device will never take off. With all the other devices out there that can access twitter AND do millions of other things, this device has no place in the market. I mean, if I ever became a twitter addict, I’d just get an app for it on my itouch. And you know what: it’d be free.
BTW I love your blog!
9. shelteredexistence | 11.04.09
Fuzzy math here, team. The TwitterPeak costs you $199 for LIFETIME service. A typical (highly-subsidized) smartphone (iPhone, Cliq, G1, MyTouch, Blackberry) will cost that price up front, and then up to $100/month afterward. Since you are locked into a 2 year contract, minimum, the total cost of your smartphone is going to be $1400 - $2600. That’s TEN TIMES the cost of the TwitterPeak. By the way, Peek’s original email/texting device is also available now with lifetime service, at $299. LIFETIME!
Perhaps an equally important point is the many people are turned off by multi-function devices. Too complicated and of low battery life. Peek and TwitterPeak are solutions for people who like simplicity.
Trackbacks/Pingbacks
Leave a Comment
We do not publish all comments, and we do not publish comments immediately. The comments feature is a forum to discuss the ideas in our stories. Constructive debate - even pointed disagreement - is welcome, but personal attacks on other commenters are not, and will not be published.
Tip: Do not write a novel. Keep it short. We will not publish lengthy comments. Come up with your own statements. This is not a place to cut and paste an email you received. If we recognize it as such, we won't post it.
Please do not post any comments that are commercial in nature or that violate copyrights.
Finally, we will not publish any comments that we regard as obscene, defamatory, or intended to incite violence.
1. Craig Miller | 11.03.09
I’ll admit that I’m not really a twitter user, but I agree with the author that this device will never take off. With all the other devices out there that can access twitter AND do millions of other things, this device has no place in the market. I mean, if I ever became a twitter addict, I’d just get an app for it on my itouch. And you know what: it’d be free.