Peek

Smart phones, such as the Apple iPhone or BlackBerry Curve, put so much functionality into one device that, for the novice user, just figuring out how to set up e-mail can be a daunting task. Enter the Peek, a device that does e-mail and nothing more. It’s aimed at users who don’t want or need the sophistication of a smart phone—or the contracts that come with them. If you are willing to carry around two devices, the $99.95 Peek is simple and sleek, and its $19.95-per-month fee for data isn’t a bad deal. However, this Version 1.0 device has some drawbacks.

Sleek, Slim Design

The Peek isn’t a smart phone, but it sure looks like one. The front of the Peek is Charcoal Gray (also available in a Black Cherry and Aqua Blue), and its back has a silver metal finish. Comparing the Peek and the BlackBerry Curve 8330 from the side is like looking at weight-loss before-and-after pictures; the 4.0 x 2.7 x 0.4-inch Peek is very pocket-friendly, weighing a mere 3.8 ounces. The Curve 8330 measures 0.6 inches thick and weighs 4.0 ounces. Of course, those who carry the Peek will most likely be carrying a cell phone along with it.

The Peek’s 2.5-inch display is crisp, and we had no problem reading our e-mail outdoors on a sunny summer day. Above the screen on the left is an icon of an envelope, which flashes blue when a message arrives. The Peek has a minimalist design with only a scroll wheel and a back button on its right side and a charging port on its left. The power button is on the top.

Comfy Keyboard, Finicky Scroll Wheel

The rubber QWERTY keyboard on the Peek is spacious and extremely comfortable. The backlit, candy-button–size keys provided good feedback and are well spaced; within just a few minutes, we were typing e-mail addresses and messages at a brisk pace. Slightly different from the typical smart phone keyboard, the Peek has a dedicated row of number keys and an @ button. Our only complaint about the keyboard is that the space bar is relatively small, and we had to hit it harder than the other keys.

Like the early BlackBerrys, the Peek sports a side scroll wheel. Though the wheel allows for quick one-handed scrolling through messages, we found the plastic divots on it uncomfortable when paging through a long e-mail and when pressing it to make a selection. We would have preferred a thicker, rubber wheel like the one on the BlackBerry 8700c, or better yet a trackball or directional toggle like that on the Samsung BlackJack II.