Give Peek credit. Shortly after I wrote that the company
would find it tough to create a market for
its dedicated Twitter device, a representative wrote to
ask if I'd try it and review it. I accepted.
Here's what I've learned in my week or so of testing:
TweetDeckon my iPhone is faster, richer, and more
intuitive.
In other words, as much as I like this device, I can't see
anyone who has used a smartphone opting for the TwitterPeek.
Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL),
Research In Motion (Nasdaq: RIMM),
Palm (Nasdaq: PALM),
Nokia (NYSE: NOK), and the many models now
using
Google 's (Nasdaq: GOOG)
Android mobile operating systemall tweet. They're also
built to run thousands of other software applications.
The TwitterPeek isn't just limited in scope; compared to
my iPhone, it's also slow, typically lagging three to four
minutes behind in delivering tweets. To be fair, this could
be due to the sometimes-mediocre network reception at my home
office. On the other hand, TwitterPeek was
farmore reliable than my typical
AT&T (NYSE: T)
service. I count the device's radio as one of its many
strengths.
Shortcuts are another strength. Using a variety of
keyboard combos, the TwitterPeek can organize tweets,
retweet, reply to followers, or fast-forward through to the
most recent posts. A side-mounted scroll wheel also aids
navigation. In all, I'd say the TwitterPeek boasts a pretty
smart design.
What I fear is the niche.
ARM Holdings (Nasdaq: ARMH) says there will
be 500 million smartphones on the market in five years, up
from 200 million in 2009. The TwitterPeek is trying to catch
the curl of that tidal wave. I'm not seeing it.
But that could also be because I've never used a
BlackBerry, the most famous and most effective one-off device
in telecom history. TwitterPeek's look and feel is eerily
similar to that of RIM's boxy, keyboard-laden
breakthrough.
Which, ironically, brings us full circle. Formerly a
one-off device, the BlackBerry is now a smartphone. The
TwitterPeek seems to me unlikely to cross the same bridge.
That's why, even after trying and liking it, I still question
the device's future.
But that's also just my take. Now it's your turn to weigh
in. Is a smartphone in your future, or are one-off devices
such as the TwitterPeek more your style? Let us know by
voting in the poll below. You can also sound off using the
comments box at the bottom.
This article was originally published as
Is This the New BlackBerry?on
Fool.com
Copyright © 2009 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights
reserved.
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