The TwitterPeek: a dedicated Twitter device

Back in August I actually Twittered about this:

.@Duddy A dedicated Twitter device would be neat. I wonder how cheap it could be w/cell. service. Palm-sized, with (on-screen?) keyboard.

I even Twittered the idea to @biz: "The more I think abt it, the more I think a dedicated Twitter device wd be a grt idea. Maybe way to monetize Twitter."

My point is that I was unduly pleased to learn yesterday that such a device is now about to be marketed. Behold, the TwitterPeek (see, for example, Wired's post). It also means that I'm the ideal market for the device. Why is the TwitterPeek exciting? It's always-on Tweeting from anywhere in the U.S. over a wireless network. That means you're always on, always able to communicate. Yes, you can do this on your smart phone if you've got one. But if you don't--if, like me, you have an iPod Touch that's dependent on wifi service--then this fills in a big gap. If I had one of these I would never go anywhere without it.

The problem is that, despite my excitement over lust for the TwitterPeek, despite that it's exactly what I seemingly wished into existence, I couldn't stomach paying as much for it as they're asking. You can pre-order the TweetPeek from Amazon as follows:

TwitterPeek Mobile with six months free service: $99.95 plus $7.95 per month after six months

TwitterPeek Mobile with lifetime service: $199.95

Now, I have no idea what this should cost from the manufacturer's perspective. It may well need to be this expensive for them to turn a profit. All I know is that from the perspective of a consumer, this is too much. I, as the self-proclaimed ideal customer, balk at spending $200 on a Twitter-only device that I don't really need. I propose the following prices:

Gadget alone: $49.99 plus $4.99 per month

Gadget plus a year of service: $99.99

Gadget plus lifetime service: $129.99

Cheaper would be better, of course. And the cheaper they are, the more they'll fly off the shelves, particularly with Christmas coming up. But the above are the prices I could stand paying for the device.

Comments

[marktho]

1.

Q.What do you think about the dedicated tweeting device, "TwitterPeek"?

Ans : If you really are in search of that question then there can't be any better site then what i want to tell you.The site having the URL http://www.polladium.com/poll.php?poll_id=377&location_id=1 is the best if you are really in the search of the question that i am telling it to you.

[Clare D]

2.

Yes, this is too much, I agree. Also, I'm not too sure about the design. I think I'd need to hold one and try it out...

[Debra Hamel]

3.

Yes, as with the Kindle, I think having this thing in your hands for a couple minutes would let you know whether it's for your or not.

I'm feeling a little better about the price depending on how I think about it. In fact, the device itself is about $52, plus $7.95 a month. If you think of it that way it doesn't seem quite as high, and it's certainly way cheaper than most cell phone plans.