Aircel has launched “Peek” – a physical QWERTY handset made specifically for emails. Aircel claims that Peek is the thinnest email device ever. Peek can support upto three email accounts at a time. The email clients supported are Gmail, Yahoo!, Hotmail and all POP3 or IMAP accounts.
Peek supports PUSH email which allows automatic retrieval of new mails. The attachments supported are Microsoft Word, Excel, PDF and all image files. The screen on this device is 2.5″ QVGA with no touch support. The battery on the device is good to last for 2 to 3 days on a full charge, for ‘average’ email users. Aircel Peek is priced at Rs. 2999 which sounds quite affordable. Other charges involve a Rs. 897 for email access for first 90 days and Rs. 299 per month hence. The device would be available in two colors – Red and Black.
The rental charges per month might happen to be a deal breaker as Aircel charges only Rs. 98/month for unlimited GPRS on mobile. Mobile users can easily configure multiple email accounts to their handsets, which BTW is also used for making calls (unlike Peek) 
For more details on the device, check Aircel Peek’s official webpage.
The Aircel ‘Peek’ may have a larger screen and a QWERTY keypad but the upfront cost is Rs. 2,999 + Rs. 897 (ie., handset cost and cost of email access for 90 days, respectively). Add to this the charges for Internet connectivity.
MTNL has a bundled package – 3G Jadoo services with a Micromax H360 handset (2.4 inches, 240 x 320 pixels, 113 x 49.8 x 13mm). This handset comes pre-loaded with applications, which enables video calls, mobile TV, NimBuzz, downloads, etc. Price: Rs. 5,499. (Note: NimBuzz supports email as well as access Facebook and Orkut.)
MTNL’s monthly charge for 3G is far cheaper than Aircel’s charge of Rs. 299. MTNL’s ’3G Advantage’ offer is aimed at giving the first experience of 3G – the next generation mobile service Free of Cost.
Since the Peek can’t be used to make calls, would I want to carry this gadget just to check my mail? Definitely NO. If one is prepared to carry another gadget in addition to the cell phone, one option is a 3G enabled netbook – available from both HCL and Olive Telecom (a mobile handset maker). Dell also plans to offer notebooks with 3G support. For the business class who would prefer a compact device for both e-mail and calls, there is the Blackberry. (Support for Blackberry push mail is available from several service providers, including MTNL/BSNL.)
There are better and more ‘value for money’ options available. In short, the ‘Peek’ is a misfit in any segment.
^@ST well said..peek doesn’t fit any category…waste of time, money and effort by Aircel…simply to expand it’s market…
I could have thought of a place for it somewhere digging deep..but ST’s price comparison cleared off the garbage out of mind..
@ST, why have you cross posted this same comment from http://www.techtree.com?
Are you a competitor of Peek that is trying to sabotage their efforts?
I actually would appreciate if you could point me to a device that is under 3K and that has PUSH mail service for under Rs. 300 a month? I don’t need 3G. My budget is 3000 or under and PUSH mail is a must.
@S Thomas, please be aware of my bias as a Peek employee. You do bring up one interesting observation. Peek v/s netbooks. Netbooks are expensive. The have a lid that needs to be opened up on the go, and maybe even a need to come out of hibernate. They are quite expensive. So on these three fronts Peek works out a lot better as an additional device. It is cheap, does its job, and will fit into my shirt pocket rather well
Thomas – I am as interested as VivShah in knowing if you have anything particular against us – http://www.techtree.com/India/News/A_New_Device_that_ONLY_Checks_your_e-mails/551-109894-615.html
@ST and @S Thomas, please do post your questions. I will try my best to give satisfactory answers. I very well understand that all reviews won’t be positive. I/we will surely work on turning all negatives to positives.
blackberry is better as it provides much more at Rs. 299, Though the BB device is very costly as compared to Aircel Peek
This device is a total waste of money.Not able to open most of the attachments of PDF and Excel.
Any low end mobile have the same feature for a price of 3999/- in addition with camera,web brousing, phone facility.
I bought it yesterday,I have handed over the set to them today as the pdf files/excel files were not opening.The Aircel gallery did not have a thorough knowledge on the featues.
The monthly charge of Rs.299/- is definitely high.