If you are a regular reader of Pocket-lint this gadget probably isn’t for you. You've already mounted the convergence pony and are riding it hard into the future. Your phone is more than just a device that makes calls: it is the gateway to your digital world.

For us convergence has its place and we can see why you would want it. We want a dedicated camera but a phone should do everything. Your phone lets you check email, surf the web, check Twitter, control your home music system and TV, play games, check your business figures and get you home when lost.

However what if you aren't that way inclined? What if you just want a phone that is a phone? So the idea of a dedicated device that lets you just see and read Twitter is an interesting one, isn't it?

Created by Peek, the TwitterPeek is a follow-on device from the company's dedicated email-only handset that emulates the BlackBerry from almost a decade ago. At the time RIM, the makers of the BlackBerry, were criticised and lambasted for making a device that could "only" do email. Why would you want that many asked? Now the BlackBerry is common place around the world, and widely regarded for the email service it does provide.

The TwitterPeek is a slim-line gadget the size of a small notepad with a colour screen (you've got to get that Twitter blue in somehow) and a QWERTY keyboard.

There are two payment options. The first is $99 down with access to your tweets for the first 6 months before having to pay $7.95 a month thereafter. The second is $199.99 down and never having to worry about data costs for the lifetime of the device.

The design is simple, quaint and straightforward to use with a focus on shortcuts for getting you around the system quickly. For the old school BlackBerry fans there is a jog wheel on the right-hand side that can be used by your thumb and a further "back" button beneath this.

The keyboard itself is on the stiff side, but well spaced out and we found easy to use. The hardware is identical to the email Peek. There is also a flashing "envelope" for when you get new tweets and this can be custom set to either tweets from your friends or your DMs and @ mentions.

Connect the device to your Twitter account - as easy as typing your Twitter name and password - and minutes later your Twitter messages will start downloading to your device. Tweets are displayed on the screen just like email in your inbox and you get the author, the first 24 of characters and the time it was received.

The jog wheel allows you to scroll through the list and because the device is always on it makes for a more "all inclusive feed" rather than dipping in and out.

Annoyingly the software is slow in use. Overly slow in fact for what it is and without the shortcuts the process is painstakingly over-designed, but luckily the Peek does offer most of the commands you need as shortcuts. There are shortcuts for looking at tweets, seeing the next, previous, first, or last tweets as well as retweeting or DM'ing.

Frustrations though include the DM forcing you to re-type the persons twitter name again, and the system not just displaying the Tweet in full on the home screen in the first place.

Then there are links. With no browser you aren't going to be able to whizz off onto the Internet to read what's what. However, so you aren't completely in the dark, you can pull the text from the website. It's basic, but it will get you the information you want (just probably not the way Murdoch would want you to).

You can of course see your followers and your following, but can't add more. Search is also limited, to what is on the device rather than Twitter as a whole and features found in applications like Tweetie 2 on the iPhone like translate, location, add pictures, video, search, and trends aren't here either.

One of the best features though is being able to set up a buzzing alert for when you get tweets, @ mentions or DMs. Simple, but lets you know you've got a personal message.

This is for those who want to tweet and check their tweets in the rawest form.

Verdict:

So who is the TwitterPeek aimed at? As we said at the beginning, it's not for anyone who has a smartphone. After all why would you spend up to $200 on a device that an app could do for free? No, the TwitterPeek is for those who've got a basic mobile phone, want in on the Twitter experience, and don't want a regular $30 a month data plan to go with it.

With more and more people using Twitter as a communications and information tool, the idea is certainly interesting. However while the concept (for non-smartphone users) is sound, the realisation of those ideas isn't fully achieved here.

While the TwitterPeek isn't for us (we currently have 12 devices on the desk capable of checking Twitter) I can see why people might want it.

Tags: Gadgets Twitter Twitterpeek peek Phones Mobile phones

TwitterPeek originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 13 Nov 2009 08:58:50 +0000

Okay, admit it, you've got an iPhone and you tweet. There, now that we've got that out in the open, lets move on. If you are already tweeting chances are you are using a dedicated twitter app, probably the original Tweetie or maybe Tweetdeck or the other one that's now called Echofon.

While there are free twitter apps available, if you want to manage your tweets like the pro you are you've got to stump up the cash for it. Tweetie 2 is $2.99 or ?1.79 depending on where you are in the world. But is it really worth the same as a couple of pints of milk? We get tweeting to find out.

The biggest rub, and we will get this out of the way quickly, is that even if you've bought Tweetie, you are going to have to pay once more. There is no VIP access, no cheap upgrade route. You are dead to them unless you pay cold hard cash. Of course Tweetie (the original) still works and will continue to work, you just won't get the new features.

Legacy issues aside, and at ?1.79 you really shouldn't get too hung up on this, firing up the app brings you the ability to manage multiple twitter personalities, check you Twitter streams and a whole lot more.

Account setup is as easy as remembering your username and password and once you've set-up your account(s) you are done. Likewise switching between them is simple.

Within the application there are overriding settings that can be controlled, such as the date format, and font size, but also more relevant things like which image, video, URL and read later services to use. All the main ones are here including a couple that you probably aren't so aware of, giving you a wide scope in getting the service you are most happy with. Better still if you can't find the one you want you can create a custom setting for it anyway.

Taking things even further there is collection of advanced settings as well, going to the extremes of letting you decide how you want it to handle retweets (-@user or via@user). It's intense, but still simple.

But you haven't downloaded this just for the settings options, you want to tweet, and tweet it will let you.

Like Tweetie the layout is very similar. Out are the "speech bubbles", in is a simple timeline that is easy to read. Speed has been drastically improved while your previous tweets will also be cached for offline reading - a big annoyance of the original Tweetie. Your feeds come in and your place remains where it was for you to scroll up through your timeline.

New tweets, replies, direct messages are highlighted at the bottom of the screen on the nav bar, however you don't get numbers like Echofon.

Dragging the timeline down towards you scrolls up and rather than a refresh button, all you have to do is drag it down to see if there is more chatter. It's a nice design feature.

Find a tweet that interests you and a quick scroll to the right brings up a series of "hidden" options: reply, link details, user details, mark as favourite or do something with it like retweet, quote, post link to, mail or even translate with Google.

Press compose and you get a standard looking tweet input page. New here is a character counter, which pressing gives you the chance to add images, take a picture, geotag, search those you follow, see popular hashtags and auto shrink URLs. It is by far the most comprehensive offering we've seen on an iPhone Twitter client. There is also a draft mode for when you're on the Tube or subway without connection.

But Twitter isn't just about you. It's about the timeline. Here you get to search your timeline (very handy) as well as Twitter names of?those you follow.

You can of course also search Twitter as a whole, and then save those searches for access later. Trends are here too, updating live, and more intriguingly the ability to search nearby your location so you can see your neighbours tweeting around you. I am not sure I really want to see what someone down the street is saying, but I can see it would be helpful tracking mates in a nearby bar playing Foursquare.

Verdict:

Get past the gripe that previous users will have to pay again and we are really impressed here. Tweetie used to be our default iPhone app of choice, however having to remember to load up the tweets before hitting the Subway was a real bind. Here that issue is gone, and in place a shiny new fast Twitter app appears.

There are some really cool clever features to be found and Tweetie 2's makers Atebits has managed to somehow pack this app with so many features but not made it complicated in the process. The result is an app that once again wins a place in our hearts.

If you are an iPhone twitterholic, this is money well spent.

Related links:

• Link - Atebits.com

Tags: Phones Mobile phone apps iPhone apps Tweetie 2 tweetie atebits Social networking iPhone Twitter

Tweetie 2 - iPhone originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Sat, 10 Oct 2009 05:24:04 +0100