Time's Gadget Of The Year Is Peek?Time's Gadget Of The Year Is Peek?

What is going on here? It looks like Time put up a poll for its gadget of the year, and the leader, by a lot, is the e-mail-only handset Peek. I first got wind of Peek a few months ago and have no idea why it's so high up the polls.To be fair, I haven't had a hands-on with the device, so it could very well be the best thing since sliced bread. For those not aware, Peek is a relatively thin handset with a full QWERTY keyboard that is used only for Web-based e-mail. It costs $100, and there's a $20 monthly fee to use T-Mobile's EDGE network.

Again, I have to say I don't understand the market for this. Any half-decent smartphone or feature phone can get Web-based e-mails, and this just makes for another device to carry around. If the service fees and upfront costs were about half of what they are, I could see the value proposition. But right now Peek just seems like another useless gadget.

So, what's the deal with the Time poll then? Kelly Hodgkins at the Boy Genius Report suspects there may be some online ballot stuffing, and I'm inclined to agree. I have yet to see one of these devices in the wild, and have a hard time believing the poll results. Is there a market for Peek? Am I blinded in my tech bubble? What do you think, and what's your gadget of the year?