Startup failed, giving away free Qwerty Arm7 mobile devices for cost of postage

For what it's worth, these are based on the TI Locosto chipset which also integrates GSM/GPRS. We'll see if the released development platform includes enough TI blobs to actually use the radio (I suspect it won't, but I can always be pleasantly surprised).

Locosto has a 104Mhz ARM7, no MMU, and I think in the configuration on the Peek has 4MB of RAM and 16MB of flash. In the Peek email/Twitter client configuration, it runs TI's embedded RTOS (Nucleus) with Peek-internal code (called, fittingly, PeekUX) on top.

http://elinux.org/Peek is the best source for data on the hardware, and http://www.geekypeek.com/ is the blog of one of the engineers on the project - if you go back a year or two there are a few interesting tidbits about the device.

(edited: 8MB of flash -> 16MB of flash per the eLinux Wiki)

For anyone interested in a similar, slightly higher specced, hackable ex-consumer device for next to nothing: ZipIt Wireless have been clearing their old "ZipIt Z2" messenger range for some time now. http://linux.zipitwireless.com/

ARM9 ~300Mhz, 32MB RAM, wifi, QVGA display, keypad, mainline linux kernel support, etc.

Decent sized hacking community: #zipit on freenode & sites like http://mozzwald.com/

Believe prices are as low as $18 for a single one, or $10/unit if you buy 16. We bought around 20 in a group buy at our local Hackerspace. Not quite cost of postage, but still pretty cheap.

I'm like three blocks away from that address.. Can I just come by and pick one up? I'll bring you coffee :)

I wish those things had some kind of signed bootloader and smartcard; they'd be awesome for a secure password management device.

When I first saw the Peek, I was wondering what it would take to turn it into the ultimate drug dealer/activist/etc 2-way text device; everything proxied through a secure multi-stage relay (like Tor), anonymous flood-fill messaging (like posting an encrypted message to a usenet group; the key is the address), etc. Something with a hacked baseband to let you change the IMEI periodically would be better, though (or wifi with MAC rolling).

How much should the shipping label be for?

EDIT: From posterous:

- a mailing label for a 0.5lbs envelope from Peek at 33 w 17th st, NY NY 10011 to you

- maybe mention some of your mobile dev qualifications out of interest

- maybe mention what you want to make

I walked out of my math class to go upstairs to the computer lab and buy a postage label to email them. I'm really hoping to get one. It will be fun to play around with.

hey - we didn't fail! We are "pivoting".

Really cool, but unfortunately USPS won't let me create a shipping label from outside the US.

I think it's great they want to open the system and let developers play around with these.

But I'm just wondering - I don't believe there is a wifi chip in them and it isn't clear whether its possible for the customer to get the device onto the GSM network (is there a real sim card that is accessible, etc).

With that in mind, I'm wondering if the functionality and possibility of these devices is rather limited?

I wonder if they'll let me just stop by and pick one up, since I work about three subway stops away.

... I threw away two still-new-in-box Peeks a couple weekends ago when I ran across them while cleaning out a closet. Used the service for a few months in 2009, it was pretty neat but finally moved to a real smartphone when I started bumping up against limitations.

It's a cool looking device, and nice for them to offer them for free. We'll see if the community can invent some interesting uses for it. I couldn't begin to guess what you could do with such hardware

Have you written a post on why you guys failed? I'd be interested...

I have an old peek and a charger. Do I already have what I need to start hacking away when the dev environment tools are available?

I requested one. Should be interesting. What is everyone going to do with theirs?

Anyone got recommendations on shipping to the UK?

So does this thing only have a mail application?

OK, how hard would it be to get enyo running on one of these? Doesn't that sound like a nice hack to do? ;)

are these still available?

It's really a disservice to yourself when there is no way to see a picture of your product or get to a proper landing page from your blog without having to Google or manually manipulate the URL.