2much twitter?

Many of us have come to depend on cell phones and email devices as a link to the outside world, no matter where we may be. We can easily keep in touch with friends and family via phone and email, and more recently, through social networking applications on our mobile phones. But one company has taken this idea one step further (or even too far), introducing the first Twitter-only mobile device.

The company behind the device is called Peek, and its planning on charging $199 for it. But I can't help but question the rationale behind the introduction of such a product. Having worked in a consulting capacity with multi-million dollar corporations, I've seen how important market research is when developing and introducing new products.

The problem as I see it is that such a device already exists, and it's called a smart phone. Blackberries, iPhones, and a variety of other cell phones already offer the capability to install and run Twitter, and for free. So why would an entirely new device be needed to run such a simple program in an already saturated market (after all, Twitter is the simplest of all social networking vehicles)? I could envision such a device built around Facebook, as mobile Facebook applications are extremely limited, but a device built around posting 140 character-or-less "tweets" seems utterly unnecessary and redundant.