If you’d like a portable email device but don’t want to buy a BlackBerry or iPhone, the Peek Pronto may be the gadget for you. It’s a portable email device with a full QWERTY keyboard. There is no Internet or phone capability, but the price is only $80, with contract-free service costing $20 per month. The Peek Pronto supports unlimited text messages for the same service fee. Amol Sarva, the CEO of Peek, says the first version of the device sold better than expected, leading to this second version. The target customer is an older or less tech savvy person who isn’t quite ready for a smartphone.

Steven Greenberg is a journalist and television report who has earned the name “Innovation Insider”.  Steve travels across the U.S. looking for innovative products and gadgets.  He has recently written a book called Gadget Nation: A Journey through the Eccentric World of Invention.  The book profiles unusual gadgets and their inventors.  Featured inventions include BOB, a device which allows parents to control the amount of time children spend looking at electronic devices, and a cup warmer which is powered by a computer USB port.  One of the most interesting aspects of Gadget Nation are the descriptions of how an invention makes it to a store shelf, a process involving product development, trademarks and patents.

See Steve showcasing some environmentally friendly green gadgets in this YouTube video.