David Pogue in the New York Times announces the imminent rollout – in Target Stores of all places — of The Peek, a device so single-mindedly dedicated to email that if you dissect it you will find not a trace of a bell nor a hint of a whistle. Go ahead and dissect it: for $100 you can replace it. But don’t try to browse the Web on it, check your calendar, watch a video, produce a spreadsheet, or even phone home. You want convergence? Buy a BlackBerry. The only thing The Peek converges with is your email account.

Call it a DumbPhone, but there are a lot of people who don’t care, don’t want anything more sophisticated and can’t afford it anyway.

At a glance The Peek looks like BlackBerry’s skinny kid sister in a training bra.

“The first time you turn on the Peek,” Pogue writes, “you’re asked for your e-mail address and password. If it’s a Web-based account like Hotmail, Gmail or AOL, that’s all there is to it. The Peek automatically checks for new messages every 5 to 15 minutes, and notifies you with a little chime, a little vibrating buzz and a blinking blue light in the corner. (You can also check on demand.)”

Navigation couldn’t be easier, and if you’re from the K.I.S.S. school — Keep It Simple, Stupid — the Peek is refreshingly fundamental. You can read about it in Pogue’s article or visit getpeek.com. Thumbs not included.

My prediction? A runaway hit!

– Richard Curtis