[pct-l] Digital Journals - What Device to use

[Trekker4 at aol.com]

I have no use for a smartphone, the service cost,  or the 2 year contract. 
I just need email while hiking, for a daily email, quasi  journal to friends 
and family, and a daily trail conditions report to PCTA,  CDTA, and CDTS 
people . 
    So it's either my present Pmail or a Peek. For 2,  separate, 1-month 
CDT hikes, & WA in Aug to finish the PCT, I'll have to pay  Pmail $105 for 6 
mo of service. That makes the Amazon $290 Peak Pronto and  lifetime service a 
very good deal. However, the feedback on the Amazon and  Costco sites 
points out that the "lifetime" is that of the device; if you lose  or break the 
device, you just lost everything; I don't know if they offer  insurance, but 
I'll ask them. I'll also ask them about extra batteries. Their  site also 
has no "whats in the box" or pics of same.
 
    Does the Peek have a "flight mode" function? My  concern in switching 
from Pmail to a Peek is battery life; 2 lithium AAs have  lasted up to a year 
on my Pmail, which I mostly use only during hikes.
    I'm also concerned about the far smaller keyboard.  I can type on my 
Pmail while stumbling down the trail.
    There's a lot of negative, but more positive,  feedback on the Costco 
and Amazon sites. The negative runs a wide swath  from bad devices to flimsy 
devices to bad email service to bad customer service. 
    Anyone have further input on the Peek? 
 
Bob  "Trekker"
Big Bend Desert Denizen, and...
Naturalized Citizen - Republic  of Texas