Inert Ramblings

Download.com has given Pepper Keeper Sampler 1.2.2 a 5 out of 5 rating! This is a major milestone for us because it validates that we’re on the right track on the software side, and shows that consumers really do want a simplified computing platform. Although the Pepper Keeper is an amazing piece of software all by itself, I can’t wait for its hardware compantion, the Pepper Pad 2 , to hit store shelves! I’ll finally have an affordable simplified computing device to check e-mail and scan Web forums without having to flip open my Powerbook.

Scott Kirsner briefly mentioned the Pepper Pad in a Boston Globe article entitled In tech world, 2004 seems a lot like 1997. Although it was just mentioned in passing, any press is good press.

1997: WebTV introduces WebTV plus, which connects a small, set-top box to a television and phone line, allowing users to surf the Web and send e-mail without dealing with the complexities of a PC.

2004: After a string of failed products for technophobes (remember 3Com’s Audrey, or the I-Opener?), Lexington’s Pepper Computer is trying to launch the Pepper Pad, a lightweight, easy-to-use, WiFi-enabled device that would be distributed (and subsidized) by broadband providers like Comcast or Verizon.

My only beef is that the author makes it sound like Pepper had a string of failed products, which is not the case. Ohwell, maybe next time.