It's here and it's better than ever. With a number of big improvements over the original Sidekick, the Sidekick II is a powerful mobile companion and tri-band world phone. Flip open the big color screen and shoot off unlimited e-mails on the better-than-ever QWERTY keyboard. Snap a photo with the new built-in camera and send it to your friends. Hop online and check your top Web picks. Or just pick up your Sidekick II and make a call.
Design
The Sidekick II's email client supports up to three POP/IMAP accounts. |
The integrated VGA camera supports 640x480 resolution. There's even a flash for nighttime shots. |
AOL Instant Messenger comes installed on the handset. |
View any HTML website and navigate with ease using the Sidekick II's scroll wheel. |
The Sidekick II is designed to be easy to use in every way. The unique, 240 x 160 pixelss screen supports 65,000 colors and opens to reveal a full keyboard for all your text messaging, emailing and calendar updates. Many users complained about the original Sidekick's lack of buttons for quick access to basic functions. All that has been remedied in this new model. New dual purpose dedicated send/end and page up/down buttons make it easier to place calls and surf the Web. Previously, users had to go into the settings menu of the device to change the volume, but new dedicated external buttons make the process easier and more intuitive. What's more, there's now an external power button-- no more opening the display to turn the handset on. There's also a new external directional pad that can be accessed without opening the screen, a big plus for gaming applications. The Sidekick II retains the handy rocker switch on the right side of the device for quick menu navigation and selection.
The overall size of the Sidekick II is another big change. The unit is approximately 25 percent thinner than the previous version. Overall, it has been improved to provide a more comfortable feel when used as a phone. It's also been designed with an integrated camera for the first time. The camera, LED flash unit and self portrait mirror are located on the back of the Sidekick II.
The Sidekick II runs on the proprietary Hiptop OS, which is designed with a unique wheel-shaped menu for easy selection of applications and functions. The device is built with a total of 48 MB of internal memory.
Calling Features
The Sidekick II's phone book can hold up to a whopping 2000 contacts with multiple entries per contact. A call list remembers your most recent missed, received and dialed calls. The device also features a speakerphone for easy handsfree talking. Polyphonic ringtones with up to 16 chords are included and more ringtones can be downloaded from T-Mobile's t-zones service. Picture caller ID lets you assign a photo to specific callers. Similarly, a ringer ID lets you assign ringtones to callers. For those times you want to keep things discreet, there's a vibrate ringer mode.
Messaging, Internet and Tools
The Sidekick II covers all your messaging needs with support for text messaging and multimedia messaging (MMS) with images, sounds and pictures. When used in combination with the phone's built-in camera, MMS opens up a whole new world of messaging fun. If instant messaging is your thing, you can use the Sidekick II's built-in AOL Instant Messenger application to chat with buddies anywhere. Yahoo Messenger is also available via T-Mobile's application download service (T-Mobile messaging charges apply for text and instant messaging, unlimited messaging included in Sidekick data plan). AutoText word completion, which is a technology that makes it easier for people to enter words and text on handsets, is built into the unit-- a plus for mobile email and text messaging users.
If you want email on the go, the Sidekick II has you covered there, as well. With Sidekick Unlimited service, you can get your own 6 MB e-mail account from T-Mobile or you can also set up as many as three other personal e-mail accounts to deliver e-mail directly to your Sidekick II's email application. Web browsing is also easy with the Sidekick II and the T-Mobile Sidekick Unlimited plan. View full web pages with the device's embedded browser and surf T-Mobile's t-zones service, which offers news headlines, weather updates, game and ringtone downloads, and more.
The Sidekick ships with a number of handy tools, including a calendar with up to 1000 event entries, an alarm that can be set to notify you of calendar events and a to-do list. These tools can be synchronized with Microsoft Outlook via the Sidekick II's USB data connection or wirelessly via the Sidekick II's Intellisync technology. Intellisync is a unique web-based application that runs on any PC with a web browser. It allows you to view and update your calendar and contacts information and then upload them to your Sidekick II wirelessly. You can even view all the photos on your Sidekick II in gallery format. All of your data is stored remotely, so if your Sidekick is ever lost or stolen (gasp!) your data is safe and accessible.
The Sidekick II allows you to send and receive virtual contact cards (vCards). vCards are a great way to easily save and share contact information with friends and colleagues. Lastly, if you need to find the keyhole after a night on the town, the Sidekick II has a mini LED flashlight.
Imaging and Entertainment
The Sidekick II has fun in its soul. Snap photos and share them with your friends via messaging or email, or via your online Intellisync gallery. The camera features a night mode for getting good shots in low-light situations.
One game, Rock and Rocket, ships with the Sidekick II, and more are available via the t-zones service.
Vital Statistics
The Sidekick II weighs 6.49 ounces and measures 5.12 x 2.60 x 0.87 inches. Its lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 4.5 hours of digital talk time, and up to 60 hours of digital standby time. It runs on the GSM/GPRS 900/1800/1900 frequencies. The phone comes with a one year limited warranty.
What's in the Box
Sidekick II handset, hands-free headset, carry case, AC adaptor, application CD.
1 This device is a great device
Snoop, there was an issue in March and e-mail/web access was out for a while. T-Mobile creditted users for their service (in my case for the entire month of data service). And then they gave away some free stuff in their catalog.
The browser doesn't have javascript support (yet). There are a bunch of good apps for it: Calendar/Address Book/Email/Todos and Photos all sync to a server and can be accessed from a browser. i.e. if you drop it in the toilet, you could go get a new one and all your data would be safe. To me, that's cool. Because the value becomes your data (i.e. calendar, phone numbers, etc.).
E-mail with either imap or pop w/ up to 3 accounts.
It has a speaker phone which is good quality a great display.
There are some good apps for other things like an SSH client, AIM (which also does ICQ) and Yahoo Messenger etc. Developers are working on other tools like a GMap client (for Google Maps), etc.
HTH.
P.S. I'm bummed that it shows not available. I was going to buy another one for a friend.
2 Unavailable?!?!?!
Why is the Sidekick II unavailable now?!?!?!? I was planning on buying one for myself!!
3 Help I am confused!!!!???
Some of these reviews or maybe most says that this phone and the network it uses are great. Then a few of the reviews people are having problems. I want to know if the people who are having problems might be experiencing problems because they expected something unrealistic? Or could this device really have some serious problems? Does anyone have an unbiased and honest assessment of this product.
4 Who needs a laptop?
I've had my HipTop (OK, "Sidekick II". Happy, T-Mobile?) for a week, but I wouldn't go back to a plain old cellphone on a dare. Now, I have a cellphone, plus a *real* web browser, POP access to multiple email accounts (one email account comes with the service), text messaging on a full keyboard (I don't miss hitting each key 2-3 times to get the right letter at *all*), and yesterday I downloaded a terminal app that gives me ssh2 access to my shell account. I don't generally bother with software that costs money, but that was $9.99 well spent; geek nirvana for less than a ten-spot. Oh, yeah... this baby has a built-in camera that'll store 36 pictures, but the combination of email and ssh will let me take a thousand pictures without ever swapping a memory card. Danger.com rocks; the HipTop is the ultimate geek gadget. Thanx Danger.
5 Never liked a phone so much!
Just got my sidekick yesterday, and I love it. The email, AIM, and the text capabilitys are all top notch. I love this phone, and go every where with it. Definatly a must buy for any one who wants to be able to do it ALL with their phone, including surf the internet at very good speeds. The internet is even faster with pictures turned off, but hey, whats the fun in that.
6 Nice phone
The phone is nice, I like it and does everything I need it to. It does take some getting used to, but after a while it lives up to the communications monster rep it has. Although web-page formating is awkward, it does a good job. I've had it for about 6 months and it's still working like a charm. The only drawback is the size, it's not big, but it ain't small either. Users need to be able to change the keyboard locale to whatever they want.
So if you want a nice PDA, it's great. The camera sucks, but the rest of it is great for what you pay for (...).
7 Fantastic...for what it is!
OK so basically...this device, in my opinion, deserves 5 stars. The SK2 is great, FOR WHAT IT IS! Don't buy this device if you are expecting a digital camera or a mini-laptop. Thats not what it is. Its a PDA. The AOL on it is great! it will load your entire buddy lists, lets you do smileys, away messages, everything. The AOL email works just like the regular thing on your home computer.
I have found the SK2 very useful in everyday life. The calender is to die for! I now never miss tv shows or birthdays or anything like that. It is so easy to type up a quick note or reminder and set an alarm for it in the calender.
The notes section of the SK2 is cool as well, i am always somewhere and wanting to write down a phone number, or a song i herd on the radio that i want to remember to download later or whatever...its great.
The camera works like any other NORMAL camera phone. No the pictures arent 1 mega pixil quality, but honestly, if you want great high quality pictures, go buy a digital camera! cameras on cell phones have gotten crazy, and the public has gotten even crazier with its expectations. Camera phones are strictly for those "you-had-to-be-there!" moments...not for the family photo album.
It rings loud, it also rings and vibrates at the same time which alot of phones these days dont do anymore. The t-mail email address you get works pretty well with attachments and what not. i like it. its also pretty quick. you can also read your gmail,yahoo and hotmail from the sk2 also if you wish.
The web browser is slow...at least from what i've used of it. I mean it gets the job done, but its like as slow as 56k...but like i said, its not a mini-laptop. It moves about as fast as any other cell phone that has internet but you have to remember it also will laod full color images so it really depends on the site. There are plenty of information websites (news, weather, sports, entertainment ect.) designed by yahoo or other companies just for PDA's and cell phones so you should try using those for that sorda stuff. The one gripe i had about the SK2 is that there is no included alarm other than whats on the calender feature. However you can download a program for 10 bucks called "time travaler" from tmobile which is cool and allows you to set many alarms for different times in different time zones.
This PDA is great for text messaging and email and AOL/Yahoo messengers. From what i've experienced, the phone and speaker phone have worked great. Thats one of those area-dependant features...if tmobile has bad signal in your area that obviously this will not please you.
as far as all the cons go...
the outtages..i've had it for weeks and have had no problems...i dont think its as often as most people say
as far as security, forget the whole paris hilton thing...someone knew her password thats all it was...all your information that you enter via the tmobile website is transferred to the SK2 and vice versa. its done automatically. all phone numbers, calender events, notes, reminders, alarms, all that junk can be made and entered online and it goes right to ur device. so if you hate typing in names on a device for phone numbers, this is for you.
make sure you get the insurence on the SK2 also. i think thats about it. i hope all was helpful
8 sidekick 2.......pleaser
Ok...ijust received the sidekick 2, two days ago. So far I'm very pleased. In fact I'm writing this review FROM the phone. It def. Is the ultimate communication device. I can be on AIM talking to 10, checking my mail, while talking on other messenger services. Its really easy to type. I use the computer often so typing on here is a breeze. Never miss an important email because you are away from your computer. Always be connected. The internet is good except for the fact the web pages are shown in columns..which isn't that bad. All the usually sites I go to I go to on this phone. I gave it 4 stars because of the camera. I also carry a motorola v551 and the camera on there is much better. I'm buying a phone protector so that I don't damage the phone. The price 4 this phone is pretty steep but I think its worth it. Pros: qwerty padEasy typingreal web browserEasy phone toturialsNice size screenSomewaht easy menuCons cameraJavaBluetoothWow everything Is great...very good investment...anybody know about the sidekick 3?
9 GREAT phone..read me!
I researched this phone for awhile before buying it, and found a lot of negative reviews. I decided to buy one anyway. This is a great phone! It has a great display, the camera is not grainy and is better than most camera phones. The sound quality for the phone is perfect too, including the speakerphone. I have gotten service in every place that i did before i switched to T-Mobile. The internet is slow, about dial up speed, but that is a given, its only a phone not a laptop! Yahoo and AOL messenger work amazingly fast, and are easy to use. As far as customer service, I spoke to several different employees on the phone and each one was helpful and very courteous! Remember though, if you are a "business" person looking for a business type phone, this is probably not for you...as for every other person on the planet...GO BUY ONE!!!
10 The Hottest Phone known to Man!!
My boyfriend has the phone and I knew I just had to get it. I thought it would hard to use with all the buttons, but actually it's pretty easy. I absolutely love it. It's the best phone I have ever owned.
11 I love my sidekick
I finally decided to buy the sidekick 2 , and i am in total awe.
I've had it for 3 days and cannot put it down.
i've set up my accounts, bought ringtones, the games are great.
its soo easy to use.
i knew what i was prepared for,after goin in to tmobile for a consultation and reading all feedback on here.
Reception:
Im in NYC and for me, reception is excellent.
i had deadspots in my house with my old samsung(at&t/cingular service)where i had NO RECEPTION AT ALL, with the sidekick..NO PROBLEM.
Camera:
NOT the best quality even in good light
my old samsung had better clarity, these pics come out a lil fuzzy and you can only hold 30 pics
Ringtones and Games:
are excellent and very easy to download
about 2 bucks a piece for song and games range from 2.99 to 5.99
and its billed to your account, so you just click "purchase and its on your phone in less than a minute, no goin to special settings and downloading it.
when you hit install, sidekick turns off and when it powers back up, games and ringtones are there
Its heavy compared to other phones and wide. i can deal with it
web browsin is excellent
ive bookmarked several message boards and can view them great
ebay.com..great
ive downloaded yahoo messenger, aol mail and instant message and its like having your own little laptop. i can connect all day with my buddy list and friends
i didnt give it five stars because of the camera, but otherwise this is a great investment at a great price.
and after 24 hours my old number was switched no problems
12 An excellent product... multitasking device
The Sidekick II appears to accomplish the tasks of a PC, a cell phone, and PDA all in a device the size of a bar of soap. Easy to use.. the cell phone portion works fine, with a built in speakphone as an added bonus. Email/Text Messages/ AIM work fine...though ocassionally slow during heavy traffice times. The webbrowser will not replace your PC connected to a cablemodem, but still works fine, but at a slower pace. Ocassional short term outage of data (browser) can be irritating but given all this gives you, it's worth the short wait till full service returns. T-Mobile, the provider of these phones offers GREAT prices. Worth the investment if you want more than a phone. BTW, the flip out keyboard is a lifesaver when it comes to typing text messages and emailers... Closer thing to a pocket PC to date....go for it.
PS: The biggest con is cosmetic: the graphic are geared to the teen set. Ignore the basic graphics and you'll have a blast.
13 FYI
I just got this phone through Amazon. It was a great deal with all the rebates but just keep in mind there is a $35 ACTIVATION FEE on this phone. I didn't read that anywhere on the product description or even when I was purchasing the phone. It just showed up on my first bill. Still a great deal though...
14 Why is everyone complaining????
I just got my Sidekick II a few days ago and it is awesome!!! It is very easy to pick up and use and tends to catch other people's attention. The service coverage is very good in my area compared to other wireless companies I have used in the past, and I live in rural Ohio. I highly recommend buying this from Amazon and not T-Mobile themselves since you get an amazing deal with money back. I would also suggest buying the insurance on this device so if by chance something does break (or someone rips it off), you will get a new phone.
The screen is very big and the applications are so simple. When I need to call someone, I don't have to fumble around looking for the number. Just put your numbers in the phone book, then you can just dial the first letter of who you want to call and all the numbers pop up. You can email too, which is amazingly easy and helpful in my situation.
I really like this phone and I just don't quite get what everyone else is whining about. Do your research when buying, or you could possibly be unhappy with what you get. I was a little worried with all the negative remarks, but now that I have one in hand to use, I don't see what all the fuss is about. It is a remarkable machine which I think will help me keep my life a little better organized.
15 GREAT PRODUCT! STOP COMPLAINING
I do not understand what everyones deal is about rating this product a 1 or saying it is bad, everyone knows that service is going to be different around the country... and if you dont know how T-mobile service works in your area than it is your own fault for not doing the research. Second of all people are complaining about the internet connection being slow... well who the hell offers high speed internet on a cellular phone?!?! nobody so dont complain because they are offering it, complain for your own stupidity of thinking its going to be a high speed connection, next i used to have a cellular phone provided by US cellular, which i paid 30 dollars to have just unlimited text messaging, not including IM's or the internet/email/picture messaging, so dont complain about paying the extra 20 dollars when you are receiving unlimited everything... kind of makes me question what people are going to complain about next... the company tries their best to fill everyones needs and what options they want on a phone, and then people are complaining because its oddly shapped or is awkward as a cellular phone.. if its so awkward then buy a regular phone with a small 1 inch screen if you want, dont complain about it to everyone on the website. CAMERA: the camera is fine, its a cell phone, and obviously you arent goin to get some 4 Mega pixel camera... if you want great pictures... go out and pay the money for a nice camera... the phone is sapposed to be fun and easy, with a lot of cool options. So if any of you want to complain about all this phone does... go buy yourself all the electronic devices seperatly and then look at the price you paid and while you are at it go buy a big ol bag,cause your sure gonna need one to carry around all the devices that this sidekick takes the place of.
16 Great phone, voice, email, photos, ssh client
I bought the sidekick II because of the internet access, decent keyboard, camera, and the Java SDK. The hardware and software interfaces are well designed. It is very easy to pick it up and start using the applications. I easily emailed some photos after my data connection became active. The camera is slightly challenged in the dark even after enabling the night mode. If the BOM (bill of materials) costs are not too great they should put a better flash in the next model regardless of the power consumption. I downloaded the SSH client, alarm clock (world clock), and calculator. It was a kick logging in to one of my servers, though you should probably use one time passwords. My friend seriously envied my new geek toy. My biggest gripe may be resolved in the near future. For some reason the web browser doesn't work very well. The web browser times out during the day on both the Cingular network in Palm Desert and on the T mob network in Portland, Or. It works slowly after about 9pm. I was able to email with 40k photo attachments that arrived at the email destination relatively quickly . The slowdown might be after the PCU->SGSN->GGSN part of the network. Is there a problem w/ the RADIUS servers. Does Danger run services for the carriers instead providing them w/ a platform?
My second gripe is that Danger doesn't give me any info about the
availability of the java SDK. The danger website says that developer sign up is down and their customer support that I am directed to on the phone doesn't have any time estimate or other info. Otherwise the design and software are great. I hope that it is possible for me to eventually obtain the necessary SDK and any available documentation so that I can write some innovative applications that are well tested. Hopefully this may happen w/o
Danger or Tmob feeling that it will increase customer support costs or intrude on their business model. Great phone :) The hardware and software are well designed and manufactured. Buy PDA screen protectors and cut them to fit the sidekick or buy
the ones that fit when they are available.
NOTE: Web requests seem to be working much better 03/23/05
and Danger shows an expected 03/28/05 developer web site
availability :)
17 Love my SKII
I love my SKII...I got it about 5 weeks ago and I'm hooked. This machine is a girl's dream...Don't let these other people tell you anything different!
Take a test run and find out for yourself!
18 Outstanding
My daughter talked me into buying this phone so that we could send instant messages back and forth. I was a little unsure that I was going to like this thing. Boy was I wrong. I have used this phone as a phone, taken pictures of my Son's wedding and emailed them imediatly to his sick grandparents so they could see what was happening as it happened, looked up directions on the internet, kept up with the weather through the alerts section and kept in touch with my office through email. This thing is amazing. I just came back from a trip with 8 people. Everyone had cell phones and all services were represented. (Verizon, Cingular, Sprint and Nextel). My T-Mobile phone was the only one that had coverage the entire trip. I went from Kansas City to Aspen without a single glitch. I have no complaints at all, and have no problem recommending this phone and T-Mobile to anyone. When my wife's contract is up with Verizon, I am switching her over to one of these bad boys and T-Mobile.
19 The best PDA "all-in-one" out there
I liked the original SideKick I so much I got the SideKick II. Like a lot of us, we've gotten used to being connected via e-mail, instant messenger, etc. With the SideKick, you have all the "connected-ness" you get when you're on your main computer. Real nice to be able to be out and about but stay in touch with your friends and family. For those that like corresponding, it real neat that you can write ANYWHERE, sitting in the park, hiking, etc. The posts about the service interruptions are not fair. I've had the SideKicks for two years now and there's only been a couple of times when the service went down. Like the other poster said, they've been trying to respond to security issues and update their system. To compensate users for the most recent outage, they gave all the subcribers a time credit for the outage and even posted some free downloads. Join the wireless revolution and get on-board!!
20 Phone service OK...data service...not so good
I've had this phone for 4 months now, and it's a decent phone. It's got some very cool features..when they work. T-Mobiles data service the last few weeks has been very frustrating. I've decided to get rid of it for that, and the fact that it is VERY bulky to carry around. If you don't mind, it's a cool little device, just be aware that the data service isn't all that great.
21 LISTEN
The reason that the service has been down lately is because T-Mobile is bulking up the security and making it so you won't be hacked. GOD they listen to you and then u yell at them. I have used my sisters numerous times and it has saved my mother and I from a lot of traffic jams. Yeh it can be a little slow but c'mon at least it works. And as for syaing a laptop works better... not so much on a highway
22 Great gadget. A little clunky.
I really enjoy this device--being able to check email and blogs and send IMs while out and about is really nice. However, it's kinda huge compared to a regular cellphone, and I found that to be a bit of a drag. My service agreement seemed kind of pricey, and the coverage was poor (I couldn't get a signal in my own kitchen, and I live in the middle of a big city, not out in the country) and in the end, I've shelved this phone for a smaller one with a cheaper monthly fee.
23 almost awsome
great device i use it more than my $500+ pda it updates over the air so you don't have to dock it with your pc. right now i only have the data plan until my term is up with nextel.
IT has yahoo and aol IM programs you can logon to both of them @ the same time. there is no dely when using the IM programs none. however no support 4 icq "BUMMER" @ this time.you get another email address from T-MOBILE with this unit this is how you sent stuff out I GET MOST OF MY EMAIL FORWARD TO IT up to 5 other accounts "very cool" on the tmobile webb site you can login to it "ok let's say you left it in the car while it was charging and you needed a pnone # from it. from your desk at work just go to www.tmobile.com and login and you have the number or whatever it was that you wanted. from the sidekick" it also comes with alot of ringtones preinstalled. anyway you can send low res photo's too anyone or everyone in your addressbook. the downside is the low res screen most if not all of photo's u take with the c-mos camera will not look very good untill after you forward them to your pc or mac. no java support for the webb browser and it is very slow webb browseing but if walking around target looking for ink for your printer or something and you over hear someone saying that they got a good deal on whatever at best buy you can surf over to bestbuy.com via your sidekick and see 4 yourself.
the sidekick 2 is so much better then other units @ 2x the price.
and still so under rated even with it short comings it's worth a look.
but for the next verison of the sidekick2 it would be awsome if it was 3g compadable with a 2magapixal camera at leased if not better. more system ram and video ram and make use of that usb port maybe make it a usb 2.0 with the next software upgarde for a memory card reader or a modem for a laptop.
24 The truth about "hacking"
Reviewers who downgrade the phone because of alleged problems with "hacking" need to pay more attention. The people who circulated Paris Hilton's contacts did NOT hack into the phone. They figured out how to get into her voice mail system, and spent months checking her voice mails. It's NOT the phone's fault, understand? It could happen with any phone -- AND probably with any carrier.
25 Hacking troubles
I know alot of people are worried about someone hacking into your sidkick but you've got to think.... paris hilton.. fred durst.... you? why would anyone want YOUR phone list and info?? sure someone could be an ass and call all your friends up but they won't be able to tell if it was your fault. And unless you do any online banking and credit cards you probably won't have any problems. once again you've got to ask yourself... why would they want to read MY e-mails? we're talking stars here not ordinary people. unless you've got a stalker I think you'd be fine buying this phone. And besides that T-mobile hasn't given me any problems so far with their service. I don't know about the sidekick and it's extra web stuff... but the T-mobile service is great.
26 If you buy the image, you buy the phone.
The good: Great tech-appeal, super fast menus/response, screen is outstanding, decent to above-average reception, novel design.
The bad: *EXTREMELY* non-geek-friendly phone unless you apply to Danger's developer program (includes faxing a form, verifying you're a software developer for the SK), internet service is slow--much slower than using t-mo GPRS through a laptop, screen scratches very easily, LED flash is a joke, no built-in alarm clock.
---
As other reviewers have noted, your new Sidekick comes restricted so that you aren't able to load your own games/ringers/etc onto the device. This also means you can't UN-load your pictures etc. without going through T-mobile's website. This doesn't seem like a big deal, but if you want you own ringers, backgrounds, or apps, you could be paying a fortune: most the ringers are around $2, apps run $5-10 each from the built-in catalog.
I'm well into my third month with the SKII and my screen is pretty scratched; I thought I was being extra careful with it but it just seems to pick up scratches. There are screen protectors for the SK, probably a great investment. Mine is beyond saving after three months of careful use.
As for the phone's interface, this is an A+. It's not intuitive like picking up a Nokia phone, but once you get used to the Sidekick's menu system and shortcuts, you can really fly through the menus and get to where you want to be. The keyboard is big enough you can really type on it, much bigger and in my opinion more useful than that of the Treo phones.
I give this phone three stars, it really is a nice phone, but the marketing folks have got to re-think their control over the "keys" to unlock these things.
If I'd known the hassle it was to get a developer key I probably would have purchased a different phone.
Now that I've gone through the trouble of applying and being accepted into the developer program (I am qualified for the program, but it took around six weeks to be accepted), I do enjoy the phone a whole lot more. If the phone came so that you could tinker with it right out of the box, it would get five stars. The fact that you're locked out of so many things that many of us take for granted with normal phones kills the deal for tech-savvy users.
27 Good for E-mail and IM
E-mail *****
Instant Messenger *****
Phone **
Web *
Contacts *
Camera *
Ease of use *****
Hardware durability *
OK it's not perfect but I'm not aware of any other combo PDA/phone/email/web/camera device that is even close to perfect.
If e-mail, instant messenger and a full QWERTY keyboard is important to you, buy it! It's easy to use, and does it better than the Palm, Blackberry, PocketPC.
As a phone it's awkward to use. I carry a separate phone.
The web is extremely slow. It's good only for emergencies. But you can use the IM and IM robots (like aolyellowpages) to look up fast yellow pages, weather and news.
The Contacts database and everything else on your SK is backed up automatically on a T-Mobile website. So even if you lose it, burn it, throw it from a cliff, as soon as you buy a new device and enter your password your data will be downloaded it and everything will be the way it was before. Paris Hilton got "hacked" because people tried her pet's name as a password reminder and it worked. I like the backup feature a lot but I don't use the contacts database because it will only import from Windows and Outlook.
If you need e-mail everywhere, buy it, it's a joy to use.
28 T-Mobile gets hacked easily
Only buy this phone if you would like your info, pictures and address book to be hacked into! T-mobile has been easily hacked into as you have seen on the news...Paris Hilton and Fred Durst. Stay away from this one until T-Mobile gets their act together.
29 Dont buy
One star is way too high. Your contacts, email, phone numbers stay on the service not the phone (actually a company called Danger runs the service for all the SK2 aka Hiptop2 carriers). Before buying look around the net at how many times the service is unavailable (we're talking days not minutes here) and what that means when you can't use your email/IM/web from the phone OR get to your information. Then ask about a Service Level Agreement before purchasing - when the carrier stops laughing you might get the feeling that this is not the best purchase if its going to be the only phone you carry.
30 what i see it looks good
i still dont have the phone, but am interedted in buying it.im having second thoughts when reading the reviews.it look really cool.i have used it before, one of my friends has it. the internet is kinda slow, but at least it comes up.not too many phones have internet.i still have to do some more research but im pretty sure after all im gonna get it.
31 Wait for T-Mobile to get their act together!
Nice Device but, as many of the other reviewers have noted, T-Mobile service is very spotty. I bought this device for the data service alone and it has been down for 5 days now. I'd say on average I can use it only about half the time I need to. And to top it off the service rep won't let you out of your contract for any reason- as I was told "service outages are to be expected from time to time". Before you buy this thing please talk to someone in your area who has it and ask them if they have service outage or coverage problems. I am stuck in a year contract but will be going with a different phone as soon as I can.
32 I <3 my Sidekick 2
I have to say I truly love my sidekick 2, it was a MUST HAVE! Yes I can agree with the fact that this phone is not for everybody, but it is sooo perfect for me. If you are one of those people that like to do everything from your phone, then I would consider the sidekick. Yes the phone is bulky, this could be a problem to some who don't like bigger phones, so check one out in person before you buy.I must also say that the internet is not that fast on this phone, but again as I have told many people it's not a PC. And the camera isn't the best, but that's not why I bought the phone, it's just a cute add on...I've gotten many compliments on the phone and people love to play with it. I've had it for over 2 months and it's been a big hit.
33 Excellent Device Poor Service
I love this device.... when it works. I purchased it about 3 months ago and was in love with it for 2 months. Since T-Mobile has sent 2 software upates and the features have been unavailable while they work on the bugs... The first time only voice was available for about a week. This is the second and users have had problems for 3 days so far. Maybe test an update and fix the bugs before you submit the changes. But I cannot suggest this product untill service providers and danger get their stuff together. Read their message boards at www.hiptop.com first.
34 GARBAGE
Let me sum it all up right now: Great concept, Bad execution
As a cell phone, it's lousy. It's awkward to hold and talk into and T-mobile has a lot of drop/weak signals. If this was a regular cellphone, it would be too big and heavy.
As a digital Camera, it's weak. The pictures are awful and the the built-in flash dosen't work well.
The absolute worst thing about the sidekick is that the Web-browser works maybe only 1/3 of the time. It seems to be much slower than a 56k. We are talking about 14k slow. The only website that it can get on consistently is craigslist but that website has no graphics to download. And as of right now, the Sidekick servers are down and no one with a sidekick can get online. This is a common occurrence by the way. There are a lot of PO'ed sidekick owners roaming in the sidekick forums right now.
The only saving grace on the sidekick is that the AOL IM works pretty well and the email actually gets recieved and sent. You can attach your crappy sidekick pictures and send them thru email to your friends.
When you watch the Sidekick2 commericals, pay attention to the only application they use, which is the Instant Messenger. Everything else on the Sidekick2 is junk. I can't wait to sell off my Sidekick when my contract is up. If you're an AOL IM junkie, then go for it. If you want to use the Sidekick for anything else, avoid it!!!
35 Blame Paris, not Sidekick
This IS the same kind of phone Paris Hilton has in the commercials. She also has a Blackberry, I believe...I'm not sure which one got compromised. In any case, it was not the phone's fault her numbers got out. She never set up her own passcode for her voicemail. The 'thieves' just tweaked their caller ID to look like it was her phone, called her voicemail over the course of a couple of months, and wrote dwon all the numbers that the stars left for her.
36 Paris Hilton Sidekick
Is this not the same Sidekick II that Paris Hilton used and got all the numbers posted on the internet? This is obviously too easy to hack. The security risk is too high. I wouldn't pay a dime for this thing.
37 Awkward to use and unreliable
We've had the Sidekick II for about two months. Although my 11-year-old likes it for its buttons and Gee Whiz value, I find it very awkward to use as a phone. It doesn't have a normal keyboard, so you must flip the screen up to press the keys, then flip the screen back down to listen and talk. When you get into a voicemail situation, you have to keep flipping the screen up to "press 1 for English", etc. Very annoying.
You also must pay an additional $20 per month if you want to browse the Internet, use Instant Messaging, or even Download Fun. Otherwise, all you get is phone calls and text messaging (which is also extra). Even the non-sidekick phones let you get T-Zones for Instant Messaging as a $5.00 option.
Another gripe is that the phone is falling apart after two months of not very rough usage. The screen no longer slips into place when flipped open and the letter "A" has fallen out. It occasionally just freezes for no reason. The first phone I received froze up the first day and had to be replaced.
The battery is built into the phone, so you can't take it out to let the phone reset itself. No such thing as having an extra battery on a trip, for example.
Internet browsing is cool, but so slow you think it stopped working. I think some of the fault is just the slow connection, but the other part of the fault is that the phone seems to take a long time to actually build the web page it's trying to display.
Oh, yeah. Another problem is that T-Mobile expects you to pay $9.95 to set up your album on its web site, then 29 cents for each photo you upload to it.
The phone is too large and heavy and has poor quality voice reproduction. You can't use wallpaper and the ring tones sound terrible.
Although it looks good on paper, it isn't really ready for prime time.
38 its great
Even though the phone works in different ways for everybody I think. Its just that some don't give it a try in the other hand mines been great the phone works amazing I heard someone in here say that the phone is more for data then calling their wrong it works fine for millions of people. I believe that every electronic device has their downfalls no matter what service provider I know that it shouldn't be like that but it happens to most of us I think the sidekick doesn't work for everybody so in order to now for your self is to go test out one your self in a tmobile store I believe is the best phone I had and theirs nothing that well change my mind and when the new updates come it well just get better you'll see.
39 LCD breaks easily
I am waiting for the 3rd sidekick II device. Both of the previous devices had their LCD break internally (with grey spots covering the screen), and make the phone unusable. The phone did not drop - it just happens out of the blue. If it wasn't for the fact that I am already past the 30day trial I would switch to another device (and carrier for that matter)
Other than that the device is really cool - but that's not enough - reliability should come first.
40 STOP!! DON'T DO IT TO YOURSELF!! T-MOBILE = T-ROUBLE
Unbelievable!! I got the Sidekick on a Friday, charged it and activated it. It was all downhill after that. It has alot of nice features with one BIG problem - the PHONE DOESN'T WORK!! I first noticed it when I tried to setup the voicemail. The duplexing on the phone make it cut out. I called T-Mobile. They have many technical support departments that all have only bits and pieces of information. Some only have outdated info, and some only seem to pass you along to the next department before you finish speaking. I felt like a hot potato. One person would ask me to hold while they checked something and another person would come back on the line. Over the 10 days I attempted to get this phone working, I made 7 calls to the T-mobile 800 number. I was told that the phone needed time to become aquanted with the tower, to go to the T-Mobile store and swap my SIM card, and to swap out my Sidekick (all of which I did). After none of this made any difference, one of the support team had me check the Radio Firmware version on the phone, and told me that it was a known problem and I needed a Firmware update. One problem, they can't send you one. You have to wait for the next system update to run through. I was told 24hrs, didn't happen, called back and was told 24 to 72 hours, didn't happen. Called back and was told by one support person that I had the latest version, when he passed me on I asked the next tech who said, "No, You have an old version, you need the update." When will I get that? "Within 5 business days." Two days later, no update, called and was told that it was only being sent out the a small group of Sidekicks where it was deemed necessary. I guess they didn't feel I needed to talk on my phone. An interesting side note: The Sidekick specialist that I spoke to after 72hours stated that the Sidekick was created for data use, and the phone was just an added feature. He told me that the voice quality would never compare to a standard cell phone. All in all I think I spoke with about 18 different operators. Two were helpful, both in the Sidekick hardware area. They explained that Danger Inc controls all Sidekick hardware problems and T-Mobile has "NO CONTROL" or communication on problems with the Sidekick2. They simply generate a service request and hope for the best. When I called tonight about the charges for my 10 days of T-Mobile hell, I was told that I would be charged a pro-rate for the 10 days. I had used 50mins of my 1000min/mth plan, mostly testing and trying to get it to work. (Their techs like to call me on it and see how bad the voice quality is before they pass you to the next tech - that way it hits your mins.) Anyway, the operator assured me that my 5mins a day of crappy voice quality cell use, and 6 or so hours on my ground line to their tech support would only cost me about $15. What a deal!! They informed me that the only credit they were able to give out, is a free month of service after the 6th mth of the contract.
If you take nothing wlse away from this review, before you go with T-Mobile, Call their 800 number and check my facts. Ask to speak with a Sales person, a tech support person, a data support person, and a Sidekick hardware specialist. Ask them all one question: "How often will the firmware in my Sidekick2 be updated, and how does it take place?" I guarantee you will hate the answer you get.
Good Luck
p.s. When they had me swap out my Sidekick, I called amazon's cell phone sales area "5 Stars" (800-201-7575). I told them that T-Mobile said my Sidekick2 had a problem, and the Next Day Aired me a new one free of charge. Very impressive service!! I will buy cell phones from them in the future without hesitation!!
41 GREAT DEVICE!
[...]. The sidekick 2 is a great device, and I have owned one for several months. While it is true that the data was down for a couple of days last week, it was because Danger (the manufacturer of the device that also runs the servers that the sidekick uses to connect to the internet) was updating their servers.
The camera, while nothing special, is a nice feature for taking those pictures that you'd never get a chance to take. You can send unlimited pictures to any email address for free- there is no extra charge, ever, and you certainly don't have to go to a website to get your pictures.
For instant messaging, AIM works flawlessly. It was well integrated into the sidekick, and the ease of use is far beyond what had I expected- for example, you can switch between conversations by using the shoulder buttons, and when you are talking to someone and get a new message from someone else, a little number comes up in the corner of the screen, and you press menu-(number) to switch to that conversation! You get to access your ENTIRE buddy list, unlike other cell phones which only allow you to see buddies you but on a special "Mobile" list from your computer, which you can only have 30 buddies on at a time. The instant messaging is what I use the most, by far. I haven't tried yahoo messenger since nobody I know uses it, but I've heard that there are lots of problems with it. AOL Instant Messenger, as I said before, works perfectly.
Web Browsing- Yes, the web browser is slow. Don't expect a high speed internet conenction when you buy this. It's using a wireless cell phone network! There are plenty of sites designed for devices like this, including many popular sites such as yahoo, amazon, etc. I suggest that you go to pdaportal dot com. You can find many mobile versions of sites here. Of course, you can go to the regular version of sites as well, but don't expect anything to load quickly
Email- The built in email client is great.[...]. It makes it very easy to send off a message, attach a picture, etc. Your emails are automatically downloaded onto your sidekick, and you can have it alert you when you get a new message (you can choose from various blinking light patterns, vibration, sounds, or even download something else). You can also access your emails from your computer by going to tmobile.com, logging in, and clicking "desktop interface". (You can also look at notes you've made, your to do list, your calendar, and pictures you have taken from here). Back to the email client- you can also set up POP forwarding from your current email account- so all your messages from, say, your Yahoo email account can also be sent to your sidekick. (Note: You may have to pay your current email provider a fee to do this- for example, I had to upgrade my email to Yahoo Premium, which, for $20 a year, gives me 2GB of storage, POP forwarding, and various other features).
The sidekick also has a to-do list, a notes application, and a calendar, all which are wirelessly updated between your phone and the desktop interface- so if you add a note on your sidekick, you can see it from your computer, etc.
You can also use it as a phone, which has worked a lot better than I expected. It does have a speakerphone. You can also use the wonderful qwerty keypad to send out tons of text messages- unlimited, of course.
Design- The sidekick will definitely turn heads. It is very cool looking, and is a lot of fun to use. The keypad is awesome- very spacious and comfortable to use. Due to the sidekick's innovative flip out design, the keypad is much larger than other phone-pda combos. For example, the treo's keypad is barely a third of the size of the sidekick's, and is a pain to type messages on.
With T-Mobile, I am getting:
-Unlimited Web Browsing
-Unlimited Instant Messaging
-Unlimited Text Messaging
-Unlimited Picture Messaging
All for just a 20 dollar add-on to my voice plan! Shop around- There isn't a better deal!
Aside from the poor camera, there is absolutely nothing I dislike about the sidekick II, and service from T-Mobile has been great in my area. For being free after rebates, nothing can beat this device!
I hope you found my review helpful!
42 Terrific Device - Absolutely Unusable T-Mobile Network
What a frustrating situation. After two months with the Sidekick II using T-Mobile (based in the SF Bay Area), I just love the device, but the data and voice networks from T-Mobile are so bad that I was actually forced to get a second phone from a different provider so I could reliably make and receive calls.
The team at Danger really did an exceptional job in my opinion, but they simply must find a way to offer the device with a reasonable service provider. I have used Verizon, AT&T, Cingular, and Sprint, and while none of them are great, T-Mobile is dramatically worse than any of them. I have unfortunately learned that other T-Mobile customers suffer largely the same issues, regardless of the phone used.
The data network that is used for e-mail however is especially unreliable.
Don't fall for the "We're serious about coverage" marketing campaign by T-Mobile like I did, even if their on-line locator says you live in a great area for coverage.
So despite how much I like the Sidekick II device, I can't recommend anyone use it until it is offered with a different data and voice service provider.
43 Not a good phone
The slowest internet i've ever seen before making it a complete joke. I don't like the Camera either as it's a poor Camera.
No reason to buy this phone. If your thinking about joining T-Mobile just for this phone, don't.
44 Terrible phone, stay away
First off, the internet speed is extremely slow. It's too a point where it's nearly useless. I go to a webpage, and then I walk away, and start cooking some food. I come back, and the page is hardly loading. Slower than 28K speed, it's just awful. Now the keyboard may be useful, but why do you even need it? I do have a Laptop, and a personal computer. Do I really need to have a keyboard everywhere I go? And what's the use when the webpage's take 5 mins to load per page?
And did you know T-Mobile has to do maintenance on their server, which therefore cuts off the entire network during the time period..
Also, using yahoo messenger isn't a option. Not only does it not work (go ahead, check the T-mobile forums and you'll see), but when you try to call in for techincal support they told me that it "WAS NOT SUPPORTED". If you want to use this for it's instant messaging features, big mistake....do NOT depend on T-Mobile. Your better off leaving your PC on with a away message, because at least you will recieve the messages.
The camera too is bad, nearly any camera phone out there is better as this is by far the worst camera phone out there. (T-Mobile or what not). Blurry, and you can ONLY RECIEVE PHOTOS THROUGH A WEBSITE. And ask just about anyone who owns this, the camera is garbage. Did I mention the phone is very sensitive, and if you check other reviews, a single drop and the phone can break. Also I read it cost 5 cents to send a higher resoultion picture... Owning the phone, I completely believe that.
I'm planning to cut away from T-mobile and never come back. I'll be going over to Cingular or Nextel, or maybe Sprint. The thing is, when I tried to cancel they kept bugging me saying they'll give me free whatever for a month. So sure, I gave it a try, and end up getting charged, and they won't refund me the money. I'm leaving T-Mobile, my contract is over in 2 days now, and I'm cancelling. Good-bye, I just wanted to tell every-one how much of a mistake they are making to buy this.
45 Great, when it works (NEVER)
I (and many others) have been without service for almost a month now. It was great when it worked, but it doesnt work at all any more. Any attempt to access a web page results in a time out error. T-mobile customer service is, at best clueless and at worst, rude. Attempts to reach a supervisor are swatted away. T-mobile acknowledges the problems and refuses to provide more than a $5 credit (for a $29.99 plan)
STAY AWAY
Don't take my word for it.. go over to the hiptop website and read all the unhappy people on the forums
[...]
46 Sidekick is nifty, T-Mobile not so much..
I previously had a regular cell phone with Cingular. Though I was quite happy with Cingular's service, I was really attracted to the idea of the Sidekick, since it could do web and had (or so they promised) both AOL and Yahoo IM which is only available through Tmobile so I switched. That and the qwerty keyboard, ..I never could enter stuff easily on a Palm, and forget trying to type actual words on a regular phone pad, maybe I"m too old for that. This looked easier.
So its good good and bad points...the phone itself is pretty nifty. The keyboard is very easy to use and I can type pretty fast on it. Not 80 wpm but not bad. You will see people complaign that the ALT key is not backlit which is true, but it hasn't been a problem so far. Its not a nice little notepad and calendar feature. The screen is nice and clear. Its really cool having all this stuff in one phone. And oh, they don't mention it anywhere, but it makes a darned handy flashlight. The screen is pretty bright, and you can also press =F and get it to just be a flashlight.
The down side is the marketing makes it out to be much better than it really is. Browsing is..so so. You can get to a lot more sites than I expected, but it doesn't do Javascript, which a lot of sites rely on to work. For example I can read posts on a popular blog site but not update.
Most of the time browsing is slllllow. I wasn't expecting T-1 speed, I know its a phone and all, but was just hoping for the speed of my old 56 modem, but its not even that fast. Its - go and get a cup of coffee and come back - speed. But, I got a little majong game on it, so I enter the page I want, and to play majong till it blinks that its ready. Its not fast, but being able to look up the address of a restaurant from the parking lot of Target is pretty darn handy. And oh its got its own email acct too which works okay. No bells and whistles but it works.
The camera sucks..I mean I wasn't expecting much at all, but its so bad I could do better with crayons. Seriously tanks. But hey I didn't buy it for the camera.
What I DID buy it for though, and the reason I gave this a 3 despite the niftiness of the phone, was YAHOO IM. I was *told* by t-mobile both on the phone and in person at the store, that sure, it had yahoo IM, you just have to download it. It advertises this on their site and on the box. 90% of my friends are on Yahoo not AOL. Well as it turns out you CAN download it, but then..trying to actually IM on it is nearly impossible. It disconnects you VERY frequently with no notice or indication whatsoever for about 10-15 minutes. It disconnects easily every 5 minutes. If you check the sidekick forum on the hiptop danger site (the people who make the gadget) you will see its a very very common issue.
Despite this issue being so common I've tried to contact T-mobile repeatedly and they were utterly unresponsive, and insisted they could not help, it was not supported by them I had to contact yahoo. They gave me no info to do so. I kept telling them THEY said it was included but they say as it wasn't preinstalled its not supported. What??
So I finally found a Yahoo help email buried in their site and emailed them, and now THEY say its not supported either!!! (and more to that effect). That the only thing supported is the mobile.yahoo.com site, which doesn't quite work either. So even though its advertised and what I paid for, it works well only maybe 5% of the time and neither Tmobile or Yahoo want anything to do with resolving the issue. THe AOL IM works fairly well, but not yahoo. But I don't know anyone on AOL so that doesn't help. MSN btw is totally not available but at least that I knew going in.
As far as signal strength goes, its so so. The phone is fairly consistently all the bars where I live, but it still is more staticy and cuts out more than cingular did (on the old network not the new one I had an OLD phone). The data service is spotty. It works maybe 75% of the time. Doesn't work in my house at all. But luckily its the 75% of the time I need it to work so its good enough on that count. And oh..its a bit bulky for a phone, but not bad when you get used to it, and its got a handy speaker. THe speaker has a bit of a delay, but the sound quality isn't bad.
SO the sidekick in theory is really neat. I'd love to see where this type of gadget is in a couple years. But right now..ARGH.. its still got some bugs and Tmobile apparently does not care one bit about its customers and trying to resolve these things. THey have their 200 and me in a contract, so I guess that's that as far as they are concerned. If I had to do it over again I'd probably get a regular Cingular phone and one of those Ogos for the IM. Its *got* to work better, cause on the Sidekick it doesn't work at all.
If you just want basic web, a phone, and aol then get it. If you want Yahoo IM, definately look elsewhere.
47 A little boy named ali manhadajajoajn
Let me enlighten you with a diminutive anecdote prior to getting on track. One day a young man was extraordinarily jaded, so he decided to pop in to his neighboring phone shop and get something to keep him entertained and in the crook of the utmost shelf, he saw the T-Mobile Sidekick II Phone. Bearing in mind that he had heard good things about it from other places, he decided to procure it and give it a try, although he was a little irresolute if he was spending his riches wisely. When he got home he put the phone in his sock and didn't see daylight until the phone had been run over by an elephant in new jersey, because he decided to return it late because he wanted to make up an alibi that would let him return it. Guess who that little boy was, no not Jesus, it was little ali manhadajajoajn. I thought this phone was so good that when I had the funds I bought myself one, because I knew that subsequent to seeing it with a stranger who followed me on the streets for 20 blocks, after school, I would never regret spending my money on this functional piece of crap. That was about a month ago and I still love this garbage to this very day. Onto minutiae..... T-Mobile does it yet again and releases yet another saga to the T-Mobile Sidekick succession, and just in time too because I had to make a birthday call to my son a month ago and I lost my cell phone, which was the only phone I had at the time, so I'm happy that now I can call him. It's also T-Mobile's 259th anniversary. Before I embark let me say that this is my foremost review for this piece of handy litter that isn't desirable at all but I worship it. And also that I am flaxen when it comes to rating practical debris that no one really desires, it just fills a void in the heart.... who would have thought this piece of rubbish could fill it. You will however never see me give a phone a 10/10, because no phone is just what the doctor ordered, they all have there flaws.
48 i dunno?
Which sidekick is better? Sidekick 2 or the 1st one? Are they reliable? cause i just had a LG phone and it broke. Is this a type of phone you would keep for like 2 years?
49 I LOVE IT
I Have read what people has to say about this phone...and I agree.
This phone is great in many ways but it has some drawbacks. The AIM and yahoo msg are great..internet is good..and of course its not fast..its wireless after all...
I think its a great phone...i love it...i think that if you want to be in contact all the time and want email capability and even a camera..this phone is for you...I think its as good as cell phones come these days.
50 A Teens Review
this phone is a great way for e-mail and keeping up with friends
A think all ages should have this phone.A+++
51 Pay for Hardware Insurance!
I use these for my business. I've had 3 sidekicks replaced in just under 8 weeks. The spring went bad on the first, the speaker and camera didn't work on the second, and the screen completely died on the third.
We are not rough with these phones, but the design may have some fundamental flaws. I love the potential of these phones, but so far, my experience with them has been very frustrating.
Do yourself a favor and pay for the extra insurance coverage if you decide to get one.
52 Great Phone!!!
I dunno if you'll listen to me about this cause im only 12 years old, but this phone is GREAT!! I just got it a few weeks ago and I LOVE IT!!!! It's got built in IM and E-Mail plus INTERNET!! And its super fast. And the pictures are great! This phone might be for people 18 and under though. But I LOVED IT. I reccomend this Fa Sho!!!
53 Not even worth being called a phone
This 'phone' is awful! Horrible blurry pictures, that you can't focus. The flash function is pointless, you still can't make out what your picture was of. Can only send pictures through email addresses. Can only receive pictures through a website. Internet is incredibally slow. 98% of the time turns itself off before finding the page. I can hardly hear out of the ear peice half the time.
54 great device
this is the ultimate commucation device. I can make phone calls, email, text messages, and my favorite aol instant messenger. The great thing about it is that I got my mine for free. this site is 100% legit. [...]
55 Wonderful fone
I love this fone. It is wonderful. I love how you don't have to open the screen to dial numbers and that it has a cool keyboard. It is cool when you open the screen and then you actually use it. I love the it and i love t-mobile. I always have good reception and i could use it in the elevator. For the people who are complaining the must be careless. the don't take care of it so it ends up breaking like all fones. I was choosing between this and a nextel and i chose this. nextel is too expensive and it has horrible reception. the pictures are awsome. too fix tmobile from puting your stuff on the internet you have to call them and they will fix it in a matter of minutes. I love it love it love it. Buy especially of amazon. you practicly get it for free
56 Better Device than Blackberry or Treo for my needs
I've had my SKII fo a little over a month now and find it a good fit for my needs. I am a business user, not a Snoop Dog groupie, and this is a VERY cool device.
Coverage in my area (Austin, TX is good)and while I have not yet traveled away from the IH-35 corridor, I had good voice and data coverage all the way to the TX/OK stateline (as far north as I went). For $20/month all you can eat data, this is a screaming deal. I don't find the web surfing that useful (speed is about like a 28kbps dial-up connection) but for email it is superior to the Blackberry 957 I used a number of years ago. The interface for the phone and for email and the address book is great. Far better than any Nokia phone I have ever used. The intellisync software allows me to create use a separate address book in Outlook that I can then sync with the SKII with a one button push. Very simple and means you can have an abreviated address book if you are concerned about having this infor resident on TMO/Danger's servers. I agree with another reviewier that it would be better that this info is NOT resident, but if that's a concern, limit what you leave on the server.
Drawbacks are no bluetooth, no resident memory for email, pictures etc, no removable memory stick and no easy way to create and use your own ringtones.
Great things, great keyboard (nicer/bigger than Crackberry), intuitive interface/software screen size/clarity. Camera a nice feature, easy to email pics anywhere. A very cool and functional device if you need phone and and email. The web and other stuff are "OK" but TMO data network will have to get faster and more WAP coded websites for content that is relevent for that to be a big reason to buy/use this device.
I purchased through Danger's website total cost $0 after $200 instant discount and $100 in rebates. Worth a year's contract with TMO in my book. Paying $49/mo for 3000 regional anytime minuets and $20/mo for all you can eat data (email, text messaging, etc, etc EVERYTHING DATA included).
I would recommend this to anyone that really needs email and occaisional web service in addition to phone service. Not the smallest/best coolest phone, but the best convergent communication device on the market right now IMHO.
57 Sidekick is too cool. T-Mobile stinks
As you will note from the other reviews, T-Mobile is awful. And in all liklihood no one there is smart enough or cares enough to read reviews of their service. Don't even try to make a call from a basement. Signal strength is non-existent. We called to cancel and they said, "We'll give you the web server free for a month to try." We cancelled within the month and they charged us anyway. Nothing we could say would make them rescind the charge. How do they stay in business?
58 Your data/photos are NOT safe on this device.
Do NOT buy the Sidekick if you care at all about keeping your personal data secure or your personal photos private. The Sidekick instantly publishes all data entered into it to T-mobile's website. This is known as "real-time" syncing. Instead of storing your photos or contacts and notes on an internal or external memory card like a normal cellphone, PDA, or camera would, the Sidekick instantly pushes all of your data and photos to be stored on the internet. T-mobile was recently hacked and hundreds of people's photos, SSN's, phone numbers, contacts, and private emails were stolen because of this real-time syncing. If you intend to put family members or co-workers phone numbers, addresses, birth dates and take private photos or private notes on the Sidekick I seriously recommend that you find another data device that stores this information locally rather than storing it on the internet. Any Windows Mobile or Palm device is safer than this device.
59 Sidekick2 is good but.........~*
OMg the sidekick2 looks real cool
excpt one problem
it is only avalable with T MOBILE
T-mobile STINKS It is a real junky service cingular or at&t wirless is better
tobad sidekick is not for other services
They should make sidekick for all services
They would make more money that way
60 Sidekick Awesome, T-Mobile-drop them like they're hot!
Well, I've had a sidekick over a year now and just thought I'd upgrade to a sidekick2.
Sidekick 2 is even better. Camera, yahoo, intellisync etc etc. It's just a phenomenal device. You cant go wrong with it. It makes life easier. Always connected, never bored in lines etc. BUT then there's T-Mobile
I call up T-Mobile before buying the SK2 and ask them what the procedure is. They say "Just buy the phone from amazon and give us a call when you get it to flip the phone. Easy right? Not if TMobile has anything to do with it. Turns out they want to charge me an activation fee just for renewing my account! That's gratitude. Good luck with that business plan - I am sure your retention rates are skyrocketing.
As if that weren't enough - they want to turn off my # for 3 days so they can renew my number. Tmobile, you have to be joking. Get ready for a buyout or a bootout of this market. I hope for Danger's sake they find a new carrier and fast because the sidekick is exactly what the 80% in the middle need.
Well, I'm moving to Cingular. Treo? maybe...anything but TMOBILE!
For-rizzle Snoop
61 Had to get one!
I love my CSK2! I traded my old CSK and got this one.I am one of those people that likes to be on the move as well as constantly have email access. This device is excellent. It will play audio attachments, display pdf files, graphics, attachments, and everything is mirrored on a secure web site so I can add large documents, notes, etc. for public speaking.
I recently was caught off guard and asked to address a group at our facility and was able to browse right to the topic I needed as a springboard for my lecture.
Hint: Turn the graphics off in the browser to get faster page loads. This is especially handy when you need to get to the facts fast!
The speaker phone is very good. Much like a 2-way radio. Clarity is better than with the CSK. I use my phone in the car a lot and handle it like a "CB mike" or slip it into my shirt pocket and talk into the air.
The camera takes nice 640x480 pictures with options to take lower resolution shots if you plan on taking lots of pictures. I found the flash actually works better if you set it on "low-light" flash rather than the "night" setting. Give the camera a few seconds to adjust and the flash works much better. This especially good when doing backlit subjects.
I like the fact that you can actually send pictures to another mailbox. (Unlike my son's camera phone which merely sends you to a web link.)
I downloaded the Outlook software that sync's my phone to my Outlook contacts. Worked great after I actually read the DIRECTIONS! LOL
I use my CSK2 for work, play, and mix a little of both.
If I have anything critical to say it is that the CSK2 can get sand or dirt in through the hinge. I took it to the beach and my nephew tossed a ball of wet beach sand on it. the grit managed to get in between the plastic screen and the display. This cracked the screen when just a slight pressure was put on the plastic screen. (T-mobile replaced it for free since the display screen cracked without the plastic cover screen being cracked. Very understanding of them!)
Combined with T-Mobile's features I can use my cell phone to receive faxes, view assorted files, create, send, and view jpg's, chat on AOL, Chat on Yahoo, buy and sell on Amazon!!!! etc. I have purchased a number of books on Amazon while sitting by our lake.
One more peeve: Snoop Dog makes a poor spokesman. This device deserves Katheryn Zeta-Jones!
62 Okay for teens. Thumbs way down for grown ups
Heavy & bulky. Very limited functionilities. Breakable. Slooooooooow web browser. Usless web browser. Rather expensive downloads. Bad reception. No-brainer applications. Awkward phone features. Useless camera. Useless flash.
63 The Future
I'm one of the many who now cant live without this phone. It's ruined relationships because i like my phone more than my friends! (Just Kidding...sorta) I can't even put into words how this phone helps you simplify your life. This phone is unparalleled. My boyfriend gushed about it for a year before it was even released. The full keyboard will make it difficult to go back to texting with T9word on regular phones.
As a device...I havent had any problems with the phone. It has a long battery life for what it does. I use it all day... and as long as it charged the night before, it lasts and then some. It charges quickly in the wall, not so quick on the car charger.
The screen is scratched...but all cell phone screens get scratched. T-Mobile has a wonderful repair program where you pay a nominal fee and they fix the phone if it really bothers you. Totally worth it and better than buying a whole new phone like most other companies would make you.
The flash on the phone isnt very strong but it is helpful in unlit situations. The camera takes a little time to process pictures so you cant take multiple shots (then again its not really meant to be used like a regular digital camera, if you want that, buy a digital camera). I love being able to talk to someone on the phone, take a picture of something, attach it to an email and tell them and show them exactly what I'm talking about. No more "you should see this!" because now you can show them immediately.
Its also nice to have email on the go. I never have to worry about checking my email 5 times a day anymore or sitting around and waiting for an email. They give you a large amount of space to save email and pictures.
I like the customability of the phone, you can change a lot of the action sounds on the phone to songs, beeps etc. It has a colorful touch button that can be used as a flashlight (menu+f). It also gives different color combinations for the type of alert you receive be it email, text or instant message.
It has a mirror feature that allows you to make the screen dark and see your reflection (menu+shift+m).
Its a generally smart phone. They constantly take suggestions and automatically update your software through the airways.
With T-Mobile's custimer service, innovation and ingenuity, I would recommend this phone for all the functionality you'd get in one of those bluetooth things but for a fraction of the price and double the functionality. Plus, if you're willing to sign a contract with T-Mobile, you can get the phone here on amazon for a rediculously small price if not free after rebates...
64 Nice features but cant use them
I ordered a Sidekick II in mid-December and received it on a Monday. That same Monday night, the screen broke even though I did not drop the phone and it was not exposed to water or extreme conditions. The screen gets blacked out and discolored and you cant see anything. I ordered a replacement which I got one week later and, sure enough, two weeks after that, the screen broke again. Same exact problem. Once again, the phone was not dropped or damaged in any way. I gave up and cancelled my service and returned the phone. Beware of glitches with this seemingly poorly made phone.
65 Bugs on device - phone field too short
Just got the Sidekick II and spent literally an hour with tech support trying to get around a bug. They said nobody before had asked them that question. I call a lot overseas and, surely, don't dial directly due to the cost. I use a calling card, a pin and then the number. Even the oldest cell phones have a much longer field length on the phone number, so that you can program the calling card (10 digits), the pin (10 digits) and a foreign number (12+ digits). The Sidekick II stops on the 28th digit! What an annoyance. I found, however, that if I use the speed dial function, the field length is not restricted. With only 9 speed dials, though, this is not much help.
Another bug is that if you do a select-copy-paste on a phone, and copy the number to another speed dial (so I don;t have to type the calling card for every entry), it pastes the whole seeting, including the name and then doesn't let you change it.
A third bug is that the phone does not allow you to save a draft of a text message. If you are not able to send a message (system outage etc), you can't just save the message to send later, but you have to retype it.
Looks like the Sidekick II does not allow any change in color, plates or walpaper either.
I like the phone - it's fun and very intuitive, but at this time I am pondering whether to return it and stick with my Nokia 3650 which gives me all of the same, just without the bugs. I activated a new account with TMobile, but I have little hope they'll let me carry over my old number. My plan was just to cancel the old service..but I may give it a try if I keep the phone.
I wish these engineers didn't sleep on the job and stopped these annoying bugs from happening. After all, how hard is it to set a longer text field, if you are setting it on the speed dial anyway..
Oh...did I say the phone also doesn't allow you to add a memory card?
Good toy, though...I am nervous about putting work data on it, keeping in mind TMobile has access to it. Sure their servers are secure, but so are all banks...and they do have crackdowns from time to time..
So...still thinking about it..
66 does everything and is fun to use
I've been living with my Sidekick II for about a month now and it has really changed how I live my life.
I was never really into cell phones. I hated being "always available" and hated even more carrying around something that was only good for one thing. I avoided getting a PDA because the ones I tried were too complex to figure out how to use, and no fun to use, so I knew it would become another useless weight to carry.
What interested me about the SKII was the full keyboard. Plus, I figured that if they were marketing to youth that it would be fun to use, they would have built it to be fun to use.
I went to the T-Mobile store near me and asked to play with their working demo model. I found the interface to be very intuitive and I felt comfortable right away adding appointments and making notes. With the fantastic rebates available on Amazon, I went ahead and ordered one.
I had a little problem getting my number ported, not in the actual porting, just in getting to the right department to do the porting. I would have thought that selecting the option that went with "if you have a new T-Mobile phone and need to move your old number to it" would work, but apparantly not. I probably spoke with 6 different *very nice* people before finally getting the number ported. Very weird.
I keep the phone with me all the time. I don't use the web browsing too much, mostly because it is a bit slow. I mostly use it to look up freeway speeds right before I need to commit to getting on the freeway. I love the notes feature best, I also love that it "pushes" your e-mail to you. In general, everything about the phone is very easy to use. The phone has a navigational pad that has LED lights behind it that can be programmed to give you silent alerts about what sort of message you are recieving (aim, text, e-mail, or just that your webpage finished loading).
A lot of people don't like using the phone as an actual phone because of the form factor. Personally, I like having a larger phone that really fits in my hand. The only reason I use an earpiece attachment is because I don't like getting all the oil from my face and hair on the screen. There are a zillion ways to dial the phone. You can select from a list of recently called numbers, or you can select from your address book, or you can dial by scrolling through a set of numbers that pop up on the screen. That's just the dialing you can do without opening the phone to reveal the keyboard. If you do that, you can dial using either the regular set of numbers of a set of letter keys that are designated as numbers for dialing. The sound quality on the phone is actually really good, and the speakerphone is fantastic.
I've had no real coverage issues. I had a data coverage problem when I traveled out of state, but turning off and on the phone seemed to fix it.
The only bad thing about the phone is that the platform is locked-down, which means I haven't been able to get ringtones other than the limited ones that T-Mobile sells (although the phone comes with a good range of ringtones and alerts).
I also bought a "cellskin" for my phone, so now it is trimmed in a slightly-sparkly pink.
Some tips:
If you live in So-cal, you need to keep data roaming turned *on* other wise you will not have data service.
Another tip is that you can use a picture that you have taken on the camera as a caller ID photo and then delete the photo from your gallery and it will still be used as a caller ID photo.
When I first got the phone it did not "wake up" to remind me about events and appointments. This was very annoying! But it recently started to do so. I'm puzzled, but happy.
There are lots of keyboard shortcuts, hidden features and other tips. If you buy a Sidekick II, you should do a quick skim of the boards at [...]
This is a great product which is fun to use. It does not support corporate e-mail, but everything else about it is great for both "youth" and us adult-types.
67 Dig it
This is a cool freakin device. I had the original sidekick color. This one is way better. The photos aren't high quality but it's an amusing feature. My biggest prob is that yahoo's servers are down a lot and IMing is only sporadically available. I could not ever have a regular cell phone after this toy. The organizer functions are very easy to use. Web surfing on the go rocks. I can always find something to do with the city guides on the net. Bout time someone came up with this. If you could play MP3s on this it would rock even harder.
68 The Sidekick II does Almost everything....
I give it five stars - despite some technical problems:
You can send and receive vcfs in e-mail attachments - but you can't always file them when you receive them. They are rendered well enough such that you can move the material manually. This varies - as long as they have a filename that ends in .vcf and a mime type of text/x-vcard or text/directory, and otherwise are formatted correctly, they will get taken. But, some applications, for example, evolution, that great Linux e-mail application, does not give something that was never a file a meaningless filename, so the sidekick will not file evolution's vcards (unless you export them to a file and resend them with the right mime type).
Rather than picking the name of the vcard for import out of the vcard's formatting, the sidekick uses the filename. This might mean that it would be simply to pass garbage through the vcf interface, so be careful.
You can get URLs in SMS messages and they show up as URLs, but you can't click on them. You can't click on URLs out of the AIM browser - you can copy the text and mail it to yourself, then click on the URLs out of the mail, where it pulls them out and makes them clickable at the end.
The documentation says that the phone has a WAP browser. You might say, "With a regular browser, why would I care about a WAP browser?" - The answer is bandwidth - you want to look up a phone number, WAP will be faster. And there are some cool wap games. But the real answer, according to the T-Mobile Tech supervisor is that the WAP browser is vaporware - it does not work. Maybe someday. There are sites you can't browse without javascript that have working wap analogues (like microsoft's sms generation site). So you can't browse them at all from the phone.
That is about it. Most of the rest is great. I moved my Nextel data over by exporting the data from the Nextel site, and, in openoffice, I rearranged the column names to match what would have been exported from Outlook Express, and then imported. Oh, yes, I also built names with a formula. Saved it as a comma file, just like Outlook had, and, poof, in about a minute, a couple hundred phone numbers, addresses, and names migrated and merged and appeared on my phone. I could have mailed vcfs for the 70-80 contacts that I was using, but that didn't work.
I've resisted all the games (I want MINESWEEPER - yes, I know it is lame). I might have to drop $4 for solitare.
I did drop $10 for the terminal program, and it has already become helpful - the terminal program is wonderful for something on such a tiny device. I can check out servers by connecting to them in raw mode, by port. I can ssh, securely, to my server. There are lots of disconnects, mostly related to when you stop typing to think for a couple of minutes, but a program available in Linux called "screen" allows you to save programs running in the background and reconnect to them, see their output, get status, and all that stuff. I can even get on IRC using a character mode IRC client.
Someone called me to fix something on a weekend - it was something I could have fixed in 5 minutes on a real terminal, it took eight on the tiny terminal. In many ways, emacs seems to work better than vi does in character mode, but they both work.
One secret is that you can log in to your windows box using ssh in character mode using free products from cygwin or SFU (from Microsoft if you have pro). Command line only, sorry.
To echo the comments about the AIM client, which is utterly reliable vs. the yahoo client, which drops and reconnects all the time, is probably worthwhile.
The documentation suggests that you surf with graphics off for speed. But many buttons are graphical and, unlike every other character or graphics off browser that simply displays the alt text, or, if there is none, "[IMAGE]", the button completely goes away, which means that you can't access what the button points to. This essentially means that you have to leave graphics on to surf.
Occasionally, web sites are mis-represented - on eBay, for example, there is an extra entry bubble generated between the search text bubble and the putton you push - if you enter text there (which seems the right place) searches don't work.
Despite all these niggling problems, and t-mobile's hapless tech support, I am still giving this device five stars. The astounding thing about a poker playing dog is not that it wags its tail when it has a good hand, but that it can tell that it has a good hand at all.
The difference between getting text directions and being able to pull up a map of the area you are in as you drive down the road is wonderful - and then javascript stops you from being able to pull up a turn by turn map as you need it.
I did not expect to have something in my hand that would allow me to log in to my system using ssh, browse at all, much less pull up mapquest maps.
69 Too cool
Bought this as an xmas present for my sis-now wishing i had kept it..check one out in person and you'll love it too.
70 Awesome, just awesome
I have been a SideKick user for the last year and purchased the SideKick II as soon as it came out. This is the ultimate communication device for anyone. I use it for business. Getting emails while out of the office, instant messaging with clients, checking web sites, my calandar, contacts, to-dos. Starting with the SKII, the phone and speaker phone works GREAT.
71 Stuff About the Sidekick II
This is as honest as it gets. The sidekick II is a fun device. it provides a whole bunch of features but also lacks a few that would be necessary to make it complete. it lacks a media player for the web browser which i feel is really necessary. its inability to work with java or java's unavalablity when browsing also poses some problems. it limits what can be browsed on the internet. it lacks the camcorder feature that most cellphones provide and also has a poor quality camera. For its status it should provide most of these features. Without mentioning names there are definitely other devices in its class that possess some of these features. However, I still think its a pretty descent device and have no regrets that i purchased it. So go out and get you a sidekick, its deffinately fun and remember get it from amazon cause they make it worth it!
72 Who says this is just for the under 25 crowd?
This is a great phone. I got it for the web and organizer functions, which are great. I was skeptical of the speakerphone capability before I used it - now I am happy to report that as a phone, and speakerphone, this is tops. No more crazy earbud/corded headsets, no more holding the phone to my ear and getting cramps in my arm -- this thing is wonderful! It is intuitive to use, and the instructions when you need them are clear. One amazing feature is the desktop interface that means no cradle or usb cords. I like having the ability to see all my functions on the mytmobile jump page, and sort through my e-mail, address book, calendar, to do list and notes on the large screen in my office. The ONLY drawback is the non-java supported feature for the web. This can be annoying if you rely solely on the sidekick II and have no other web access. But given all the other features, this is chock full of fun and utility. BUY THIS!
73 Great phone...but lackluster system hampers performance.
First off, I love the T-Mobile Sidekick II, itself. First, I have to rave about the excellent interface. It's so simple and obvious, anyone can figure it out in seconds. The keyboard is solid, and easy to type on. A few keys are in odd spots, but after a small time, those differences will be unnoticed. Email is easy to use and straightforward, just what I want in an email client. The AIM and Y! messenger clients are outstanding, probably the best interfaces on a phone. The web browser does a great rendition of web pages that I have seen on a mobile device.
This brings me to the bad... the very bad.
The service in the Seattle area is spotty, at best. Compared to another nationwide GSM carrier, T-Mobile's coverage is lousy. In buildings, I am lucky to get 1-2 bars of coverage in many areas, while the competition gets 4-5. T-Mobile's data network is a turtle at the best of times, and often unavailable. Even when the data portion of the T-Mobile network is available, there is also the intermittent Sidekick network failures, where the sidekick turns into a glorified phone. No IMs, no browsing, no email (although it will queue any messages written to send out when the network comes back).
To be honest, I think I would be happier with a phone that wasn't so dependant on a server at T-Mobile that can go down for hours on end, which brings me to the 3 star rating. The device itself is outstanding. The service has me looking at other options instead.
74 Phone Number Transfer
Someone asked if current TMO customers can buy the new SK II and do a new activation and xfer their number. I did this when I got my SK Color last December. It was a bit of a hassle and took a week or two but they didn't give me any grief over it.
For those who are used to the SK Color (the SK II's predescesor) I think the keyboard is more difficult to use since the buttons are more recessed and don't give that familiar click/pop tactile feel. Other than that its a truly masterful blend of useful technology. Anyone who has suffered with "neato" but not really practical gizmos will find the SK series refreshingly different. I mean, do you REALLY want to have to pull out a stylus to fire off a quick e-mail while sitting at a red light? Oh yeah... and tweaking my Linux web server via SSH terminal session while stuck in traffic... who's your daddy!?!?
75 excellent phone.
First off let me just say that I have had no problems whatsoever. Everything works great. The text messaging and email services on this phone are top notch...very fast and easy. The web looks like it does on your computer, but don't expect any flash or video viewing on it because it doesn't work. The speakerphone is amazing, sounds better than my regular phone. The aim service is also incredible, you can talk to about 10 or 15 people at once, and switching between buddies is easy. The camera is completely satisfactory; remember its primary function is a phone, not a 10megapixle camera. The photos look good and I often find myself e-mailing them to my google account to look at them on a bigger screen. The downloads aren't amazing but you'll live with em. By the way I own one of these things. Over all, excellent phone.
76 SKII Addiction
If you think you spend too much time surfing the internet now, with a Sidekick II in your hands you will become a bona fide addict! It's the ultimate `remote control' for the tech savvy multi-tasker.
Of course the SKII is a bit larger than I'd like it to be but then again, I no longer have to carry my PDA, cell phone and laptop everywhere I go! The SKII makes surfing the web easy, convenient and discreet. The clarity of the phone is good and I love the speakerphone function. The camera is decent - daytime pics come out the best! I'm loyal to Nokia's but the SKII isn't too far off par - it is quite user friendly (if you are proficient with cell phones and computers) and it keeps me busy with all the customizations (ring tones, general functionality, downloadable programs). And how can you resist a phone with a full QWERTY keyboard?! I can type a message at normal speeds and I don't have to press a number a zillion times to get the right letter nor do I have to deal with the auto-text that ends up inserting the wrong word.
However, T-Mobile service could be a little better... Granted, I do get more coverage and signal strength than Nextel (and T-Mobile does piggy-back off of the `new and improved' Cingular), sometimes my calls go directly to voicemail even though I have full bars (I'm in the SF Bay Area but travel to N. and S. Cali often). As for Customer Service, I was able to port my number sucessfully and I haven't had a problem so far with incoherent or rude representatives, but I do find that they are not very knowledgeable. If you have any questions about how to use your SKII or etc, I highly suggest you do a search on www.hiptop.com first. I get all my questions answered here. (i.e. The SKII doesn't support Java so if you were to check YahooMail on your SKII then you won't be able to reply to messages. This really bugged me because I bought the SKII thinking that I could respond to emails in my Yahoo account. So, I called TMO's CS and all they said was that the SKII didn't support Java and there was nothing I could do about it. What they didn't tell me is that Yahoo has a non-Java based website for mobile customers which does allow you to check and respond to Yahoo emails - perfect.)
Overall, I don't think I could ever go back to a regular ol' cell phone. I love being able to Google something or check the Yellow Pages (no more $$$ charges for 411!) without having to be at home or even wait to boot up my computer. And for the ultimate computer whiz... the SKII supports SSH and Telnet.
77 Amazing how addictive this little thing is...
I can't begin to tell you how intuitive this little machine is. If you're the type of person who loves little shortcuts to do things (ctrl-c, ctrl-p, etc.), you'll be amazed by this little device. It shows that a lot of work has been done on the operating system. It does pretty much everything you'd want it to and more. Pics are easy to take (need lots of light though, flash is almost worthless) and you can upload your pics to a moblog (free one at hiptop.com). It's so addictive to have wireless internet and e-mail right at your fingertips. Typing is easy and the games are pretty cool if you like puzzles.
Couple of probs. First, I have yet to be able to sync this thing with T-Mobile's website. It was one of the reasons I bought it but I am not missing it just yet. I wish you could download your own ringtones and stuff to the machine but I suppose that would compromise the OS (and T-Mobile wouldn't get their cash), so I'm ok with that.
One thing I'd check into is T-Mobile service in your area. I've seen many horror tales on the Net. I personally have had T-Mobile in the Chicago area and love it! It's definitely the cheapest and I have had very few dropped calls and service is usually available in most areas I seem to visit.
78 The one device to bind them all--my Precious...
This is an incredible piece of machinery. The world is literally at your fingertips as all the information on the internet is sitting there waiting for you to access it. The SK 2 is so intuitive that you will only need to read the brochure to set up your email account. The device is well-made. I have had mine for 3 weeks and there is no paint chipping or keypad damage. The keypad is sealed so no dirt can get into it, which is a huge plus. As for the issue with some keys or key functions not lighting up, this is because the keypad cutouts are too opaque on those keys, not because the backlight doesn't work. It is definitely a design flaw, but it is not a big deal to me.
Reception is very good here in the Houston area, and the internet browser works very well. The speed is the same or slightly faster than a typical dial up. I get virtually every website I generally access in a scaled down version that is a pleasure to view. Java sites are not accessible, and this is definitely a flaw that I hope will be addressed, especially since the SK2 is itself built on a Java platform (most sites like ebay, amazon, google, etc. are NOT Java anyway) . Gmail is a Java site, but I just have the mail forwarded to my Pop3 account so it is automatically pushed to the device. Email is amazingly fast and reliable. I have had no problem getting all the emails sent to me. Attachments in email are embedded in the email itself and any hyperlinks are listed and hot at the end of the email. You can add up to 3 pop 3 accounts. SMS is also an option and works great as well.
I use Intellisync, available on the desktop of T-Mobile's website, to sync my Outlook addresses and calendar. For a one time 9.99 fee, it is a must have. It's all done wirelessly through an interface on your computer so there's no need for a USB cable and it's really easy to set up.
Next is the camera. It could be better. It has a flash, but inside pictures in average lighting come out grainy and dark. It's okay and useable, but if the camera had been a higher resolution, this would have been a 5 star device.
Finally is T-mobile service. I have called customer service on several occasions and have been a T-mobile customer for several years. I always get through and most times have very little wait. The regular techs do not have much knowledge about the SK2 so ask to be transferred to the division that handles them specifically if you have a technical problem.
The SK2 has proven to be so useful to me. As a true gadget freak, when I say it is my most treasured device, that means A LOT!!!
Update: I have now had this over 2 months, and I still think it is THE best device around. I have had no problems with T-Mobile or the service, but check out the February '05 issue of Mobile PC for coverage maps of all the major cell phone carriers and see if it's right for you. The web service is incredible. You can access
almost any site, and though it can be slow at times, speed is generally very reasonable. The device itself is holding up very well and has no paint or keypad rub off, and I use it ALL THE TIME!!!
79 Porting old number
Has anyone bought a sidekick and new activation through amazon and was able to port thier old cell phone number to t-mobile?
80 Amazing !!!
Hello,
I am blessed and cursed with ADD. This machine allows a minimum of space to pack a maximum utility. I own an insurance agency, I can take a pict of damage to a car or a house, e mail it to claims on the spot! Even surf the web (although slowly 14.4kps?) in Office Depot to compare prices on what I'm buying. I sync with Outlook and viola, my schedule, e mail contacts and phone numbers are all there. Amazingly compact and functional. I have had mine for 3 weeks and it has replaced my cell phone and PDA. Now if only I could remeber where I left it <BG>
God Bless you and yours!!!!
Jesus is still waiting for ya! He Is.
81 Poor recption and poor tech support
Love everything except... my reception is poor. People that I am talking to say they hear an echo when they talk. I am waiting for my third replacement. The tech support are people in India with a heavy accent and a bad attitute. They are not allowed to tell you that they are in India. They will say they are in North America.
Ernie O
82 significant design issue hamper usability
As a sidekick use since it hit the market 2 years ago, I've much anticipated this upgrade. While you would find many positive coverage in other reviews and marketing materials, I want to focus on some detail design issue I find causing significant usability issue.
First of all is the keyboard. The large and comfortable keyboard is sidekick I's key differentiator, and envy for other PDA and smart phone users. Unfortunately some design issue has dampen' its advantage. Check out the closeup picture in Amazon to visualize it. While the device has enlongated from 11.5 to 12.8cm, the keyboard has narrowed from 7.9 to 7.3cm. It is also slightly off centered to the right (measured btw the midpoint of the g and h key.) Yet the biggest problem is that it is sunken from the surface for about 7mm. Although this give the device a slimmer profile, typing is more difficult. It is especially hard to reach keys near the side (imagine reaching the bottom of a pan near the rim). So which keys suffer? The Return key! What's more, the key is moved down one row to the hardest to reach lower right hand corner (where most other keyboards place a shift key.) Pushing return now cause much strain to the right thumb. In place of the usual return key location is the delete key, which I have accidentially pushed many times. I am also not pleased to find the space bar narrowed from 2.7 to 1.9cm.
The original sidekick have most keys flush on the surface and typing was totally natural. It was a pity that a slightly modified design would cause much reduced usability.
The second issue is the scroll wheel and navigation. The new scroll wheel is a tiny roll make of hard plastic. The traction of the wheel is fair. However you have to be careful not to apply too much pressure to avoid pressing one of the three button by mistake. Sidekick I's scroll wheel is problem free in comparsion. The direction pad is move to the left hand side of the unit instead of inside. While it is more accessible you have to use your it with your left thumb instead of right thumb. If you want to combine with the shift- or alt- you have to use those on the right side (a thankful addition to sidekick II). This is different from sidekick I and most other keyboard where all navigation keys are placed on the right. Also the scroll wheel is still on the right, so you might need to use both thumb. I don't know if it is only a matter of learning and getting used to. So far it feels rather unnatural.
Sidekick II is no doubt an improvement in many ways. Unfortunately some seemingly design detail has hamper its usability. The sunken keyboard and the Return key remain the most significant issue.
(Review entered using Sidekick II)
83 Overall a good device!
pro's
1. An easy device to use
2. AIM
3. real POP email
4. decent games (though it only comes with one preinstalled)
5. switchblade screen is very cool but will it be durable down the road?
con's
1. Still No Bluetooth!
2. Not a good "phone device" because of the size (it's huge) and shape (kinda awkward)
3. Inconsistant data conectivity speeds (not really noticable except with web browsing)
4. Still no java compatibility!
5. cammera is really poor quality (my Motorola v600 has a much better cammera)
84 Disappointing to Instant Messenger Lovers
The T-Mobile Sidekick II is a great device; however since I have gotten the device it has had problems connecting to the popular Yahoo! IM service and really has reduced in purpose to nothing more than a giant paper weight.
The Yahoo! Messenger service is somewhat frustrating in nature. When you try to connect to the service, even when your user name and password is correct, the Yahoo! program complains that the "User name and password you have used is invalid."
I have to give it up to T-Mobile though. They do have a wonderful customer service team available 24/7. I called them up and asked them exactly what is going on. They told me that they are having a problem with the Yahoo! Program (No duh) and they have no ETA when it will be fixed. That was eight days ago and the program still doesn't work.
If you are one of those users that are up late at night (12 midnight to 3AM-ish Pacific Time), be prepared to lose service on some nights with this device. T-Mobile has to do maintenance on their server which cuts off the entire network to this device during this time. You can still place calls, but all data features will be unavailable.
On the plus side to the sidekick, it does have a web browser that actually displays the entire web page of any web page. It is a real neat device that is about the same as a PDA. Games are wonderful along with the ring tones.
If you are one of those mass Instant Messenger junkies (like me) that need to be in touch with your buddylist 24/7...don't depend on T-Mobile. You are better off leaving your computer on overnight with the away message up. At least this way you will get your messages.
All others looking for data services, look around for a PDA that uses a different service other than T-Mobile. Come to T-Mobile as a last resort.
85 Did you know?
Sidekick is breakable, so be careful when you carry it. Average 3 to 5 break per user.
The sync by connect USB to computer, T-Mobile will charge you $30 for one-time unlock that allow you sync to MS Outlook. No Mac available.
The built-in camera is great, but you will pay 25¢ each time you send the higher resolution picture via e-mail.
Bright side, it's $30 per month for unlimited DATA plan. That's all I can said.
86 Greatest All in one phone I've ever used.
If you are a power user, this phone is for you. It has all the functions of a cell phone and the ability to access the internet, and email accounts. Having a keyboard is a great feature. It used to take me over a minute to write a simple text message to my friends, but now only a few seconds. It is relatively big when compared to most phones out there but thats because of the ergonomic keyboard and screen size. If your the type of person thats always on the go and use various communication tools such as email and text messaging, then buy this phone!
87 Sidekick Squared
Because I moderate and manage several email lists, having instant access to email is very important to me. I looked at two other devices before purchasing a Sidekick and despite a few minor problems, have been completely happy.
September 2004 I upgraded my black and white Sidekick to a shiny new Sidekick II. The network connection is much better than the black and white model as is the phone connection.
The Sidekick II is a multi-featured wireless device with promises of even more applications. It comes with an IM client (AOL Instant messenger) and you can download Yahoo Messenger.
The email application is very usable and is what I use most. The newly activated Sidekick II's have 6MB of Email storage. Attachments that can be accessed on the device include, MS Word documents, PDF documents, many image file types as well as some audio file types. A user can set up 3 pop email accounts to be accessed by the Sidekick (in addition to the one that comes with activation).
The Sidekick II has an easier to use telephone. Since the device is slightly longer and slimmer than its predecessor, it is not as awkward to use. My one complaint is the fact that when I use the telephone the screen leans on my face. The phone quality seems better than the previous version, but is probably not as good as it could be. I don't use the telephone as much as I use the data.
The device also has an integrated Calendar, task list and notes that can be synched with MS Outlook ($10) download from T-Mobile's desktop interface. This Intellisync is easy to use and a great improvement.
The device has a few games included, plus the option to download more for a small fee.
Finally, the device has an integrated digital camera which, while not nearly as good as a real digital camera, takes decent shots for posting on the Internet or sending to friends and family via email.
I highly recommend this product. Don't be fooled by the marketing, I am well over the targeted age group and while I may not fit in to the online forums, this product is exactly what I need.
Edited to add: I forgot to mention that this device also comes with a pretty good web browser. While it cannot access many web formats, it can translate basic html and images to the screen. Never tried to navigate Amazon with my Sidekick. One problem with web sites and the Sidekick is the device's inability to handle JavaScript.
88 Great device for the price!
First of all, I'm writing this review from my two day old Sidekick II and the keyboard is very easy to use. I was a little nervous about the keyboard because I've got big hands but so far I can type quickly and with ease. I was able to port my number from ATT with no problem. I have also set up my voice mail, e-mail, taken a few pictures and obviously surfed the web. The camera is clearly the weakest link like other reviewers have said. The pictures are low resolution and the light conditions need to be just right. The e-mail is wonderful. I also set up another POP3 account to check. The web browser works well but can be slow. There are way too many cool features to list here. Overall, this phone is amazing and with the current rebates it's almost a no brainer...BUY THIS PHONE!
89 Good device, but T-Mobile coverage is lacking
I purchased a Sidekick II in mid-October 2004 when porting my number over from another carrier. The big appeal with this device, for me anyway, was the ability to maintain my data on a centralized server (provided by T-Mobile / Danger). This eliminates having to keep more than one copy of data across multiple computers (e.g. the home desktop and work laptop). Additionally, it is possible to access the "Desktop Interface" from any internet connected computer. Changes to contacts, to-do's, calendar events, etc. are immediately updated on the Sidekick II. No sync'ing with a desktop PIM! And the "Desktop Interface" is a decent replacement for your typical desktop PIM, thereby solving two problems at once (multiple copies of data and syncing with third party software).
The graphical interface is easy to use and intuitive. Included applications fulfilled my requirements easily. Battery life was very good. Holding the device to your head takes some time to get used to though (it is a bit large compared to most cell phones, but about the same as other PDA/phones on the market).
But the wonderful experience sort of stops there when using the device in my home coverage area, the San Francisco / Bay Area. I used the device in the South Bay, East Bay, and Peninsula for 1.5 weeks and found signal strength non-existent in many locations where I could use a device from another carrier. Customer service is more than happy to tell you where coverage is or is not but, unfortunately, the effective signal strength is roughly half of what they report in my area with many dead zones.
In or near buildings the T-Mobile signal strength would quickly drop to 1 bar or 0 bars if not already at that low level. The GPRS connection would sometimes be maintained under these conditions but all incoming calls would roll to voice mail.
My experience of this device can be summed up as: It is a great device with many features their (Danger's) competition charges more for. Surfing the web, taping out e-mail or SMS messages, and making calls are easily accomplished on the device. Centralizing your data in one location alone is worth the initial investment. The caveat being that if the cellular provider has poor signal, the Sidekick II basically becomes a paper weight. I would strongly suggest you check with others who have T-Mobile in your area before buying this device. If they have good signal, chances are you will too. I recommend the Sidekick II, but not T-Mobile in the San Francisco Bay Area.
90 I LOVE this Phone (LOVE LOVE LOVE)
Yes, I would marry it so don't ask.
Anyway, the phone is not that BIG. I don't know why some people think it's an inconvenient size to hold up to your ear. It's comfortable and the volume is so loud and clear, much better than my V400 or any other phone I had prior. My internet access is faster than some dial-ups and with a calender, notepad and e-mail, it's a great organizer. Also, when I'm out but want to chat, I can do that with AIM or download the Yahoo Messenger.
Oooo, what else? Pictures? I can take pictures! Granted, I had to return the phone because the camera stopped working a day after I got it but TMO was really fast at sending me a new one. And now... I got great pictures. And... all the info that I download prior (ringtones, applications, pictures, email, notes, events, etc.) uploaded onto my new phone almost immediately after I inserted my sim card. Wonderful.
FYI, folks, this is not a toy for the rookies. If you can't figure out a Nokia 3390, do not get this phone!
91 Just got it, but love it!!!
I just got the new SK2 and am in love! I can check email, browse the net, and synch it through the web where its all backed up! I haven'tried the ssh client, but I will and see how connecting remotely to my linux boxes works! If your considering a cell/pda combo, give it a try! the prices couldn't be better on Amazon and if you don't like it, exchange it! The screen and keyboard are such a delite to use.
Eric
92 its great
its great its multi-use gadget, ideal for people of need there buddylist next to them all the time. features are incredible.
93 This is a short version of a column I did about Sidekick II
I spend a lot of my time driving on country roads. My constant companion is my personal data assistant, the Sidekick II.
For an initial investment of $199, my Sidekick II PDA allows me to get my email, browse on the internet, and keep track of my contacts. It even has an integrated camera and cell phone.
Although my Sidekick II is always with me, when I drive down country roads it is not likely to connect. It works best in larger cities with strong economies. It does not work well in many small towns.
My Sidekick's ability to connect is a great indicator of how the economy of the nation is divided. The large cities and better heeled communities have good wireless access, the poorer counties do not.
The Sidekick is the most important business tool I own. It allows me to receive and respond to emails all day. I use it to keep up with breaking news and search for information on the internet. I can return phone calls. I can do anything I need to do in an office. It completely changed how I do business.
Many of my friends have the Blackberry, which is more expensive and does not have as many features as a Sidekick II. They also agree that the wireless connection changed their business.
I've never met a Sidekick owner who gave one up voluntarily. Personal data assistants are more addictive than crack cocaine. Once you have one, it changes your world.
I know what a high quality wireless connection has done for my business and what it could do in other industries. Shop keepers and craftspeople can sell their wares anywhere in the world. You can contact the best specialist in a medical or business field and get the exact answer you want. Expertise can always be available.
Even if your expert is driving home on a country road.
Don McNay is President of McNay Settlement Group in Richmond where we want people to connect with us. He is a member of the National Society of Newspaper Columnists. You can email him at don@mcnay.com or read other things he has written at www.donmcnay.com
94 Sidekick II Slimmer Form Factor Fabulous Phone
The folks at Danger applied lessons learned from their original designs and applied it in improving the SK II greatly over the SK I. Major pluses are much better radio sensitivity resulting in a phone and data experience that is best of class. 20% slimmer. Now possible to carry in pocket. Integrated camera with one click picture sending via email. Speaker phone. Controls are all on the outside of the device. No longer need to flip the screen for any functions other than typing on the wonderful, roomy, qwerty keyboard. IM experience second to none. Now support Yahoo as well as AOL. Calendar and Contact synchronization available for a one time charge of $9.95. Perhaps the best thing about the SK II is the effortless, intuitive interface to the various applications on the device. You don't need to have a Computer Science degree to unlock the power of this device. The interface is elegantly simple like Google, Tivo and the Ipod. Rock on.
95 How did I live without this?
Okay, so if you're going to carry a phone that's bigger than a candy bar, why not be able to type on it? All the other phones I've seen out there like the Treo, are great if all you want to type is "yes" or "no", but I could never write a full email with one of those things. The keys are way too small and way too close to the edge of the device. With my SideKick, I can write long emails and carry on long IM conversations with no problems. People can't even tell I'm away from my desk. The keyboard is by far the best feature, but the applications are great too: Just start typing a name to look them up in the phone. Hold a number key for a couple of seconds to start speed dialing someone I call all the time. I get all my email on the device, work and personal (and yes, I can see the attachments that people send me). In Outlook, I have to open pictures to see them, the Sidekick shows them IN the email. The web browser has already helped me end about 1000 arguments by surfing to imdb or dictionary.com. I can browse Amazon when I'm at the store to find out the right price BEFORE I buy something. This is one of those devices that you wonder how you ever lived without!!!
