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T-Mobile Sidekick Reviewed
First up, lets talk about the form factor. This unit is much more comparable in size to my Nokia 5560 than a Palm 5 or Clie. About the same length,a little thicker, and maybe half again the width. You'll find it a little thicker than a Palm 5, but also a bit narrower. What really makes the unit stand out is that its screen does this sweet little flip thing to reveal a thumb keyboard that is actually usable.
The interface is usually a little wheel (which can be clicked as a button as well), a 'Back' button, a jump button, and a menu button. When the screen is flipped out, you have a keyboard as well. The interface largely revolves around a sort of spinning menu which quickly rotates to select your application (Calandering, Photos, Phone Calls, etc). It's surprisingly usable, but I did notice a few glitches- for example when trying to mail a picture, I couldn't return and send the picture... I ended up having to actually go to the pictures, and choose mail picture instead of writing an email and attaching it there.
I might as well mention it: the little $30 camera attachment is just a novelty. Its postage stamp sized pictures are amusing, but practically worthless. Thats probably fine with just 16 megs of memory on board anyway- you wouldn't have room to store a nice 1024x768 image anyway... I think it was more proof-of-concept in this model. And the concept works, so with any luck, a year or 2 will give us a HipTop with more memory and higher res.
The screen itself warrants mention. First off, it is a 16 scale of grey, backlit job that really looks quite stunning. Without going to a color screen, this is quite simply the nicest looking screen I've seen on a handheld.
I found the cel phone functionality to be quite usable. Rings have custom tones, and the sound is that multichannel stuff that sounds really silly thats all the rage with the kids these days. You can use an external ear thingee, or use it in the standard carcinogen position. Reception was fine, but may vary for you depending on how good the GSM network is in your area.
The web browser was also surprisingly functional. Typing in URLs on the built in keyboard is quite quick. Far faster than any graffiti handwriting recognition crap. It rendered the pages I looked at without trouble, although big graphics are quite slow, and requires some scrolling. Slashdot in light mode worked fine.
The PDA functionality is good. Contacts are interconnected with the cell phone functionality. You can use the calandering and TODO tools to keep track of schedules.
The unit also supports POP mail servers. This worked without hitch and was quite nifty. IMAP support would be nicer, but I suspect that it would be horribly slow over the phone's internet connection. There also is IM functionality, but no IRC.
There are a few nifty little games you can play as well. The form factor of the device is fairly similiar to a Gameboy Advanced, and when held in that position, makes a reasonable gaming platform.
Danger says that the phone can auto update itself as new features and bug fixes become available, so hopefully new and exciting features will roll out pleasing users with improved user interface.
Battery life is claimed to be 8 hours in use. I never managed to drain it, although I left it on quite a bit. But its still enough to easily make it through a day or 2 depending on your usage.
The thing to remember is that this thing costs just $200. FOr that you get a fully functional PDA, and Cell phone. You get a good keyboard, a web browser, and a remarkably bright screen. It's a little larger than a cell phone, a little smaller than a PDA. All in all, this is a great combination and one thats easy to recommend, especially at this price. If you have GSM network support in your area, this warrants a serious look. If the next generation adds a color screen, IRC, IMAP support, and maybe shrunk things just a little bit, I think this could truly have the integrated cellphone/pda I've been waiting for. Now if it just had 20 gigs of memory, we'd be all set. Course my fingers aren't crossed.
My handspring treo kicks ass. Best form factor out there, palmOS, color. Choice of tmobile, cingular, or sprintpcs as carrier.
I highly recommend it for anybody looking to consolidate pda and cell phone.
might as well mention it: the little $30 camera attachment is just a novelty. Its postage stamp sized pictures are amusing, but practically worthless
From what I read, you can use the camera to take pictures of your friends and families and then associate that picture to caller id. After setting it up, when you receive a call, it will show the person's face.
Albeit, 30 bucks seems a little much for crappy pictures and you probably can just import your own picture.
One thing I really do like about the sidekick is the service plan which is flat rate, unlimited usage. The treo plans are all pay per meg.
Live web cams
"their excellent little HoTop PDA/Cellphone"...Hmm...."HoTop"? I think I want one of these after all. Do I have to go to a seedy part of town to pick one up?
My solution is currently an iPAQ H3970 talking to a Nokia 6310i via bluetooth. I can leave the phone in my backpack and send and receive e-mail, SMS, surf the web, even connect to IRC on my iPAQ. Pretty sweet.
My main use for "internet anywhere" would be ssh. I am on call 1 week out of 6, and if there's a problem, I need to log into the server(s) affected and fix it.
Plus, with a remote term, you can basically do anything a unix box can do.
Anybody know if it can do ssh?
For $200, I'd definitly pick one up if it can.
First of all Circuit City has a $100 rebate on it atm, but something to note:
After 1 year, the 'unlimited internet' becomes something like $30 for 15MB a month. Good luck breaking your browsing habits after a year.
Good quote, too many chars. Seriously, the slashdot 120 char limit sucks!
Uh.. it's the same gadget, but this is actually Rob (CmdrTaco) reviewing it not a link to someone else's review of the unit. That's why it's listed as a "Feature" rather than a normal news article (which typically has a link that is being referenced).
I love the look and user interface.
Beware, though. It acts like a PDA, but it's missing a vital piece of functionality. There's no way to share information with other devices. Sidekick gives you a calendar all right, but you can't sync it with your desktop. Ditto for the ToDo and Address Book.
I'm waiting till it plays nice with other hardware before I plunk down my money.
The unit also supports POP mail servers. This worked without hitch and was quite nifty. IMAP support would be nicer, but I suspect that it would be horribly slow over the phone's internet connection.
What?!?! Are you on crack?
IMAP is the perfect protocol for email over wireless internet connections. If you think it's horribly slow, you've been using Outlook Express's piss-poor implementation too long.
The huge advantage IMAP brings you is you only have to get the headers of the email. If you want to get the message, you can get the message, otherwise you save it for later. Also, your email sits on the ISP instead of in your phone/PDA/whatever with its limited storage space. It's also possible, IIRC, to download message bodies to read but not download attached files until later. Finally, with IMAP you can read your email on your desktop at home, then refer to it later on your (other device).
If I can't use IMAP, I'd rather use Webmail than POP. Blech.
Hey kids, there's only 5 days left 'til Yak Shaving Day!
I believe that the flat rate for unlimited megabytes turns back into a flat rate for 15 megabytes/month then 3.50 dollars for 1 additional megabyte after 1 year.
;-)
Somebody mentioned this in the LAST article about Danger. Not that you bothered to read it.
Hidden somewhere in the EULA I would suspect
-S
We Apprentice Developers and Designers
How come Sprint takes so long for cool phones that support their technology to come out?
I know they do eventually, but it sucks to be the last in line for *drool* phones. All of their new ones, I find pretty useless. Great - I can take a picture with a Sprint phone, but can ONLY send it to another Sprint user with one of the newest phones.
Bleh!
here's that link for the lazy.
repeats are a serious problem here, and would have to be hammered out before a user can be expected to pay a subscription. this could be Slashdot's downfall.
It's cute but without features like Sync, it's just a novelty. And I don't really find tiny keyboards any more practical than phone keypads. The kids will love it.
I'm dreaming of the Kyocera Smartphone 7135. Full color screen, Palm OS, expansion slot, 3G, and it's barely larger than my Startac. NICE!
It's Slashdot's evil twin... SlashNOT
Rings have custom tones, and the sound is that multichannel stuff that sounds really silly thats all the rage with the kids these days.
;-)
Umm... does it come with all 5 speakers and the subwoofer?
Unlimited nights/weekends and free long distance if I call from anywhere within a 4 state "Home" area. Yea, their coverage might be spotty (whose isn't?), and I've had a couple of billing issues over the 3 years I've been with em... but this plan speaks for itself.
Compared with the best plans offered by Sprint PCS (250 anytime minutes?!? hahahaahaa), Verizon, AT&T Mobile and Cingular (what is there new thing? oh, your minutes rollover!?! hahahahaa) -- my current run with T-Mobile will last for a few months more.
Anyone else with a plan I should know about?
Because Sprint didn't want to use GSM like all the other kids on the playground, they had to be different and go with CDMA.
Oh, and the ghost of my English lit teacher asked me to point out that it's "Water, water, everywhere, nor any drop to drink."
Hey kids, there's only 5 days left 'til Yak Shaving Day!
"...Slashdot in light mode worked fine"
That's it - I'm getting one!
To my knowledge, all internet transactions, including SSL, are proxied, cached, and even rewritten through T-Mobile's servers. Sort of an institutionalized man-in-the-middle attack. Even if SSH were possible, I wouldn't use it under those conditions. But I think you're limited to the protocols they explicitly support.
* And remember, it's spelled N-e-t-s-c-a-p-e, but it's pronounced "Mozilla."
I dont' think repeats are a serious downfall. If you have already read about it.. SKIP IT. I am getting a little tired of _every_ single new wireless device getting covered on the front page however. Is this really burning news that every geek must know. Most of the people who read this site already have 1year contracts they are locked into anyway. If I want to shop for wireless phones I would go to amazon.com. sheez.
If T-Mobile wants their built-in web browser to be useful, they're going to have to provide some way for web developers to test out their pages on the devices. A few emulators for non-computer browsers exist (WebTV springs to mind), but not nearly enough.
T-Mobile (and Handspring, and Palm, and Nokia, and...) need to get cracking. And developers need to start taking CSS-driven design (with separate stylesheets for SCREEN, PDA, PRINTER, TV etc.) seriously.
// I will show you fear in a handful of jellybeans.
There are some GSM networks in the US but they are using other frequencies.(T-Mobil is operating one) GSM networks outside of the US are using frequencies at around 900 Mhz and around 1800 Mhz. US GSM networks are using 1900 Mhz.
You need a so called TriBand GSM phone to be able to use it in USA and in Europe. Most european phones are DualBand phones that support only 900 and 1800 Mhz. You also may need to select 1900 Mhz in the setup of your phone.
Jan
Currently, T-Mobile has misfired on this as anything more than a replacement Blackberry. Their website by all accounts doesn't allow the syncing of the calendar and address data, though this will likely be fixed.
Only on plan exists, $39 for unlimited data and 200 anytime voice minutes. I really want to keep my current voice package that I have with T-Mobile since my phone is my business phone, but I really don't want to be adding another device. I want to eliminate them. The Sidekick could be my phone, my pda and a net device, but it's currently only one of those thanks to the single plan. I'd gleefully pay the full $39 to just add the Sidekick to my current plan, but that's not an option yet.
Those of you who can live with the limitations. Enjoy. I'm waiting until T-Mobile gets it together.
After reading some more of the fine print, I also noticed that the camera attachment is free.
Live web cams
This may be OT, but what good is a cool cellular device if you can't use it most places? T-mobile's coverage is pathetic. If you look at their coverage map, you'll see a broken spider web of purple blotches across the US. Their website doesn't make it very clear that their service offers *no* coverage outside these splotches. If I go out of town w/a T-Mobile phone or neato Sidekick, its highly likely that I won't be able to call for help or SSH into my box in an emergency :(
Still, even 15MB/month isn't bad given the data volume you're likely to transmit on this thing. Most likely email with occasional Googling and quick /. refreshers. Many news sites nowadays have a light mode, so you should be able to stay well within the 15MB.
The Kyocera 6035 is PalmOS-based (i.e. you can run PalmOS apps on it, not just whatever Danger has preinstalled for you. This includes Liberty, AvantGo, any of the hundreds of PQAs out there).
The 6035 has been out for well over a year. In fact, it's being phased out in favor of the next-generation 7135, due out in 1-2 months. In the meantime, you can get 6035s *FREE* with a Sprint service activation from OfficeMax. (While I don't like Sprint, at least they're better than T-Mobile - The US GSM footprint is horrendous.)
The 6035's phone/PDA integration is excellent. (Unlike its predecessor the pdQ, which apparently sucked.)
So why the excitement over a device that costs more and does less than the 6035?
No, I don't work for Kyocera or Verizon. Yes, I have a 6035 and LOVE it. Check out http://www.smartphonesource.com/ for more info.
retrorocket.o not found, launch anyway?
Verizon and AT&T. Both have excellent coverage.
Sprint's coverage is pretty skimpy, but even they are far ahead of T-Mobile (formerly Voicestream)
Good luck when you leave the highway.
retrorocket.o not found, launch anyway?
I bought one of these gadgets the day they came out. I'm here to tell you that it is truly a marvel. After your phone is activated, it displays a setup screen that allows you to create a tmobile username and acount. This has several wonderful advantages. You get an easy to remember email address (username@tmail.com) instead of using the phone number for mail (777-777-7777@tmmobile.com). tmobile.com has a webpage that they call the "desktop interface". this page gives you access to your email, address book, calendar, to do list, notes, and camera applications. This makes it very easy to make a large number of changes on your device (while using a full size keyboard).
I purchased the device thinking that i'd use it mostly for web browsing. I couldn't have been more wrong. The browser is well designed and the interface is easy to use. However, the always on AIM application has proven to be more useful. So far I've spent 90% of my time on the device using AIM, the email client, and the text messaging(not AIM) client. That other 10% was spent using the web browser for looking up words while I was studying a little physics.
having the ability to have dictionary.com, google.com, and always on AIM in my pocket is definitely worth $200 ($39 a month).
I only have two complaints. Tmobile is only offering the device with one service plan. This plan is great for data, but 200 anytime minutes just isn't enough talk time. I decided to pay the extra $5 a month for 500 tmobile to tmobile minutes. My second complaint is the lack of a calculator. I can't believe they didn't put a calculator on this thing. get rid of one of the stupid games and add something useful. hopefully they'll add this later.
Verizon is CDMA, along with Sprint.
MCI used to have wireless service, but they appear to have disappeared. They were CDMA too.
AT&T and Cingular are TDMA although they're beginning a GSM rollout. (But it's "not there yet")
Voicestream (now T-Mobile) is the only current full-blown GSM provider in the US.
retrorocket.o not found, launch anyway?
A lot of people think the Kyo 6035 has an even better form factor - You can't dial on the Treo or use it as a phone without lifting the flip, wherease the 6035's keypad is externally accessible and there is no need to open up the phone to use the phone features. PalmOS based just like the Treos, and since it has a greyscale screen it has excellent battery life. (Many of the people on the Smartphone Source boards only put their phone on the charger once a week or so... *8 hours* of battery life for this Danger piece of crap? You have to be kidding me.)
:(
As to the data charges one of the people who replied to the parent commented on: I use Verizon's Mobile Office service, which gives me free "dialup" internet access. The only thing I pay for are my minutes, which are billed the same as voice.
For those who have a 6035 with Verizon: Ditch Mobile Web, just set up a connection with #777 as the number and qnc/qnc as the user/password. (Note: This also works if you're using a Verizon phone with a serial cable as a modem for another PDA or laptop.)
If you absolutely need a color screen, get a Treo (and deal with Sprint's bad coverage) or wait for the Kyocera 7135, due out either this month or next. The 7135 has:
16M RAM
PalmOS 4.1
SD memory slot
Built-in MP3 capability (Including MP3 ringers)
2.5G Sprint Vision/Verizon Express Network capable
Reflective color LCD screen
Unfortunately it's a StarTac-style flip phone.
retrorocket.o not found, launch anyway?
T-Mobile can't even cover all of New Jersey, the most densely populated state in the nation. If they can't cover all of NJ, I feel sorry for anyone dumb enough to subscribe to their service in the Midwest.
retrorocket.o not found, launch anyway?
I almost ordered a T-Mobile PocketPC a couple weeks ago until I figured out what bandwidth costs. They want $20/month for 10MB transfer. Ouch. The voice capability probably sucks 64KB/sec so if you look at it a certain way,
10,485,760B (10MB) = 65536B (64KB)*seconds
Seconds = 160!
So I can get 300 or so minutes per month @ $20/month but $20 only buys me 1 minute 40 seconds of data transfer. Damn they're trying to stick it to the early adopters!
Now I have to wait for 3 painfully slow days before I get it in the mail. :-(
I've heard nothing but good things about these units. My two biggest questions for the sales person were this:
1) Does it use a standard 2.5 mm jack that most other cellphones use for the headset?
2) Does it come with (or can I buy) a desktop charger?
She didn't know the answer to number 1 and the answer to number two is "not yet". It comes with a travel-type power supply. But, there was not a nice desktop stand unit available yet.
I can't WAIT to check this thing out! The price is right and the features are great! Why hasn't anyone else been able to come up with one of these before?
One thing that should be noted -- The $39.95/mo. unlimited data rate is only good for one year! After that it becomes $39.95/mo. for 15 MB of transfer and $3.50 / Mb after that.
I'm nothing if not a toy junky, and when Danger sent me at long last, a review unit of their excellent little HoTop PDA/Cellphone, now known as the T-Mobile Sidekick. I jumped at the chance to get into the thing and get my opinions out there.
Jesus...let's try this again...
I'm a self-proclaimed toy junky. So when Danger finally sent me a review unit of their excellent little HoTop PDA/Cellphone (now known as the T-Mobile Sidekick), I jumped at the chance to try it out and get my opinions published.
A little proofreading goes a long way.
There also is IM functionality, but no IRC.
Whose IM client is it compatible with? AOL?
I have a danger hiptop/sidekick. I got it because I wanted a pda with a keyboard. That could do web and email. But the big selling point for me was integrated AIM. Plus unlimited data. So far, the battery ran good for about 20 hours, which is plenty. Plus, you have to factor in new factor, where I'm playing with it everywhere, not just when I need it.
;)
Don't know what it is, but I really don't like the palms. I don't want a touch pad, or handwriting anythng. The keyboard on this thing rocks. Plus the scroll wheel does everything you need it to, and it's relatively quick at doing it.
I haven't gotten into the to do/calendar/PIM stuff yet, but I'm not sure Ill use those excessively. Although the contact manager just makes sense, and makes speed dialing really easy.
I'm giving my own +1 Wicked moderation to this cool little device.
Btw, you can see some of the pics I took with this thing on www.hiptop411.com. I'm MediumDave on there, and yes, that is my dog
Th
There are a few nifty little games you can play as well. The form factor of the device is fairly similiar to a Gameboy Advanced, and when held in that position, makes a reasonable gaming platform.
I'm assuming what was meant that when the sidekick is held as if it were a Gameboy Advance, it has a similar feel and would make a reasonable gaming platform. Is this just a comment on the ergonomics or did you actually play any games for it? Are there any games yet?
You get a good keyboard, a web browser, and a remarkably bright screen.
How well did the web browser handle web sites? Is it XHTML 1.0 compliant? Was it fast?
Isn't this supposed to be a review? Geez, getting information about this thing it's like pulling teeth!
Maybe when there's a CDMA version I'll be interested. GSM sucks, at least in North America. Not everyone lives in cities with 1,000,000+ population, you know.
I wish I had known just how bad GSM coverage is before I bought a Handspring Treo 180. It turns out I've had to keep my CDMA StarTAC (after having given away all the accessories... grrr...) to take with me whenever leaving the NYC/Long Island area. A couple of weeks ago, I went down to Ocean City, MD for a golf weekend - no GSM service, but the CDMA phone worked fine. Last weekend, I headed for upstate NY (Warwick) for dinner with the folks - no GSM service, CDMA no problem. I've used my StarTAC in all kinds of places, and only very rarely have I had a problem getting a connection.
Then again, it sure was neat to be able to use the Treo in Europe by swapping the SIM out of the company cell phone... but I don't travel to Europe often enough for that to be a reason for me to keep the Treo.
Now, there's the Treo 300 with Sprint service - but $500? Yeesh...
Downmodding is the refuge of the weak. Don't downmod, make a better argument!
The difference is between 'countable' and 'uncountable' nouns. Other examples are lettuce, cabbage, and water.
The distinction becomes real when it's time to distinguish between what I call continuously and discreetly quantified nouns. Water is one example. Mass is another. It becomes important when you want to express the less/fewer amount. I can have more lettuce and more cars, but I have to have less cabbage and fewer telephones. Less telephones is incorrect.
Grammar!
There should be a moratorium on the use of the apostrophe.
Max V.
NeXTMail/MIME Mail welcome
Data Transfer(per month) = Unlimited *
.Net account to do so. hrmmmmm makes the sidekick that much more appealing.
* - After 1st year, unlimited becomes 15MB/month, $3.50/additional MB.
if you go to http://www.t-mobile.com/ and click on the sidekick plans you can get the full explanation. i think it's a bit diff than their other plans right now..... they also throw in the novelty camera attachment (it's really tiny).
Price = $39.99
Whenever minutes(per month) = 200 minutes
Weekend minutes (per month) = 1000
from what i read somewhere they do not count data like phone calls... and AIM can always be on as well as email checker. i have Verizon wireless web now and if i want to use Yahoo! Messenger i have to go into web-mode which ties up the whole phone.... though Verizon just worked out somehting with AIM that *might* allow AIM names to contact you and you to contact them as text messages. kind of an alias portal thing or something. i have not investigated that yet because it seems i have to set up a
KMFM$
when trying to mail a picture, I couldn't return and send the picture... I ended up having to actually go to the pictures, and choose mail picture instead of writing an email and attaching it there.
All you have to do is hit the menu button while composing a message... There is an "Attach Picture" option right on the menu.
Could you explain that correction to me?
I wasn't correcting the grammar, I was correcting the quotation (hence "my English Lit teacher"). It comes from "Rime of the Ancient Mariner" by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. It was first published in 1798, and English usage has changed a bit in the meantime.
Hey kids, there's only 5 days left 'til Yak Shaving Day!
To each his own -- I swear by clamshell designs. More compact, lower SAR, better conformance to face.
The Samsung SPH-i500 (announced last week for SprintPCS) is smaller in four dimensions (including weight), does AMPS, and has an integrated 16MB Palm 4 PDA. I am going NUTS waiting for it to appear locally so I can finally get a good look at it. I was very disappointed when I finally saw the Treo -- there's no way I could have one of those big flat things on my belt all day long.
One simple rule for its versus it's
Oh god, please no.
At the risk of some blatent plugging, if you're going to read Slashdot on a PDA or offline web-browser (like AvantGo) then try AvantSlash instead.
Hopefully someone a little less biased than me will post a review in reply to this comment. In fact, any suggestions for improvement would be appreciated.
Avantslash - View Slashdot cleanly on your mobile phone.
Unfortunately Kaga, memory does not serve you right.
Sidekick is NOT a Windows CE device.
Here you go:
Q. What Operating System does the hiptop device use?
A. Danger has developed its own virtual machine operating environment. Applications written for the hiptop platform can be developed using industry standard development tools such as Metrowerks CodeWarrior-J(TM) and Microsoft Visual J++(TM), and then automatically converted to execute in Danger's lightweight and optimized environment.
More information here
Check out Gopher King. They offer a cheap, but not-free, service for checking any mail on the web and presenting it in a lite format perfect for PDAs. I have used it on a Palm VIIx and a Kyocera 6035 and it works great with both thru a PDA. Their regular site should work fine thru the HipTop's built-in browser, as it is built to be lite on the images and efficient in the HTML.
And yes, they will do POP, IMAP, AOL, etc.
Is their GSM coverage anywhere close to their former TDMA coverage?
That's what I mean by "not there yet" Their GSM footprint is probably on par with Sprint's coverage, which is NOTHING compared to AT&T's former TDMA coverage area. (And I believe Cingular's was large too, compared to Spring.)
retrorocket.o not found, launch anyway?
Even when I had an old Kyo 2035a (Small compared to the 6035), I couldn't stand to put it in my pockets because I already had too damn much in my pocket.
I have a belt clip - My phone could be twice the size and I wouldn't notice it. I also don't have to pull it out of my pocket to check caller ID.
It's not usually visible because I rarely wear shirts that tuck in, so most shirts I wear cover the phone.
retrorocket.o not found, launch anyway?
They do? If so, does anyone maintain a nice index of such sites? It would be nice if there were a standard for lightweight low-bandwidth web browsing, like if sites started putting up text.sitename.com in addition to their www.sitename.com addresses.
Unfortunately, this probably won't happen as everyone would start using those sites instead of the version with four flash banner ads and 10 little animated GIF buttons flashing and dancing...
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