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Hiptop/Sidekick Sequel Unleashed

Posted by simoniker on from the danger-will-robinson dept.

powerline22 writes "After years of waiting, the second Hiptop (or Sidekick, depending on the carrier) has been unveiled to the public. After the terrible hardware reliability of the first version, the second one, manufactured by Sharp, looks a lot better, with longer battery life, built-in camera, more buttons, better radio, new software features and more. Also, according to T-Mobile, sync is going to finally be here real soon now. There are reviews at CNet, over at PCMag, and at MSNBC." We recently covered leaked Hiptop II photos.

33 of 143 comments (clear)

  1. No Sync by GeekFu · · Score: 3, Interesting

    But still no (real) sync yet. Enough said. Get with the program, Danger.

    1. Re:No Sync by powerline22 · · Score: 3, Informative

      Dude, its not Danger's fault. Several other carriers, such as Suncom already offer it. T-Mobile's been waitin for awhile to finally do this, and have gotten quite a bit of grief for not doing it sooner. All it requires is opening some ports up on their server. there is both a Windows solution by Intellisync, and a mac solution by Mark/Space.

    2. Re:No Sync by jimmcq · · Score: 3, Informative

      But still no (real) sync yet.

      The Sidekick II will include InteliSync. See the top feature listed at http://www.danger.com/consumers_hiptop2.php.

      It will also be available for the original Sidekick around the same time.

  2. Good luck getting your data out by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    For years their synchronization solution has been vaporware. It exists, but it hasn't been released. They keep saying "any month now"...

    If you buy one of these things, start learning now how to write a screen scraper. It's the only way to get your data if your phone ever breaks.

    I'm wishing the next Treos will just get a browser as nice as the SK's. Then they will be a great solution.

  3. Bluetooth? by TheHonestTruth · · Score: 2, Insightful
    No? kthnxbye.

    Seriously, I'm still using my t68i as a BT modem with T-Mobile's unlimited GPRS and I won't switch till there is a decent BT phone/PDA combo (treo 610 pleaseohpleaseohplease, maybe the new iPaq 6315).

    The t68i's interface is dog slow though.

    -truth

    --

    I had a steady B+ in my AI class until I failed the Turing test...

    1. Re:Bluetooth? by jewps · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Over the years, SE released many firmware revisions that addresses these issues, mainly speed and reception. Even to date, the t68i has the best battery life and the best bluetooth implementation, except for the new SE's of course.
      (now i'm getting off topic)

      The hiptop2 looks great tho, finally they addressed some of the issues the original hiptop had. Mainly size imo. Some say danger should allow you to sync directly with your PC but what many don't know is that part of the hiptop's advantages is that the calendar, phonebook, and a few other things are sync'd up as soon as you login. You can managae your phone over the web via danger's server. It's really neat once you play around with one.

      One thing i like to point out is that pcmag's review said you can't connect to a vpn however there is a pretty good SSH client available for the original hiptop. With that client, you can do whatever you want. (ie: irssi for irc, icq in text mode, manage your servers, etc..) Also, t-mobile and fido (canada's hiptop provider) have special unlimited GPRS plans for the phone.

      Overall, it's a great toy and a great phone to have in your collection (if you're into that sort of thing)
      I've used almost 99% of all GSM phones over the past two years yet the hiptop remains one of my favorite phone for a few reasons (look above). Sure you can ssh with a p900, treo600 and those SPV/xda phones but those costs over 1k CDN.

      (and again, this is just my opinion) :)

  4. Sharp is exactly a touchstone of quality... by lingqi · · Score: 5, Informative

    Let's see:

    My Sharp phone (DoCoMo SH251i) died within 3 monthes of me recieving it. Exchange for new one. died again within 1 week. Exchanged new one - still kicking but the battery life has become quite questionable.

    My Sharp Electronic Dictionary: keys become non-responsive after about 6 monthes; the hinges are almost gone, and the letters SHARP has been falling off one by one, first to read SHAP, and then SHP - I think if it gets to SH in a few weeks I will write "IT" beside it.

    As a comparison my NEC phone had never had *any* problems including my stupid action of plugging it (100V device) into a 220V socket. My Seiko dictionary is holding up quite well with about double the usage recieved on the Sharp, etc.

    Just some ancidotal evidence...

    --

    My life in the land of the rising sun.

    1. Re:Sharp is exactly a touchstone of quality... by jewps · · Score: 2, Informative

      You're right about the reliability of Sharp's devices. I've had many customers taking their GX22 and 32's back to me for repair because the screens cracked after dropping it on the carpet. Did I mention the GX32 is about 1200$ Canadian? Though their 262k screens are amazingly sharp (please excuse the pun)

  5. I just don't get it.. by Powertrip · · Score: 5, Interesting
    I guess I just don't understand the target market for such a device. It's quasi-push email support isn't really corporate-ready (The inablility to directly connect to POP or IMAP servers stinks IMO, what do you do if you want to use it on another carrier down the road?).

    Besides, this thing looks HUGE to me, not exactly a svelte device to slide in your pocket or clip to your belt.
    Ok, so maybee it is a cheap Treo or Blackberry, but if you are buying a device for robust email access and PDA functionality, then the extra money spent would be well worth it, wouldn't it?

    Even as a gaming machine, the Nokia N-Gage would blow this thing away... not to mention the QD.

    Maybee i'm too old.... :)

    1. Re:I just don't get it.. by powerline22 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Who's it designed for?

      Me. I'm a kid in high school without any need to access my 'corporate email'. I can, and will IM people wherever. The biggest thing, however, is the web browsing ability. I found my way to a party at this girl's house that i didnt know the address of, only her name. so i did a whitepages search, used mobile mapquest to get there.

      Of course, on the way there, I remembered that I was at her house once fixing her dad's computer, and put her address in my cell phone. I could've scrolled to her name, clicked 'map this location' from the address book.

      The Treo 300 is a good compeditor, and has some advantages over the Sidekick, such as thousands of apps. however, it doesnt have the backend proxy which compresses and reformats webpages so its a lot faster.

      Gaming? I don't care for it. It sucks up battery life. If I want gaming, i'll get a GameBoy. More apps on a platform that was designed for gaming.

    2. Re:I just don't get it.. by BrookHarty · · Score: 2

      Wow, you really dont get it. :)

      It's a full thumbboard, has ssh support, color, 640x480 camera, supports multiple IM clients, better range, better battery life, louder ringtones, and is 25% thinner than the old hiptop. (sidekick).

      I have friends who own the older models, great network devices, and good phones. I love how the scroll wheel blinks colors on the ringtones. No scroll wheel on the new one, but it should blink colors also...

      Too bad ATTWS/Cingular doesn't have it and no unlocked models, this device kicks ass.

      BTW, Blackberry's and PDA's are much bigger than this.

    3. Re:I just don't get it.. by quixotal · · Score: 5, Interesting

      This product is huge in the deaf community. It hits the sweet spot with the price and features. My mother is deaf and she has one along with all her friends and co-workers.

      It is true that the quality on the SK has been terrible. My mother is on her third or fourth one.

  6. I want this doodad for one reason: by zaren · · Score: 2, Interesting

    to serve as a portable terminal. (I seem to recall this as a feature in the original model, but I can't find that listed on their site - and I'm on dialup, so I'm not scrounging through their flash hoohah to find it.) If I had something that small that would let me check my email or hop on irc anywhere, anytime, I'd be a happy geek :)

    --
    Come to the University of Mars! Classes starting soon!
    1. Re:I want this doodad for one reason: by powerline22 · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I use the terminal on my Sidekick. It rules so far, but there is a gotcha. If you type anything in, it takes about 3-5 seconds to echo. You can type things into a box and have it send all at once, but its a bit of a hassle. still really cool and ultra-useful if you're a sysadmin. restarting a server remotely in the middle of a movie is ultra-cool

  7. Side Kick? by Timesprout · · Score: 2, Funny

    Looking at the size of the thing I'm thinking sidekick means you need a bring a buddy everwhere to lug it around for you.

    --
    Do not try to read the dupe, thats impossible. Instead, only try to realize the truth
    What truth?
    There is no dupe
  8. Too Connected? by Jaden42 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Is there such a thing as too connected? This is just a personal opinion of course, but sometimes I wonder if we are driving ourselves out of our own privacy and personal sanity by making ourselves always available all the time, no matter where we are. If I require a device which always tells me where I am supposed to be when, what kind of life am I leading?

    I work for a company which produces software used by hospitals, and I am required to be available 24x7x365 in case something goes wrong. They pay me well for what I do and I enjoy the work, but I've spent the last 3 years in the "most connected" job of my life and sometimes I feel like I can't escape.

    What ever happen to returning a phone call or an email the next day?

    1. Re:Too Connected? by FunWithHeadlines · · Score: 4, Interesting
      Absolutely true. I once had a programming job for a company running a 24x7 operation with offices around the world. Believe me, I got sick of getting midnight phone calls from Singapore because something had gone wrong with the app and users were clamoring for access. Once I left that job, I have never again had that level of forced connectiveness, and brother, you have no idea how relieved I have been ever since.

      There are, of course, people who need to be on-call at all times, and I don't argue that point. But I see far too many middle managers tethered to their email 24 hours a day. Sorry PHB, but if you cannot do your job during normal working hours, you are not working efficiently. And yes, I say this as someone who leaves his cell phone back in the office when I go out for lunch, who doesn't even bother bringing it to the movie theater, who doesn't check work email from home in most cases. Guess what? I get my work done just fine, and am plenty responsive when I need to be. I'm not in a 24x7 operation, and nobody's life depends on me, so it's cool.

      Either manage your time or your time will manage you.

    2. Re:Too Connected? by geekoid · · Score: 2, Interesting

      "Sorry PHB, but if you cannot do your job during normal working hours, you are not working efficiently"

      That is a little niave. You can be working perfectly efficient, but then some decide the your 'only' working 8 hours a day! the nerve. So they give you more work, Now your working 10 hours, then 12.
      If they work with a work a holic, then there boss expects them to be one as well.
      Now, PHBs do a lot of stupid things, but sometimes our schedule is controlled by others.

      "I get my work done just fine..." that great, and so do a million other hamburger flippers...
      Just a guess, since you don't mention what you do.

      I do agree with you, but more often then you think, middle managers are worked to hard becasue there boss is not effecient.

      --
      The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
  9. Sidekick 2 .. no software, so what's the big deal? by martinbogo · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The sidekick, mark 1, suffers from having a fantastic java based architecture.. and -zip- all for software.

    In fact, at first all the ringtones you could want were free. A few months later, the SAME ringtones cost anywhere from $.99-->1.99!

    One of the most useful applications, an ssh client/terminal was also free.. and now costs $4.99.

    The carriers are afraid to deploy software, especially T-Mobile. Software updates are few and far between.

    Things I would have liked to have seen on the sidekick2? Oh, simple things like an SD memory slot, on-device synchronization of contact information, bluetooth (it's funky to hold and have a conversation with)... oh .. and if not a touch screen at -least- a less awkward way to dial numbers.

    Oh well. Danger has yet another cute device, but if all we get is a digital camera out of it? what's the point.

    Nice going, Danger. Try again. Maybe the design team will do ACTUAL MARKET RESEARCH next time, and get it right when the sidekick gets cubed.

    As for now, the existing device should probably be crushed .. and cubed.

    -feh-

    --
    "Don't worry about the problems you have in mathematics, I assure you mine are much greater." - Einstein c.1919
  10. Danger creepy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Danger seems like a very creepy company. They immediately snapped up the first viable online discussion forum devoted to the Sidekick, and have controlled it almost from day one. They apparently control many of the other Sidekick related sites and photo blogs by giving free stuff to the compliant site owners and nothing to the naughty ones. I've heard about ops in #hiptop even bragging about getting stuff from Danger. Basically legal bribes, if you ask me. If you watch their behavior it seems to be what you would expect from a company where lawyers make most of the decisions. Any company that would build a platform where an upgrade means free applications are removed from the device, has a very disturbing set of ethics. I could go on but it's not worth that much time. Danger creeps me out.

  11. OK, let's see... by absurdist · · Score: 5, Insightful

    No Bluetooth.

    No sync.

    No world standard GSM.

    No storage slot.

    But we DO get yet another new, hip, happening crappy camera. Just once, I wish someone in the pda/phone/mobile attachment would get it right. It's not about how hip the damned thing is. It's about how functional it is. If Danger (or Handspring, or Sharp, or whoever) could get it right, I'd only have to carry one device on my belt instead of three. Please, God, Treo 610. And none too soon.

    1. Re:OK, let's see... by Wesley+Felter · · Score: 2, Interesting

      If you want a P910a, buy one. For teenagers who can't afford a cell phone that costs as much as a computer, the Hiptop looks pretty good.

  12. A distinguished choice by BortQ · · Score: 3, Funny

    I prefer a midget as my sidekick. They are both helpful and entertaining.

    --

    A Multiplayer Strategy Game for Mac OS X, Windows, and Linux
  13. Better off buying an N-gage... by ronfar623 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Using a Symbian series 60 device (3650, 7650, N-Gage, etc...), would probably provide a lot more flexibility. That coupled with the fact that you can buy an original N-gage for around $100 factory reconditioned, IMHO, makes the Sidekick pretty damn unattractive. I had seriously considered buying one before settling on my first smartphone (Nokia 3650), and I'm glad I didn't waste the money.

    My N-gage, however (original, not the QD, which is basically a more expensive downgrade) is just about the best money I've ever spent. MP3/AAC player, FM radio, USB interface lets you mount your memory expansion card like a pen drive, full featured web browsers, IM clients for any network, IRC, telnet/SSH, ebook readers, interactive maps, tons and tons of games (Symbian, Java, and N-gage, all way more playable with the nice directional pad), and that's just to name a few. It's my electronic Swiss Army-Knife. 'Course you do look like a complete jackass talking into it edgewise...

  14. Upgrades? by Kevin+Burtch · · Score: 2, Insightful


    Anyone know if they plan to offer upgrade discounts to existing sidekick customers?

    I'd love to get my hands on the new one, but I'm not going to fork over another $300 for the thing!
    Heck, my 1st gen is only a year old (well, newer... I'm on my 3rd replacement) and I bought it right after it came out!

    Yeah, the promises are getting old... the OLD ONE was supposed to get all of the software updates the NEW ONE has... that's pretty sleazy and they WILL lose a lot of customers because of it.

    There's a huge following for this device, and they've been beating on the walls waiting for some of these updates that they (we) were told a year ago would be out shortly.

    These folk won't be too happy if they find out they've been lied to for this long and have to repurchase what they originally were sold.

    --
    - Preferences: Solaris 10 (servers), Ubuntu (desktops), Solaris 11 (personal servers) -
    1. Re:Upgrades? by hawaiian717 · · Score: 2, Informative
      MSNBC seems to think so.

      And there's good news for current T-Mobile Sidekick customers: You will get a chance be one of the first to upgrade to the new device at a special price.

      http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5592481/

      --
      End of Line.
  15. and Goldilocks said, "This phone is just right" by doria13 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    A friend of mine has the original sidekick and I am always utterly jealous of it.

    I mean, how great is it that I could be sitting at Denny's drinking coffee and doing a crossword and I could pull out my phone, hop on the 'net and find the answer to that really tricky clue.

    I've used the original on several occassions and it's not too big, actually it's pretty much the perfect size for a phone.

    The only drawbacks I see are explaining to people that "yes, it's a phone." and the awkwardness of dialing. Other than that, I would say this phone is just right.

  16. Re:SSH? by hawaiian717 · · Score: 4, Informative

    The SSH app (Terminal Client) is a downloadable program, it's not preinstalled on the device.

    --
    End of Line.
  17. treo vs side kick by jford235 · · Score: 5, Informative

    this guy has a pretty good side by side comparison of a Treo 600 and 1st gen side kick.

  18. I disagree by Benley · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Sorry, but I think you don't get it. I have had a hiptop for 1.5 years now, and I really like it. This _IS_ the most functional pda/cell device out there. Perhaps bluetooth would be nice, but I don't really care - it would be of no use for syncing, because the device is already connected to the internet. You will sync with danger's servers, not with your device.

    Sync is finally coming. This is one hundred percent T-Mobile's fault, not Danger's. There have been several sync solutions ready to ship for quite some time now. The only holdup is T-Mobile.

    Last I heard, the new hiptops have triband GSM. Is that not standard enough?

    As for the storage slot, all I can think of to do with it (that would be actually useful in any capacity) would be to store mp3s, which I don't care about. I have an ipod for that.

    The camera? I truly couldn't care less. Maybe the new hiptop will have a usable camera. If so, great... Whatever.

    The hiptop has a very very good user interface, it has a very good OS (I am slightly biased because I know some of the people who wrote it). It sets out to do certain things, and it does them very well.

    You are right: it is not about how hip it is, it is about how functional it is. Danger makes it extremely functional, and T-Mobile is annoyingly pushing it as a hip toy for teenagers. To me (and the dozen or so other users in my nerd-universe), it is a highly useful tool in our daily lives. You don't realise how useful it is to have an always-on internet link on your cellphone until you get it. It becomes hard to live without.

  19. sink by simonharvey · · Score: 2, Funny
    looks a lot better, with longer battery life, built-in camera, more buttons, better radio, new software features

    Yeah, Yeah, my grandmother's camera has that stuff, but what about the kitchen sink?

  20. Didn't they learn from the iPod? by Mindtoy · · Score: 2, Informative

    Hopefully the rumors about the non-replaceable battery are untrue.

    The FCC link with some info (manual, pics, etc) is here... https://gullfoss2.fcc.gov/prod/oet/cf/eas/reports/ ViewExhibitReport.cfm?mode=Exhibits&RequestTimeout =500&calledFromFrame=N&application_id=219429&fcc_i d='P5J-ONISH'

  21. The gaping hole in the sidekick's functionality. by Myself · · Score: 3, Interesting

    May I rant for a moment? Thank you.

    The way I see it, phones now have 3 main functions. First is placing and receiving voice phone calls, which my Nextel handset does quite handly. It has a vibrate motor and a headset jack, both essential for me. Second is acting as a modem, supplying my laptop with a pipe to the internet. The hardware is great at this, but the unlimited plan is an arm and a leg. The fact that my current phone can act as an RS232 modem without any drivers is great, I just wish USB support were better. The third function is "Everything else", all the fun toys that the Japanese enjoy for years before American providers make a big deal out of. Cameras and web browsers in the
    phone, voice recorders and reasonable calculators and games and all that. This category is where my Nextel sucks donkey parts. The java environment is miniscule, the screen is bad, the web browser is prehistoric and easily confused.

    The Hiptop/Sidekick turns this completely upside down. The little sucker was made to be third-category toy, with a great keyboard and screen, plenty of cool software, and an environment to make more. All it needs is a camera. It also appears adequate for voice calling, despite awkward earpiece placement. Where T-mobile drops the ball is that they don't allow the Sidekick to also act as a tethered modem. I'd have one tomorrow if it could replace my Nextel's functionality, but it can't.

    The obvious argument is something along the lines of "well, the browser in the phone can only eat so much data per day, so that's why the unlimited data plan is so cheap. If it ran tethered, they wouldn't make any money on data." Okay, but as far as I know, T-mobile does offer the same data plan on other handsets, which do pass it out the serial port and act as modems.

    The Sidekick has a USB port and IrDA hardware. It's poised to be the best, most useful handset in all 3 categories, if only T-mobile would support its use as such. Any ideas why they won't?