Some smartphones are all about business, but not the T-Mobile Sidekick. This is a smartphone that's always been a lot of fun to use, and the latest version is no exception. But this smartphone lacks some of the features that business users will want.
(Note: T-Mobile is not assigning a version name or number to this Sidekick smartphone, despite the fact that all of its past versions have had names like the Sidekick II, Sidekick III, or Sidekick Silde. To combat the confusion, many bloggers have been referring to the new Sidekick smartphone as the Sidekick 2008.)
Design
The latest Sidekick features the snazzy swiveling design that makes using the smartphone so much fun; the 2.6-inch screen flips up and twists open to reveal the full keyboard. When closed, the Sidekick is about the same size--though about twice as thick--as an iPhone; that's smaller than past Sidekicks.
PROS: The Sidekick features one of the best QWERTY keyboards I've ever seen on a smartphone. The keys are small, but well placed, and have a nice, rubbery texture that makes them easy to press. It features a basic black design that can be customized with swappable shells. The Sidekick ships with a metallic green shell that you can easily snap on. You can order additional shells at sidekickshells.skinit.com for $15 each, and the company says it plans to let users design their own shells in the future.
CONS: While I love the swivel design, my Sidekick review unit seemed to stick when I was opening it. To open the screen, I sometimes had to push on it so hard that I feared I would break it.
Making Calls
PROS: The Sidekick supports T-Mobile's myFaves plan, which allows you to make unlimited calls to five numbers that you select. Those phone numbers can be cell phones or landlines.
CONS: The Sidekick excels at many things, but not at making calls. I often noticed an echo when talking, and my callers sounded very far away. The phone offered plenty of volume, though. The Sidekick's swiveling design also gets in the way here: You have to open the screen in order to dial a number that's not in your contact list, but then once the call is connected you have to close the screen in order to hold the phone comfortably next to year. It can be awkward until you get used to it.
Browsing the Web
CONS: If you've spent any time at all browsing the Web on an iPhone, you won't last long surfing to your favorite sites on the Sidekick. Its browser formats sites for viewing on the Sidekick's small screen; in some cases, it displayed the text and pictures on some sites just fine, while other sites looked jumbled. Viewing an entire page required plenty of scrolling. The Sidekick also lacks any high-speed data options; it doesn't support any 3G networks (and T-Mobile doesn't offer one yet) or Wi-Fi. What you get is dial-up like speeds.
Messaging
PROS: Messaging is a strong point for the Sidekick. You can use it to access up to four e-mail accounts (one included T-Mobile account, plus 3 additional Yahoo, AOL, or IMAP/POP3 accounts). Adding an account is a breeze--in most cases, you need to enter only the user name and password to your account. The Sidekick also comes with the AOL, Windows Live, and Yahoo instant messaging clients built-in.
CONS: You won't find a lot of business e-mail options, other than having a corporate account forwarded to the device.
Software
CONS: You won't find a lot of software applications--especially any type of business application--for the Sidekick. If you're looking for a mobile office, this is not the smartphone for you.Multimedia
PROS: The Sidekick includes a 2-megapixel camera, which captures decent snapshots. It also can capture short video clips. In addition, you get a basic multimedia player, which can play back audio and video files.
CONS: Both the camera and the media player offer just enough, but not a lot of extras. On a phone that's clearly targeted for a young audience, it would have been nice to see a more exciting media player and a better camera.
In the end, the customizable design and the excellent messaging features make the new Sidekick smartphone a solid option for many users--as long as they're not all about business. It's available from T-Mobile for $150 when signing a new two-year service agreement.
