The granddaddy of Internet-enabled cell phones, the T-Mobile Sidekick 3 combines a full-fledged web browser with POP e-mail, instant messaging and a variety of more mundane phone and PIM functions into a well-integrated package about the size of a bar of soap. With each new generation the Sidekick’s creator, Palo Alto-based Danger Inc., continues to hone it device’s capabilities, which may explain why Generation Three continues to be the best wireless communicator on the market.

Form. In the three years since T-Mobile first started shipping it’s version of Danger’s device, the marketplace has gotten positively packed with cell phones that boast messaging and web browsing capabilities. However, it seems none of these erstwhile competitors (with the possible exception of Blackberry-based devices) have figure out what Danger has known all along: That building a cell phone is easy; it’s building a handheld internet device that’s hard.

Instead of building a good phone and then grafting on the web and messaging features, which is what the vast majority of phone manufacturers have done, Danger focused on building a great internet workstation that can fit in the palm of your hand. For example, Danger made sure its screen was set in landscape orientation with a QWERTY keyboard directly below it, just like a computer. Web pages don’t look very good on tiny portrait displays and typing an e-mail on a number pad is about as intuitive as drawing life sketches with your tongue.

Another Sidekick first – a rotating screen that hides a keyboard underneath, which allows both screen and keyboard to be much larger. Almost since the start Danger’s device featured a 320 x 240 pixel resolution LCD – that’s right, a phone offering resolution in mathematical alignment with computer screens; imagine that.

With the screen closed, the slimmed-down Sidekick 3 can now fit in your back pocket, if you’re so inclined (interestingly enough, compared with the Sidekick 2, Version 3 is no less thick or long; just a bit shorter.) The addition of Bluetooth wireless addresses one long-standing complaint among Sidekick users: that planting the screen next to your face to make or answer a call is not especially comfortable. With a wireless headset, you can avoid that problem altogether and still be able to view your screen, check your e-mail or type out a chat message. The only problem we encountered was the volume level, which on our Jabra BT500 Bluetooth headset seemed much lower with the Sidekick 3 than other phones we’ve used it on.

The Sidekick 3’s Bluetooth supports vCard transfers, but currently doesn’t support data synchronization with a computer. However, there is a mini-USB port that will connect your Sidekick 3 to a Mac or PC and allow you to add music to a miniSD card. The miniSD card slot is a little hard to get to as it’s nested behind the battery door; luckily the battery door leads to another Sidekick 3 first – a replaceable battery.

Function. Of course, building a well-designed chassis is only half the battle. While many cell phone makers trying to bridge the Internet gap fail on the hardware, many, many more fail on the software. And software is where the Sidekick 3 really shines.

As mentioned above, the Sidekick 3 was designed by Danger, not by it’s manufacturer, Sharp Electronics. This alone makes the Sidekick different from most Internet-enabled cell phones, most of which offer proprietary software and horribly wooden interfaces.

Danger has, in effect, created a slimmed down, Java-based operating system fully optimized for its platform (unlike Windows Mobile, which still works like a stunted, misshapen version of Windows XP.) It even has it’s own custom controls that make the Sidekick feel more like an XBOX controller than a cell phone, with all the accompanying intuitive ease. One of the few changes on the Sidekick 3 is the addition of a tiny trackball where the jog wheel used to be – a subtle, but still welcome, improvement.

Of course, the real power of Danger’s OS is the integrated applications: After struggling with chat applications on other wireless devices I can’t tell you what a relief it was to be back on a Sidekick, which now adds Yahoo! Instant Messenger And MSN Messenger to its AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) support. The POP mail client has remained virtually unchanged, but is still incredibly useful. And the web browser has seen some modest improvements and is still amazingly tolerant of even badly designed websites. Unlike most cell-phone web browsers, you don’t have to limit yourself to a WAP-enabled version of a site to get anything useful: I’ve even managed to place bids on eBay using the Sidekick 3.

In addition to the core communications apps, which, let’s face it, are the stars of Danger’s suite, there is also a text message app, calendar, contacts, notepad, to-do list, and photo manager. The Sidekick 3 has a higher resolution 1.3 megapixel camera built-in – maybe not the largest available but a great improvement over the Sidekick 2. The camera is, of course, fully integrated into the mail client, making forwarding photos easy.

The Sidekick 3 still offers a fairly anemic selection of downloadable games, which Danger assured me they are working on improving. Considering the target audience of teen/young adult you’d think they’d work a little harder on the entertainment factor.

Speaking of entertainment, Danger has added an MP3 music player that can play tunes over the included wired stereo headset or even a separately-purchased Bluetooth wireless headset. And while the music feature is a nice addition, it seems strange that Danger hasn’t also added support for video – streaming or on the memory card. Of course, you don’t buy a Sidekick 3 to watch movies. You buy it to communicate. And there it’s build-in apps really shine.

Connectivity. Where the Sidekick 3 is a little less shiny is its network. The Sidekick 3, like the generations before it, is currently only available from T-Mobile. And while this is a good thing in terms of monthly costs – a Sidekick-exclusive price plan includes unlimited data and 600 minutes of national talk time for $59.95 a month – it could be a problem in terms of connectivity. T-Mobile’s GSM/GPRS (the data side of the Sidekick’s wireless technology) can be very spotty in some areas.

Of course, with T-Mobile’s unlimited data connectivity, at least when you do have a connection you can browse, e-mail and chat without having to worrying about per-megabyte or per-minute charges you’d experience on most other cell phone carriers. The performance of the Sidekick 3’s new EDGE wireless radio just about doubles the speed of web browsing and other wireless data applications.

One outstanding part of T-Mobile’s Sidekick 3 services is My T-Mobile, which gives you a web-based analog to all your Sidekick applications. This makes syncing your address book, calendar, to-dos, even e-mail and photos, a snap. Just make whatever changes you want through the website and they’re automatically transferred directly to your handset. No need for a PC as an intermediary. There are several options for importing data directly from Mac and PC applications; for an additional charge you can also buy Intellisync, which allows your PC to automatically sync-up your personal information manager with your Sidekick.

Geek-o-Meter: The Sidekick 3 – with it’s combination of design, functionality and incredible ease-of-use – is absolutely a “10″ in our book. Unfortunately, T-Mobile’s spotty coverage must invariably cost this excellent wireless communicator a point and drag the final score down to a “9″, at least until we see this device offered by other providers or we see some improvement in T-Mobile’s network.

The Specs

Price: $349 ($299 when purchased with a calling plan)

Size: 5.1 x 2.3 x 0.9 inches
Weight: 7 ounces
Included battery: Lithium Ion
Talk time: up to 4.5 hours
Standby time: up to 3 days
Band (frequency): 850 MHz;1800 MHz;1900 MHz

Features

• 1.3 Megapixel camera
• Web browsing
• E-mail
• Music player
• Stereo Bluetooth® wireless technology
• Built-in QWERTY Keypad
• Speakerphone
• Instant messaging: Yahoo!, MSN, and AOL
• Text messaging
• Personal Information Manager.
• Vcard support
• Games
• miniSD memory slot
• Full E-Mail integration options (access up to eight e-mail accounts)

Included Accessories

• 64MB SD Card
• Battery
• Charger
• Carrying case
• Hands-Free Headset
• Wrist Strap
• USB Cable

For More Information
T-Mobile: www.t-mobile.com
Danger: www.danger.com

This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 29th, 2006 at 9:06 pm and is filed under HOME, TECH, KGO RADIO, BACK-TO-SCHOOL 2006, CELL PHONES. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.