Pros & Cons
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- Extremely easy to use.
- Push e-mail.
- Removable, reconfigurable covers.
- Lower price.
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- It has the feature set of a 2004 device.
T-Mobile Sidekick ID Specs
| Screen Size | 2.6 |
Probably the easiest to use e-mail handheld in the world, the Sidekick line has become a hit with celebrities who aren't typically known for their high-tech savvy. That's a big compliment to Danger, the designer of the Sidekick's software, as it has created a slick, icon-based interface that is unusually easy to set up and use. T-Mobile's new Sidekick iD continues the trend. The difference is that the iD is cheap, if not particularly cutting-edge. But in a market where e-mail handhelds typically cost hundreds of dollars, that's a good thing.
When my
The $99 iD takes the basic e-mailing, instant-messaging (IMing), and phoning capabilities of the
If you've never kicked it sideways before, the Sidekick is a super-easy-to-use handheld that used to look more like a brick than a cell phone. Now, thanks to its makeover, the handset resembles a much flatter brick, at 5.1 by 2.5 by 0.9 inches; and weighs 6.2 ounces. You swivel the screen open (that's the "kick") to reveal an extremely clear keyboard of well-separated hard plastic keys, similar to the Sidekick 3's. With the screen closed, you hold it to your head to make calls. A moderately capable messaging device, the iD can log into AIM, Microsoft Live Messenger, and Yahoo! Messenger simultaneously. The installed e-mail client merges POP3/IMAP (but not corporate Exchange, Hotmail, or Yahoo!) accounts with its own T-Mobile Mail account and pushes them to the device. Mail sent to the T-Mobile account appears pretty much in real time; POP3 mail comes on a 15-minute delay. And, of course, it's compatible with T-Mobile's MyFaves, which gives you unlimited free calling to five people; your MyFaves contacts appear in red in the 2,000-person address book.
The iD isn't the greatest phone, but it'll do. The gadget gets decent reception, but there tends to be a sort of clippy fuzz in the sound of loud voices at top volume. The speakerphone is clear, but doesn't get very loud. Transmissions from the microphone sound very good indeed, but sound a bit hollow from the speakerphone. There's a standard 2.5mm headset jack that works with an included mono earpiece.
Everything, absolutely everything, syncs up with a simple Web interface that also lets you import contact and calendar information from Microsoft Outlook or Entourage. You can download hundreds of ringtones, plenty of games, and some other apps from a built-in catalog application that's a heck of a lot easier to use than the WAP-based download decks on other phones.
There are a few frustrating restrictions. You can't add your own ringtones—you're stuck with the ones in the Sidekick Catalog, though they have hundreds—and you can't receive MMS picture messages, though I've never understood why. The Sidekick has a photo gallery app, but you have to get your pics through e-mail or log onto a special picture-messaging Web site to view them.
Since teenagers seem to have a biochemical drive to define their own identities, the iD has removable bumpers and backplates. They'll start with black, yellow, red, white, magenta, purple, and glow-in-the-dark models at $20 each, but they're expected to proliferate into a range of fashion styles. If your tastes tend towards the Frankensteinian, you can mix and match parts to create the ultimate in garishness.
It's almost churlish to run down the ID's failings. It has no camera, no music player, no memory card, no Bluetooth, a low-res 240-by-160 screen and the slowest Web access you'll ever see, thanks to an ancient GPRS modem. The only real weakness I can see here for its target market, though, is the lack of a camera, because you know those kids, they love to post their cameraphone photos on that MySpace thing. MySpace works fine on the phone, by the way, if slowly and somewhat awkwardly, using the ID's Web browser; I managed to dismiss several spam "friend" requests using the Sidekick.
At $99 (or $249 prepaid), with data service running $20/month (or $1/day prepaid), the Sidekick iD doesn't really compete with smartphones. It's closer in price to texting phones such as the
Benchmark Test Results
Continuous talk time: 7 hours 12 minutes
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Final Thoughts
T-Mobile Sidekick ID
If you never thought you could afford a Sidekick, or any e-mailing or IM gadget for that matter, the iD is for you. Its friendly, simple-to-use interface and low price will be a serious draw, especially among the young, "hip," and fiscally challenged.