Great PDA ... Bad Phone.
Written: Nov 04 '05
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Pros: Screen, Apps, Ease of Use
Cons: The Phone! No Bluetooth. "Camera"
The Bottom Line: This peice is very trendy, and very distracting. It is made for kids, not workers. If you want a phone look elsewhere, looking for a toy? Here it is.
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| amiz's Full Review: Nokia 6160 Cell Phone |
The Sidekick II was my first venture into the PDA-like cellular phone market. I was looking for a device that I could use as a cellular phone, and had calendar/ to-do list, text messaging, camera and gaming capabilities. It was to be my mobile workstation, and of course to be used for a little entertainment in class, and possibly let me speak to my loved ones just a little bit more.
Things I loved:
The Screen – The screen is beautiful. Nice and big. Don’t expect to watch movies on this thing but the pictures you view will be alright. Be careful of scratches, like all screens that are coming out these days on cellular phones it is easier to scratch it then to have a call dropped (shocking I know).
Applications – T-Mobile has done a fine job supplying great applications for this phone.
Great To-Do and calendar apps, they are all convenient and easy to use, they also have all the great features you have come to know and love in your workplace.
Fun Games, the system has many games available for it. I have a few sports a few puzzles; I like to mix it up. No PSP graphics here though, if you are looking for a gaming device then look elsewhere.
And yes the greatest of all the applications they make for it…the instant messaging apps! AOL, Yahoo it has it all, if you want to IM all day long from your phone there is nothing better on the market…trust me I’ve looked.
Keyboard – Do you have big finger? Not necessarily fat, but you know too big for the tiny keys you normally find on phones these days? Well even if you do this phone is great. This unit has a full QWERTY keyboard. Each button is separate and rubberized so you won’t be slipping all over the place. Also, for a full QWERTY keyboard these buttons are HUGE. But don’t fret small fingered friends, a close friend of mine with small fingers can rattle off a text message on my Sidekick II with ease, in fact she prefers it, if not only for the fact that I am paying… I’ve had a few of the other QWERTY phones out there from Blackberry to HP models, this keyboard is far and away the best one I have ever used.
Internet – Like cruising online? Wish you could do it anywhere anytime? Then by golly Sidekick II is right up your alley. Not only the instant messaging but the web browsing is amazing. At first I could only view java-less sites, but recently I downloaded an application that allows me to view them, so basically FLASH is the only hurtle left for the Sidekick III to jump. Web pages load smoothly and beautifully. And it is definitely great to check the sports scores as your professor drones on about the book trade in medieval Europe.
Navigation – All with the flick of the thumb. With the Sidekick II the thumb navigation is top notch. I remember when the Star-Tac phones first appeared on the market (ancient history I know) their main attraction was the thumb navigation. Well the navigation on the Sidekick II is well improved over its predecessor. Up, Down and all around navigating your apps, games and web pages could not be easier.
Things that bug me:
No Bluetooth!!!! Why do I always buy a phone that lacks the features I so desperately want? Because it has other great features I desperately want. There is no Bluetooth on this guy, I wish it had it would make the sync process oh so much easier.
On a side note, the sync features of this phone are great. They seamlessly meld with your Windows computer, for anyone using Mac or Linux, I have no clue how that would effect your ability to sync. Right now I have the Sidekick II set to sync with my Address Book, Outlook, To Do list and a few other random applications, each works great and I don’t know what my life would be like if I didn’t have this sync capability.
”Camera” – The Sidekick II comes with an onboard “camera”. The reason I write “camera” is because it can’t be refered to as a camera. It is not good quality at all and don’t expect to enjoy your photos you take with it. Compared to other camera phones on the market that I have used this one is WELL below average and if the camera feature is one you are looking to utilize then don’t go here.
Is this a phone? Though the Sidekick II is mostly aimed at the Texting and IMing generation there is still a phone on there. And not a very good one. Bad reception, bad hearing quality (but if you get a good call the speakerphone works marvelously). I have been in the same room as other T-Mobile users and we have both made phone calls, them form their non-Sidekick II and me from my Sidekick II, my calls were hard to hear and splotchy while theirs were crisp and clear, it’s the phone. I was not happy with it and that is one of the main reasons that I have moved on form this phone.
There have been a couple of tests that I like to include with my reviews. One of them is the mother test, the other is the sister test. These tests are exactly as they sound, I let my mother and sister use them and hear what they have to say. My mom is not tech savvy at all, but is always looking to learn something new. My sister is also not tech savvy at all, but saying that about a 15 year old means nothing.
My mom thought it was a waste of money ($320). But she did admit that it was very “cool” (actual terminology used). She said the keyboard was easy to use and she could navigate the phone easily. She said the applications were interesting, useful and somewhat easy to use.
My sister on the other hand loved it. Everything was perfect about it to her, I think that she gave me a bias review because she is 15 and desperately wants one. But she did enjoy using it for a day or so and she did manage to figure out how to use every single feature. She especially enjoyed the camera feature, which as I pointed out before is not so good.
As far as what I think, it was worth the money for sure. But the phone quality was just not there. I was looking for more in terms of a phone. But the texting, email and web browsing applications were great.
Bottom line, I still wanted a phone and not just a PDA.
**WARNING**
This phone is very distracting. It has so many goodies you never get bored with it. I would not recommend this for a High School or College student. I know from experience. Concentrating at work and in school is nearly impossible with this jewel in your hands, it is non-stop entertainment. Be careful who you trust with it.
Recommended:
No
Amount Paid (US$): 320
Recommended for: Stylish Trendsetters - Hip and Trendy
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Epinions.com ID:
amiz
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Reviews written: 12
Trusted by: 3 members
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