The Sidekick holiday gift

We’re in the midst of the holiday season, which means that conversations have turned from “events” to “stuff.” As in, stuff kids want from their parents (or Santa, or whatever). Over the past few years, cell phones have made their ways onto Christmas and Hanukkah lists. While before they were merely devices to talk and text with, they’re turning into multipurpose devices. And as we see the increase in functionality, we see an increase in demand for these fancier phones. Atop this years list are phones like Verizon’s LG Voyager and AT&T’s Apple iPhone, but those aren’t the only shiny objects that kids are clamoring for. Don’t forget T-Mobile and their Sidekick series. There’s been much hoopla about T-Mobile’s new Sidekick offerings, the Sidekick Slide and the Sidekick LX, both next-generation upgrades over the Sidekick iD. We can also lump the Sidekick 3 into this group, since it’s T-Mobile’s prepaid Sidekick option. Common upgrades A couple of new features really stick out on the Sidekicks Slide, LX, and 3. All of them are Bluetooh-compatible, a feature sorely lacking from the iD. But, perhaps the most heralded upgrade is the addition of a camera with video capabilities (ed. note: we’re uncertain if this actually works). It’s one of the features that kids want most on a phone, so you can bet T-Mobile is going to sell a few of these puppies based on that feature alone. Other than that, though, the only upgrade is the ability to roam internationally, a feature not exactly at the top of kids’ wish lists. Unfortunately, WiFi was not added to any of the new Sidekicks, which would have brought the benefit of HotSpot @Home, T-Mobil’s WiFi home calling service. Sidekick 3 We’ll start with the Sidekick 3, which is a featured phone for their To Go prepaid offering. Why do kids want this one? The simple QWERTY interface is certainly one of the main draws, as it has been since the inception of the Sidekick. But let’s not forget something else kids covet: size. What’s a quick way to get razzed by your friends? Easy: Wear your phone on a belt clip. We even made fun of our friends in college who did this, so imagine what high schoolers are like. (And yes, we understand the belt clip in a professional setting; just not for kids.) Thankfully for them, the Sidekick 3 is just as small as many other popular phones. At 5.1 x 2.3 x .09 inches, it can fit into any size purse, and slides snugly into jeans pockets. The only issue we see with size is the weight: seven ounces. While that might not seem much, it’s actually up there as far as cell phones go. It’s the price you pay, though, for having a full-QWERTY device with such small dimensions. With an expandable microSD slot and a media player, kids can download and share their favorite music with ease. And if you have friends with a Sidekick — or really any other phone that uses microSD — you can swap cards and share even more. You can share pictures, too, as the Sidekick 3 comes with an on-board 1.3 megapixel camera. Kids nowadays (and adults, too) want to keep connected. This is a major draw of the Sidekick, since it offers full-range Internet access along with real-time email capabilities. Another big thing among youths, instant messaging, is also made easy with the Sidekick. It comes with easy access to Yahoo, MSN, and AOL messengers. And, of course, for an additional fee you can download games, ringtones, wallpaper, and all that fun stuff. For the more age-advanced Sidekick users, there is the Personal Information Manager, which provides access to your address book, contacts, calendar, which you can sync with your PC. The only thing holding this back from being a completely ideal phone for youngsters is the price tag: $399.99. Why so expensive? After all, you can get an iPhone for that. Unfortunately, as we see far too often, there is no subsidy on this phone, because you’re not signing a two-year agreement. It does come with $10 of airtime, which amounts to little more than a pittance, considering service rates. On that front, it will cost you $1 per day for the Web and email access, plus prepaid airtime. This isn’t T-Mobile’s normal prepaid program, where you can buy a $100 card and get calls for 10 cents per minute. When you sign up for the Sidekick plan, your calls are locked in at 15 cents per minute. So it’s not terrible, but if you’re using 500 minutes per month plus data, it’s going to run you north of $100. Sidekick Slide Once a recall item because of a faulty battery, the Sidekick Slide is back on the market, and all is well. The only problem with this and the other new Sidekick offering, the LX, is that neither is available with a prepaid plan. Tried as we may, we couldn’t get T-Mobile’s website to do this for us. Even if they could, we’re not sure it’s such a hot idea, considering the two-year contract prices for each phone — $199 for the Slide, $299 for the LX. On the size front, it’s smaller and lighter than the Sidekick 3: 4.6 x 2.4 x 0.7 inches, and 5.3 ounces. The other differentiating factor is, as the name implies, that it’s a slider phone. Rather than the screen flipping around, as with other Sidekick models, the Sidekick Slide’s screen shifts up and down, like any other slider phone. There are a few other marginal upgrades, like picture caller ID and a currency converter. But really, it matches up with the Sidekick 3 with all other features beyond size and slide function. It’s still Bluetooth-compatible, and has the same 1.3 megapixel camera. Games, ringtones, wallpapers, and more are also available. And yes, it has an expandable microSD slot, along with a media player. Sidekick LX Surely, the Sidekick LX must be loaded if it costs $100 more than the Slide, right? At first glance, it might not seem so. It’s got basically the same features as the 3 and the Slide: Bluetooth, 1.3 megapixel camera, microSD, and all that jazz. Heck, it’s bigger than the Slide: 5.2 x 2.4 x 0.7 inches, and 5.8 ounces. So what makes this Sidekick stand out? It’s all in the screen. Instead of boasting the VGA-quality of the previous models, the Sidekick LX offers high-definition LCD technology, making pictures clearer and videos crisper. Upon review… If you’re on a T-Mobile postpaid plan, both the Slide and the LX make strong cases. At $199, the Slide is a good value, and with the LCD screen, the LX makes for an ideal viewing experience. However, we’re a bit disappointed that they’re relegating these to postpaid, while making only the Sidekick 3 available on prepaid. Not that we have a problem with the Sidekick 3. Yeah, at $399 it’s a bit expensive, and it isn’t rife with all of the new features of the LX and Slide. But it’s still a strong offering. Once you get past the exterior — the dimensions, weight, and screen — the three phones are remarkably similar. Definitely similar enough to warrant taking a look at this if you’re with T-Mobile To Go.]]>