Messaging, Internet & Connectivity
This device is all about messaging, and messaging is where it shines. Between the QWERTY board, the trackball, and the Danger OS, IMing and Text Messaging is easy - if not downright addicting - on the Sidekick 3. The integrated IM program features three separate clients for AIM, MSN, and Yahoo! Messenger, and keeping tabs on multiple conversations is easy with the trackball and menu shortcuts.
As mentioned before, the thumbboard is exceptionally nice to type on, and the SK 3 can be set to alert you to new messages with a combination of sounds and/or visual alerts. Text messaging is similarly easy, and photo messaging is supported as well. Heavy messaging users will appreciate the subtly different icons altering them to new IM, SMS, and Email messages - the SK 3 makes it easy to keep tabs on all forms of modern communication.
The Sidekick 3's calling card is its Internet functionality, which requires T-Mobile's special Sidekick Data Plan. Currently $20/month, the plan gives you unlimited Web and email access and unlimited text messaging. Note that this plan is charged on top of whatever voice rate plan you may also have. The data plan takes advantage of T-Mobile's EDGE network, and the SK 3 is noticeably faster in browsing Web pages and sending/retrieving email than early versions.
Set-up of the device includes one T-Mobile email address, and the Email program supports up to three additional POP3 and/or IMAP addresses. "Always-on" push Email is standard, so as long as your within range of the data network your Email accounts will automatically be updated periodically. Manual "force-fetching" of Email is also available.
The built-in Web Browser takes advantage of T-Mobile's Sidekick servers, which parse and reformat Web pages specifically for the device before sending them along to the user. Generally this results in pages being squashed into one-column view. Most websites render pretty well this way, but a lot of scrolling is sometimes required to read a page. Danger would have done well to build PC-style "Page Up" and "Page Down" commands into the Web Browser.
Overall Internet performance was quite good thanks to T-Mobile's ever-improving EDGE data speeds. While EDGE isn't quite 3G and therefore not as zippy as Verizon's EV-DO cellular Internet, bang-for-the-buck wise it's hard to beat. Remember, $20/month gets the Sidekick Data Plan with unlimited Web, Email, and Text Messaging. While I did encounter a few spots in my local travels in which I had voice but not data service, in general anywhere I took the Sidekick, Internet access followed. And for a lot less than my monthly Cable Internet bill.
The tri-band GSM radio is locked to T-Mobile, and use of any data services on the SK 3 requires an active Sidekick Data Plan registration with the carrier. A standard mini-USB port allows for connectivity a personal computer, and the Sidekick 3 also supports Bluetooth 1.2 for voice only.
The phone also features a miniSD card slot that supports cards up to 2GB in size. When connected to a computer, the card shows up as a removable mass storage device, which makes for easy dragging and dropping of music and photo files.
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4.3
