[DigitalEl]

I'm about 5 hours from plunking down cash for a T-Mobile Sidekick II. I've read a ton of reviews, but I don't know anyone who actually has one and I'm looking for even more feedback before jumping in.

I know it doesn't sync with my Mac b/c of something T-Mobile has done, or won't do, with the software on their end. Normally that'd be a deal-breaker... But here's my thoughts. I'm seriously considering just dropping iCal and not worrying about it. I'll just duplicate all my contacts & calendar entries on the T-Mobile Sidekick online client, then always have my stuff with me on the device. When I need to make changes, I can do it from any computer, via the online client or on the go, right on the device. So my iMac & PowerBook won't have the synced info anymore... So what!? I've got everything right in the palm of my hand.

So is this a retarded plan? What haven't I thought of? Think out loud with me before I go to the store and spend some money.

Thanks in advance.

[GORDYmac]

Sounds like a plan...but...there are scripts available that might assist you in syncing iCal and Address Book with your Sidekick.

Kinda odd that they don't support the Mac natively, you know, since Woz is involved with the product.

Good luck.

[Severed Hand of Skywalker]

I find it far too large and every review I saw on it said it isn't a very good phone. For a messenger it is alright though.

[osxisfun]

its' strength seems to be in messaging. if you do that ALOT then it might be good for you...

i have heard too the phone is not that great...

[J_Anderton]

I HAD the Sidekick II for a month until I sold it on eBay.

Why?

The size.

It's a great messenging device, great little browswer, great email, nice calendar, address book, etc, but if you use the phone more than all that, it's not such a great device for you.

It's a very cool device, but I use it as a phone more than all of those functions and it was just too big for my taste. I always keep my cell phone in my right front pocket and it just leaves a HUGE bulge in your pants and it was uncomfortable. It was aso uncomfortable dialing and holding it to your ear. It was only fine using an earpiece, which I never liked.

So, you can decide by that.

[ashtoash]

NO do not get it. I have one in a box sitting there. stupid device. Use a laptop or just a normal phone, doesn't have bluetooth syncs with server. Not only that it has very serious security risk (tmobile aside) the dangerOS on it is a haven to steal your data.

looks cool but i always see some idiot using it to type in the car, huge, bulky, and comes with slow SLOW internet. if you live in a big city get something that supports edge network like the lg vx8000 think broadband everywhere...

[DigitalEl]

Thank God for premature buyer's remorse. I always get it before I spend the money. I didn't get the Sidekick today. The more I read, the more it seemed like a kiddie device. Of course, thinking clearly now, I could've seen that from even a quick glance at T-Mobile's marketing for the thing. I'd get plenty of use out of the phone and the PDA features, but messaging is for teenagers and the cameras on mobile phones are a joke... So I'd be paying for a lot of features I wouldn't really be using all that much.

There's no similar device geared for me. BlackBerry's and such are waaaaay overkill. I don't need corporate e-mail linkage or 5,000 contacts. There's no middle ground. I've complained (okay, whined) about this before. It seems cellphones are geared for teens or for serious 5,000 minute a month, living from meeting to meeting business types. I'm a damn police dispatcher. I don't go to a ton of meetings. I don't text message all day. But I am a tech geek and would love a tricked out mid-level phone.

I'm rambling... But seriously, for now I'll stick with my SE T610 (which is in for repair after dying on me for no good reason). Hell, by showing some discipline and not jumping on the Sidekick II today, maybe I'll be in a position to grab that iTunes phone when/if it ever sees the light of day.

Thanks for your input above and... As you were.

[TimmyDee51]

I completely agree with your feelings on Blackberries. It's a cool technology, but I don't need email pushed to me all day long, just when I need it.

I decided to go with the Treo 600 from T-Mobile. I was debating waiting around for the 650, but the price on that thing is ridiculous. I got my 600 for $270, not including a month of free service for August. I can use t-zones to browse WAP sites and check and send email. Having the Palm OS has been great as there are tons of apps out there. While Palm has certainly be balking at the Mac lately, remember that the Treos still come with OS 5, meaning that Palm Desktop and iSync still work well together.

I'm not a power business user, just someone who wants to make the most out of their cell phone. I used to have a Nokia 3650, which many consider a "smartphone", but I can tell you it doesn't even compare to the Treo. This thing is amazing. Plus, it's lots smaller than the Sidekick II (and even my 3650).

[Severed Hand of Skywalker]

Originally posted by DigitalEl:

I'm rambling... But seriously, for now I'll stick with my SE T610

Keep your eye on this phone:

http://www.sonyericsson.com/w800

I agree about the danger. The first time I saw it I was in total disbelief over how large and bulky it was. It is not something you keep in your pocket but in your school bag.

[mugwump]

The Treo 650 is awesome. I get emails all the time with Word or Excel documents that I simply open up with the included Word or Sheets to Go, and then edit the document and send it on it's way.

It comes with a droplet to "Send to Handheld" for any music or video. If it's not in the right format it will convert it for you. Picked up a 1GB SD memory card from Amazon for $75.

Actually, I now take video and drop it onto a Compressor droplet that converts the video into MPEG1 with good audio settings, and it's ready to send over to the Treo. Looks and sounds very sharp, 320x320 though the screen is smaller than a laptop.

Web surfing is not bad at speeds just under a 56K dialup, but it's good enough that I am surfing the web if I have time to do so.

Syncs perfectly with iCal, Address Book with iSync -- never a problem. In fact I more than once I populated a new address book install from my Treo, though now with all my Address Book pictures I wouldn't do this again or I'd lose them.

Overall, I couldn't imagine a better device that was not created and designed by Apple.

[tr]

Originally posted by J_Anderton:
I HAD the Sidekick II for a month until I sold it on eBay.

Why?

The size.

It's a great messenging device, great little browswer, great email, nice calendar, address book, etc, but if you use the phone more than all that, it's not such a great device for you.

It's a very cool device, but I use it as a phone more than all of those functions and it was just too big for my taste. I always keep my cell phone in my right front pocket and it just leaves a HUGE bulge in your pants and it was uncomfortable. It was aso uncomfortable dialing and holding it to your ear. It was only fine using an earpiece, which I never liked.

So, you can decide by that.

huh. that's funny. i always keep my SKII in my right front pocket, and have no problems with it being too large. it's just about the same size as my iPod. this just proves we need more standardization in pants pocket sizes!

DigitalEl, i think that SKII is a great device. i had an SKI, and i can say the SKII improves a lot over the older one. i've also dumped iCal, and just use the web SKII desktop interface for calendar events and such. as for contacts, i think i have more contacts in my SKII than in Address Book, and for me, it's more important to have them in my phone than on my desktop computer.

the phone side of it is much improved over the last SK. reception is good, and yes, it is awkward at first putting it up to your ear, but you'll soon get used to that. i used an earpiece a lot with the previous SK, but with this one, i'm fine using it normally. and if i'm in the car, i just put it on speaker phone.

as someone said earlier, it's great strength is IM. if you IM, this is a great device. the keyboard is the best i've used in a phone. also, it's email capability is pretty good; i have it check my pop and .mac accounts.

but IM isn't all it can do. the built in camera (with flash) comes in pretty handy; it's not that high resolution, but great for times when you want to snap a pic, and email it to someone right then. the web browser is excellent, and so is the screen. and no need to always look at the text-only mobile sites; the danger servers will reformat the page for viewing on your sidekick. also, what phone can let you SSH? download terminal client app from the SKII catalog, and you're all set.

for all you get, it's not that bad of a deal. people always ask me if i'd ever trade in the SKII for a "normal" phone. there's no way. the first time you're out somewhere, and you need to check your email, login to a server to check something, and look up something on the web, and you realize you can do it all on you phone, you'll know you made the right decision.

[TimmyDee51]

It's true that once you have a true smartphone, you can never go back. By the same token, however, I can do all that with my Treo, not pay the $20 a month Sidekick plan, and sync with my Mac. I'm not saying you're not happy with your SK, but the situation isn't for everyone.

[egleband83]

I just got a Treo 600 with Cingular for only $200 after rebate and let me tell you, it is just one incredible device. It's such a joy not to have to carry a seperate palm and phone.
I was afraid about the size, as I was coming from the SE T637 (which is another great phone if you're looking for just a good bluetooth phone), but the Treo 600 is the perfect size in terms of all that it packs into one device.
Pair it up with Missing Sync and it makes transfering items with your Mac easy and painless.

[nica]

Nay many sidekick users are experiencing an outage right now. Here are some of the positives and negatives of the device in my opinion.

Pros:
If email is your thing it works awesome
If you SMS allot it�s perfect with the Internet/Data Plan
Keyboard feels good
Phone capabilities are good
All PIM apps

Cons:
Reception is not the greatest but then it�s hooked to t-mobile (Chicago)
Size could be smaller I keep it in my jacket pocket
Screen could use improvement (comparing to Treo)
You can�t change any backgrounds!
There are few apps for the sidekick because Danger has locked it so tight

My advice after writing this is to get a Treo! The 650 is you have the $$$

[jasong]

Originally posted by egleband83:
I just got a Treo 600 . . . Pair it up with Missing Sync and it makes transfering items with your Mac easy and painless.

Why are you using Missing Sync? I use my Treo 600 with my Mac all the time using Palm Desktop and iSync.

-- Jason

[egleband83]

I kept having problems with event dates and times being shifted around or duplicated whenever I would sync, especially if I was syncing multiple devices through isync. I haven't had one glitch so far with Missing Sync plus it's a whole heck of a lot faster in terms of the sync process. HotSync would sometimes take 2 minutes just to go through the backup conduit.
Another benefit to Missing Sync is that it allows internet sharing between the computer and palm and also allows better sync with iTunes and iPhoto.
If HotSync works for you, then more power to you. It just wasn't working well for me and I sought out a better option.