Customer Reviews

T-Mobile Sidekick II Phone (T-Mobile)

5 star:		(90)
4 star:		(43)
3 star:		(20)
2 star:		(18)
1 star:		(25)

 

 

Okay, so if you're going to carry a phone that's bigger than a candy bar, why not be able to type on it? All the other phones I've seen out there like the Treo, are great if all you want to type is "yes" or "no", but I could never write a full email with one of those things. The keys are way too small and way too close to the edge of the device. With my SideKick, I can write long emails and carry on long IM conversations with no problems. People can't even tell I'm away from my desk. The keyboard is by far the best feature, but the applications are great too: Just start typing a name to look them up in the phone. Hold a number key for a couple of seconds to start speed dialing someone I call all the time. I get all my email on the device, work and personal (and yes, I can see the attachments that people send me). In Outlook, I have to open pictures to see them, the Sidekick shows them IN the email. The web browser has already helped me end about 1000 arguments by surfing to imdb or dictionary.com. I can browse Amazon when I'm at the store to find out the right price BEFORE I buy something. This is one of those devices that you wonder how you ever lived without!!!

If you think you spend too much time surfing the internet now, with a Sidekick II in your hands you will become a bona fide addict! It's the ultimate `remote control' for the tech savvy multi-tasker.

Of course the SKII is a bit larger than I'd like it to be but then again, I no longer have to carry my PDA, cell phone and laptop everywhere I go! The SKII makes surfing the web easy, convenient and discreet. The clarity of the phone is good and I love the speakerphone function. The camera is decent - daytime pics come out the best! I'm loyal to Nokia's but the SKII isn't too far off par - it is quite user friendly (if you are proficient with cell phones and computers) and it keeps me busy with all the customizations (ring tones, general functionality, downloadable programs). And how can you resist a phone with a full QWERTY keyboard?! I can type a message at normal speeds and I don't have to press a number a zillion times to get the right letter nor do I have to deal with the auto-text that ends up inserting the wrong word.

However, T-Mobile service could be a little better... Granted, I do get more coverage and signal strength than Nextel (and T-Mobile does piggy-back off of the `new and improved' Cingular), sometimes my calls go directly to voicemail even though I have full bars (I'm in the SF Bay Area but travel to N. and S. Cali often). As for Customer Service, I was able to port my number sucessfully and I haven't had a problem so far with incoherent or rude representatives, but I do find that they are not very knowledgeable. If you have any questions about how to use your SKII or etc, I highly suggest you do a search on www.hiptop.com first. I get all my questions answered here. (i.e. The SKII doesn't support Java so if you were to check YahooMail on your SKII then you won't be able to reply to messages. This really bugged me because I bought the SKII thinking that I could respond to emails in my Yahoo account. So, I called TMO's CS and all they said was that the SKII didn't support Java and there was nothing I could do about it. What they didn't tell me is that Yahoo has a non-Java based website for mobile customers which does allow you to check and respond to Yahoo emails - perfect.)

Overall, I don't think I could ever go back to a regular ol' cell phone. I love being able to Google something or check the Yellow Pages (no more $$$ charges for 411!) without having to be at home or even wait to boot up my computer. And for the ultimate computer whiz... the SKII supports SSH and Telnet.

As a happy owner of a Sidekick 2 and T-Mobile customer I'm saddened by the many inaccuracies and outright falsehoods in most of the posted reviews.

The phone itself is no easier or harder to hack than any other. What can be hacked is the web interface, which is probably what happened to Paris Hilton. Make sure you use https://www.t-mobile.com to log in, and don't choose an easy password. Problem solved unless a really skilled hacker wants your info (you probably aren't that important), in which case the hacker will get it anyway.

You do not have to flip the screen to dial. When you start the phone program, there's a keypad icon on the far left. Scroll over to it, click it, and you can use the keypad to dial. This works checking your voicemail as well. It isn't as convienent as a standard phone, true, but it's a ton better than reported by some.

I've had my Sidekick 2 for about four months, and have dropped it at least a half dozen times from waist height, even onto conrete. The phone is still doing fine, despite some scratchees, which I'll get to later.

Internet browsing is slow, if you don't turn off pictures. Most, if not all, websites I go to can be navigated fine without pictures, and the screen isn't big enough to display most website images properly anyway. With pictures turned off I can load almost every website in under a minute. If I have full signal (4 bars) I can load most websites in under 15 seconds. Signal strength does matter.

There is no charge for an online photo album. It is included for free with the sidekick data package. Every photo you take is automatically uploaded for free. If for some reason you get any $9.95 setup charges or 29 cent upload charges, call customer service, they'll take care of it.

Ring tones sound great if you get the right ones. I have "American Idiot" by Green Day and the vocals and guitar come through nice and crisp. The included ringtones aren't particularly good, but that isn't a phone limitation.

Yahoo! Messenger is a free download, and works fine for me. I do get disconnected every hour and a half or so, but it reconnects immediately. I have had multiple conversations going on Yahoo! Messenger without problems.

If T-Mobile service in your area isn't good, switch to another provider. You can force your phone to pull signal from any GSM carrier in range. There are no roaming charges for voice calls or data calls on my plan, the 39.99 600 minute plan.

The camera is better than many cell phones, but it's still a cell phone camera. It's way better than either the LG5450 or Audiovox 8910, both of which I've owned. The flash is pretty bad, but so are all cameraphone flashes I've used. You can email pictures to any email address for free right from the phone's camera program, you certainly do not need to go to the T-Mobile website.

The phone isn't perfect, to be sure. The screen does stratch a bit too easilly. Mine has quite a few very minor scratches just from being in my pocket with loose change, and one big scratch from being in my pocket with my keys.

Voice quality isn't great either, but it's certainly clear enough for a conversation. Using the included hands free earbud helps a good bit, too.

I've had two service interuptions last longer than an hour. The second one lasted over a day, but T-mobile gave all Sidekick 2 customers a 20 dollar credit and a good number of free downloads.

I finally decided to buy the sidekick 2 , and i am in total awe.
I've had it for 3 days and cannot put it down.
i've set up my accounts, bought ringtones, the games are great.
its soo easy to use.
i knew what i was prepared for,after goin in to tmobile for a consultation and reading all feedback on here.

Reception:
Im in NYC and for me, reception is excellent.
i had deadspots in my house with my old samsung(at&t/cingular service)where i had NO RECEPTION AT ALL, with the sidekick..NO PROBLEM.

Camera:
NOT the best quality even in good light
my old samsung had better clarity, these pics come out a lil fuzzy and you can only hold 30 pics

Ringtones and Games:
are excellent and very easy to download
about 2 bucks a piece for song and games range from 2.99 to 5.99
and its billed to your account, so you just click "purchase and its on your phone in less than a minute, no goin to special settings and downloading it.
when you hit install, sidekick turns off and when it powers back up, games and ringtones are there

Its heavy compared to other phones and wide. i can deal with it

web browsin is excellent
ive bookmarked several message boards and can view them great
ebay.com..great
ive downloaded yahoo messenger, aol mail and instant message and its like having your own little laptop. i can connect all day with my buddy list and friends

i didnt give it five stars because of the camera, but otherwise this is a great investment at a great price.

and after 24 hours my old number was switched no problems

This is an incredible piece of machinery. The world is literally at your fingertips as all the information on the internet is sitting there waiting for you to access it. The SK 2 is so intuitive that you will only need to read the brochure to set up your email account. The device is well-made. I have had mine for 3 weeks and there is no paint chipping or keypad damage. The keypad is sealed so no dirt can get into it, which is a huge plus. As for the issue with some keys or key functions not lighting up, this is because the keypad cutouts are too opaque on those keys, not because the backlight doesn't work. It is definitely a design flaw, but it is not a big deal to me.
Reception is very good here in the Houston area, and the internet browser works very well. The speed is the same or slightly faster than a typical dial up. I get virtually every website I generally access in a scaled down version that is a pleasure to view. Java sites are not accessible, and this is definitely a flaw that I hope will be addressed, especially since the SK2 is itself built on a Java platform (most sites like ebay, amazon, google, etc. are NOT Java anyway) . Gmail is a Java site, but I just have the mail forwarded to my Pop3 account so it is automatically pushed to the device. Email is amazingly fast and reliable. I have had no problem getting all the emails sent to me. Attachments in email are embedded in the email itself and any hyperlinks are listed and hot at the end of the email. You can add up to 3 pop 3 accounts. SMS is also an option and works great as well.
I use Intellisync, available on the desktop of T-Mobile's website, to sync my Outlook addresses and calendar. For a one time 9.99 fee, it is a must have. It's all done wirelessly through an interface on your computer so there's no need for a USB cable and it's really easy to set up.
Next is the camera. It could be better. It has a flash, but inside pictures in average lighting come out grainy and dark. It's okay and useable, but if the camera had been a higher resolution, this would have been a 5 star device.
Finally is T-mobile service. I have called customer service on several occasions and have been a T-mobile customer for several years. I always get through and most times have very little wait. The regular techs do not have much knowledge about the SK2 so ask to be transferred to the division that handles them specifically if you have a technical problem.
The SK2 has proven to be so useful to me. As a true gadget freak, when I say it is my most treasured device, that means A LOT!!!
Update: I have now had this over 2 months, and I still think it is THE best device around. I have had no problems with T-Mobile or the service, but check out the February '05 issue of Mobile PC for coverage maps of all the major cell phone carriers and see if it's right for you. The web service is incredible. You can access
almost any site, and though it can be slow at times, speed is generally very reasonable. The device itself is holding up very well and has no paint or keypad rub off, and I use it ALL THE TIME!!!

We've had the Sidekick II for about two months. Although my 11-year-old likes it for its buttons and Gee Whiz value, I find it very awkward to use as a phone. It doesn't have a normal keyboard, so you must flip the screen up to press the keys, then flip the screen back down to listen and talk. When you get into a voicemail situation, you have to keep flipping the screen up to "press 1 for English", etc. Very annoying.

You also must pay an additional $20 per month if you want to browse the Internet, use Instant Messaging, or even Download Fun. Otherwise, all you get is phone calls and text messaging (which is also extra). Even the non-sidekick phones let you get T-Zones for Instant Messaging as a $5.00 option.

Another gripe is that the phone is falling apart after two months of not very rough usage. The screen no longer slips into place when flipped open and the letter "A" has fallen out. It occasionally just freezes for no reason. The first phone I received froze up the first day and had to be replaced.

The battery is built into the phone, so you can't take it out to let the phone reset itself. No such thing as having an extra battery on a trip, for example.

Internet browsing is cool, but so slow you think it stopped working. I think some of the fault is just the slow connection, but the other part of the fault is that the phone seems to take a long time to actually build the web page it's trying to display.

Oh, yeah. Another problem is that T-Mobile expects you to pay $9.95 to set up your album on its web site, then 29 cents for each photo you upload to it.

The phone is too large and heavy and has poor quality voice reproduction. You can't use wallpaper and the ring tones sound terrible.

Although it looks good on paper, it isn't really ready for prime time.

I have been using the sidekick since it launched. I have never had any major problems with it. It used to have trouble connecting in some area but this new one is AMAZING. I am staying connected everywhere. It even works in the elevator of the building I work in and NOTHING ever worked in the elevator. I am also holding calls when I drive through areas my older Nokia used to lose the call. It is amazing. I don't know how they do it since there is no antenna to raise. The older sidekick had the antenna inside as well but this one is much better.

This I really like, great IM functionality, really good email and I love the web browser. It has a small screen but the web looks like the web. It is really useful for winning trivia contests in bars!

This new one is much thinner, much more comfortable to use as a phone and has a speakerphone which rocks. And the keyboard is still the best for answering emails or firing off quick text messages that dont have to be abbreviated all to hell.

Plus, every time I flip it open I think I am in the 23rd century. Where is my hovercar?

I've been living with my Sidekick II for about a month now and it has really changed how I live my life.

I was never really into cell phones. I hated being "always available" and hated even more carrying around something that was only good for one thing. I avoided getting a PDA because the ones I tried were too complex to figure out how to use, and no fun to use, so I knew it would become another useless weight to carry.

What interested me about the SKII was the full keyboard. Plus, I figured that if they were marketing to youth that it would be fun to use, they would have built it to be fun to use.

I went to the T-Mobile store near me and asked to play with their working demo model. I found the interface to be very intuitive and I felt comfortable right away adding appointments and making notes. With the fantastic rebates available on Amazon, I went ahead and ordered one.

I had a little problem getting my number ported, not in the actual porting, just in getting to the right department to do the porting. I would have thought that selecting the option that went with "if you have a new T-Mobile phone and need to move your old number to it" would work, but apparantly not. I probably spoke with 6 different *very nice* people before finally getting the number ported. Very weird.

I keep the phone with me all the time. I don't use the web browsing too much, mostly because it is a bit slow. I mostly use it to look up freeway speeds right before I need to commit to getting on the freeway. I love the notes feature best, I also love that it "pushes" your e-mail to you. In general, everything about the phone is very easy to use. The phone has a navigational pad that has LED lights behind it that can be programmed to give you silent alerts about what sort of message you are recieving (aim, text, e-mail, or just that your webpage finished loading).

A lot of people don't like using the phone as an actual phone because of the form factor. Personally, I like having a larger phone that really fits in my hand. The only reason I use an earpiece attachment is because I don't like getting all the oil from my face and hair on the screen. There are a zillion ways to dial the phone. You can select from a list of recently called numbers, or you can select from your address book, or you can dial by scrolling through a set of numbers that pop up on the screen. That's just the dialing you can do without opening the phone to reveal the keyboard. If you do that, you can dial using either the regular set of numbers of a set of letter keys that are designated as numbers for dialing. The sound quality on the phone is actually really good, and the speakerphone is fantastic.

I've had no real coverage issues. I had a data coverage problem when I traveled out of state, but turning off and on the phone seemed to fix it.

The only bad thing about the phone is that the platform is locked-down, which means I haven't been able to get ringtones other than the limited ones that T-Mobile sells (although the phone comes with a good range of ringtones and alerts).

I also bought a "cellskin" for my phone, so now it is trimmed in a slightly-sparkly pink.

Some tips:

If you live in So-cal, you need to keep data roaming turned *on* other wise you will not have data service.

Another tip is that you can use a picture that you have taken on the camera as a caller ID photo and then delete the photo from your gallery and it will still be used as a caller ID photo.

When I first got the phone it did not "wake up" to remind me about events and appointments. This was very annoying! But it recently started to do so. I'm puzzled, but happy.

There are lots of keyboard shortcuts, hidden features and other tips. If you buy a Sidekick II, you should do a quick skim of the boards at the website for the makers of sidekick, hiptop.

This is a great product which is fun to use. It does not support corporate e-mail, but everything else about it is great for both "youth" and us adult-types.

Updated 8/8/05

I still love my Sidekick II. The screen proved to be a bit more scratch-attracting than I would have liked, but it still works great. Data (and e-mail) blackouts of up to a day happen about once a month. Blackouts of longer than a day only happen once every few months. Please note that T-Mobile recently changed the specifics of the insurance offered for this device, and the program is now more expensive and doesn't provide the same amount of coverage.

New things I've learned about my Sidekick II : it plays music files that are emailed to you, and the personalized web interface (with your calendar, and e-mails and pictures) is really excellent and user-friendly.

I almost always have my sidekick II with me. I make my grocery list, google for the nearest thrift store or the answer to a nagging trivia question, and text message up a storm.

[...]. The sidekick 2 is a great device, and I have owned one for several months. While it is true that the data was down for a couple of days last week, it was because Danger (the manufacturer of the device that also runs the servers that the sidekick uses to connect to the internet) was updating their servers.

The camera, while nothing special, is a nice feature for taking those pictures that you'd never get a chance to take. You can send unlimited pictures to any email address for free- there is no extra charge, ever, and you certainly don't have to go to a website to get your pictures.

For instant messaging, AIM works flawlessly. It was well integrated into the sidekick, and the ease of use is far beyond what had I expected- for example, you can switch between conversations by using the shoulder buttons, and when you are talking to someone and get a new message from someone else, a little number comes up in the corner of the screen, and you press menu-(number) to switch to that conversation! You get to access your ENTIRE buddy list, unlike other cell phones which only allow you to see buddies you but on a special "Mobile" list from your computer, which you can only have 30 buddies on at a time. The instant messaging is what I use the most, by far. I haven't tried yahoo messenger since nobody I know uses it, but I've heard that there are lots of problems with it. AOL Instant Messenger, as I said before, works perfectly.

Web Browsing- Yes, the web browser is slow. Don't expect a high speed internet conenction when you buy this. It's using a wireless cell phone network! There are plenty of sites designed for devices like this, including many popular sites such as yahoo, amazon, etc. I suggest that you go to pdaportal dot com. You can find many mobile versions of sites here. Of course, you can go to the regular version of sites as well, but don't expect anything to load quickly

Email- The built in email client is great.[...]. It makes it very easy to send off a message, attach a picture, etc. Your emails are automatically downloaded onto your sidekick, and you can have it alert you when you get a new message (you can choose from various blinking light patterns, vibration, sounds, or even download something else). You can also access your emails from your computer by going to tmobile.com, logging in, and clicking "desktop interface". (You can also look at notes you've made, your to do list, your calendar, and pictures you have taken from here). Back to the email client- you can also set up POP forwarding from your current email account- so all your messages from, say, your Yahoo email account can also be sent to your sidekick. (Note: You may have to pay your current email provider a fee to do this- for example, I had to upgrade my email to Yahoo Premium, which, for $20 a year, gives me 2GB of storage, POP forwarding, and various other features).

The sidekick also has a to-do list, a notes application, and a calendar, all which are wirelessly updated between your phone and the desktop interface- so if you add a note on your sidekick, you can see it from your computer, etc.

You can also use it as a phone, which has worked a lot better than I expected. It does have a speakerphone. You can also use the wonderful qwerty keypad to send out tons of text messages- unlimited, of course.

Design- The sidekick will definitely turn heads. It is very cool looking, and is a lot of fun to use. The keypad is awesome- very spacious and comfortable to use. Due to the sidekick's innovative flip out design, the keypad is much larger than other phone-pda combos. For example, the treo's keypad is barely a third of the size of the sidekick's, and is a pain to type messages on.

With T-Mobile, I am getting:
-Unlimited Web Browsing
-Unlimited Instant Messaging
-Unlimited Text Messaging
-Unlimited Picture Messaging
All for just a 20 dollar add-on to my voice plan! Shop around- There isn't a better deal!

Aside from the poor camera, there is absolutely nothing I dislike about the sidekick II, and service from T-Mobile has been great in my area. For being free after rebates, nothing can beat this device!

I hope you found my review helpful!

This is hands down the best phone I've ever owned. I see other people have had problems with theirs and I can't fathom why. It seems that rather than switching networks (with this phone if you don't have decent service in your area with t-mobile's network, you can switch to another carrier's network) or calling technical support to investigate the possibility of faulty equipment - they complain.

All I can say is: if you can't hear the person talking, turn the volume up. This phone is loud enough. I even have to turn it DOWN half the time. I've owned my share of cell phones and this one has volume superior to most. I don't mean to offend anyone here, but I seriously can't understand how the volume wouldn't be loud enough unless the phone had a defect or you have trouble hearing in general.

In addition to having many devices in the past, I've been through a few companies as well: Cellular One (now Alltel), Sprint, AT&T, and then Cingular. I never stayed with a carrier much past the contract expiration date, except for AT&T. Well, Cingular took over and my customer service experience and phone quality declined greatly. So far, T-Mobile has been better than all of the aforementioned companies. I haven't tried Verizon, but from what I hear, once I do, I'll never be with another carrier. One drawback... no Sidekick. I've wanted to own a sidekick since they came out - it's always seemed so revolutionary a device to me.

PROS:
* large beautiful screen
* very easy to navigate
* syncs with outlook calendar, tasks, contacts (a MUST have) and easy enough to manage
* all info is stored and accessible on T-mobile's website, so you don't have to worry about losing your data
* phone allows for 3 pop accounts in addition to tmail account
* FREE yahoo IM and calculator downloads
* I can make phone calls inside my house and office - how many others can say that?! lol
* had to call customer service and it only took 5 min and they solved the issue the FIRST TIME. (Top THAT, Cingular!)
* no complaints about T-mobile service. I seem to always have reception for phone AND data
* ok, the COOLEST part has to be that you can download the sidekick sdk and develop applications for your own device
...too much to type here, the list goes on!

CONS:
* camera is low quality and the flash is a joke, but it works and that's not what i look for in a phone, anyway
* notes don't sync with outlook
* browser is a little slow, but turn the pictures off and its fine
* short battery life, understandable with all it has to do!

BOTTOM LINE: I'm a believer. Don't let the naysayers ruin it for you. The sidekick is not without flaws, but what is? Even so, it's WELL worth the $200 and the pros DEFINITELY outweigh the cons. I would order this phone ALL over again. I'm hooked!