| Danger Sidekick 3 Expert Reviews |
| |
Danger Sidekick 3 -- by Joni Blecher Follow me on Twitter--September 25th 2006 |
| Full Review |
| The Sidekick 3 or SK3 may not sport a revolutionary change in design or interface from its predecessors; but that’s fine with us. Honestly, if something’s not broke don’t fix it. Instead, the folks at Danger added subtle improvements to an already well-rounded device. The Sidekick 3 is now equipped with features that are standard on many other cell phones, such as Bluetooth, 1.3-megapixel camera, MP3 player and access to a higher-speed data connection. The nice thing about these additions is that they haven’t been implemented at the cost of something else. The big question is should you buy the SK3? If this is your first dip in the Hiptop/Sidekick pool and you’re all about messaging, we suggest taking the plunge. |
| |
| Call Quality |
Calls and speakerphone: Even though the Sidekick 3 might not strike you immediately as the best device to make calls on, to its credit, the call quality is actually quite good. Callers said we were loud and clear. Although, we rarely needed to adjust the volume using the side volume keys we must admit that the key placement is a bit odd. The volume keys are at the top of the device and when on a call it’s hard to reach them comfortably. However, that said, we found the phone comfortable for long chats. Though it’s not the best look to be chatting away on a Sidekick as if it’s a standard cell phone, it is quite comfortable resting cradled between ear and shoulder.
The speakerphone  , quality did not do as well. Callers said we sounded tinny, distant and random background noise kept appearing. But still it’s a nice feature to have in a cell phone like this.
Audio Playback: An MP3 player is included in this version of the Sidekick. We found playback of MP3s over the Sidekick’s speakers to be loud and clear. Additionally, when you use the included stereo headset, music is clear and loud -- even at the softest settings. |
| |
| Ease of Use |
Menu/Phonebook: A quick glance at the Sidekick 3’s screen and it is clear this cell phone is meant for a younger audience. It’s filled with graphical icons that are friendly and that immediately identify what each icon represents (for example, there’s a picture of a stereo for the music player). Initially, using the Sidekick 3 can be a bit daunting because it’s not initially clear what all the buttons do exactly. But if you play with it for about 10 to 15 minutes maneuvering through the menus becomes second nature. The best reference we can provide for this phenomenon is a typewriter’s keys. The first time you look at the order of the keys it doesn’t make much sense, but once you type a bit you find yourself saying “Of course, this is how it should be.” You can store up to 2,000 contacts in the phonebook and include five phone numbers, street address, an e-mail address, IM info, notes and a web URL (you know, in case you need to quickly check out someone’s MySpace page)
Camera: Another improvement on the Sidekick 3 is the inclusion of a 1.3-megapixel camera with a flash. You can access the camera either through the main menu or by pressing the top right hand shoulder key. You can send a picture to any e-mail address. We found picture quality to be pretty good. A nifty feature is the ability to sort pictures. You can sort by date or name assigned to each photo.
Music: Another first for this rendition of the Sidekick is the inclusion of an MP3 player. The cell phone only supports MP3s – no Microsoft WMA music files or Apple iTunes AAC files. As noted earlier, you can listen to songs either through the Sidekick’s speakers or through the included headphones. The player does have a few features worth noting, such as shuffle, repeat, playlists and the ability to reorder songs in a playlist with a simple scroll of the wheel.
Messaging: Above all else, the Sidekick 3 is a messaging device and this is something the cell phone does extremely well. It’s easy to use any of the three IM clients (AIM, Yahoo and MSN); just enter you user name and password, hit connect and you’re good to go. It also supports most e-mail programs (IMAP4 and POP3) so you can send/receive e-mail as well. While this isn’t necessarily a corporate device, we wouldn’t be surprised if hip young executives opted for a Sidekick 3 instead of the more buttoned down Blackberry.
We should note that you’ll receive e-mail on the Sidekick 3 promptly. In fact, occasionally, e-mails would show up faster on the Sidekick than on a computer. We suspect that this is partly due to the push-system it uses to deliver mail and the fact that this device supports the higher-speed EDGE data network (Think: DSL lite).
Connectivity /Bluetooth: There are a couple ways to make a computer connection with the Sidekick 3. First, the easiest is that it comes with a USB cable. We used that to connect to a PC and drag over MP3 songs to store on the included MiniSD memory card. Secondly, this iteration of the Sidekick includes Bluetooth, which can be used to make calls with a compatible Bluetooth headset or connect to a Bluetooth-enabled cell phone. |
| |
| Design |
Look and Feel: Design and style-wise the Sidekick 3 isn’t a lot different than the Sidekick 2 or the original. And, really, why mess with something that works so well. It’s clear upon first glance that the Sidekick is more about text-driven communication than verbal chat. The SK3 is slightly slimmer and thinner than its predecessor. Translation: it’s still going to take up a decent chunk of pocket or purse space and it will likely feel like you’re carrying around a second wallet. It does have the same lift and swivel display that exposes the cell phone’s keyboard. The color display is still hard to view in direct sunlight.
The only other major visible difference is the trackball, not unlike a trackball mouse. When not in use the trackball flashes a bright blue. This replaces the scroll wheel. We found it easy to use and not too sensitive to the touch , which makes maneuvering through the Sidekick 3’s menus a snap. However, if you’ve never used a Sidekick before, mastering the buttons on the face of the cell phone will take some time.
Also, new to this model is the addition of a memory slot for a MiniSD card. A 64MB card is included, which you can use to store about 12 songs. Like a few cell phones today, the memory card is hidden in the Sidekick, so you’ll need to remove the rubber-like back cover to access it. But we do appreciate that you don’t have to remove the battery to swap out cards. A nice touch.
Keypad: Clearly, the Sidekick 3 is all about the full keyboard. You can dial numbers from the keyboard in two ways: either via the numeric keys at the top of the keyboard or on the numbered keys that can be found on the actual letter keys – ala the Blackberry and Treo keyboards. The plastic keys are easy to use for just about any finger size. |
| |
| Battery Life |
| Unfortunately, battery life on the Sidekick 3 is not fabulous. Heavy texters, web surfers and message addicts will likely need to charge the cell phone nightly. In fact, these users may even want a spare charger for the car. But if you use the cell phone to send/receive a few text messages and e-mails, make a couple of calls you’ll need to charge it every other day. But when we used the cell phone to occasionally check messages in a pinch and play a game or listen to a few songs, the Sidekick 3 managed to last three days before needing more juice. |
| |
|
Danger Sidekick 3 Expert Rating
