Sidekick 2008 Review
T-Mobile Sidekick 2008
The Sharp Sidekick 2008 on T-Mobile is the newest device in the popular Sidekick lineup. The majority of the devices that I’ve looked at and used over the past few years have been Smart phones, so I went into this one with a very different mindset. This $149 handset offers the versatility to use multiple IM clients at the same time, but lacks both Google Talk and Skype, 2 that I use the most frequently. Many will find this phone only an incremental step above previous Sidekick devices, yet, I couldn’t seem to put it down.
In the Box
· Sidekick 2008
· 1 Standard 1030 mAh Lithium Ion Battery
· AC charger (mini USB port)
· One Extra Shell
· Stereo Headset
· Mini USB cable
· 512MB MicroSD card
· Various guides and CDs
Specs
This Quad Band GSM (850/900/1800/1900) phone has GPRS/EDGE for its always-on connectivity. The dimensions of the Sidekick measure 4.72” by 2.26” by .73” and it has a weight of 4.8 oz. For comparison, the Treo 750 measures 4.37” by 2.28” by .87” and has a weight of 5.4oz. The display is decent at 2.6 inches with a resolution of 400 by 240. The Bluetooth sports an open stack, allowing for A2DP music playback, as well as file transfer and printing to BT enabled printers.
The battery is a 1030 mAh model that seems to be quite adequate for the handset. I used it for messaging primarily, but made quite a few calls with it as well. I found I needed to charge it every other day, which was more than acceptable for me. The 2.0MP camera faired well versus others with its same quality. Again, it’s still not up to the optics of a standalone camera, but will give you something to use when you need it. The phone has a MicroSD slot under the back cover that supports cards up to 4GB.
The most unique feature of the phone is of course its flip up screen revealing a full qwerty keyboard with dedicated numbers row. As the phone is geared towards messaging, the spacious keyboard works very well.
Phone
As a phone, I found the Sidekick 2008 a bit difficult to use. In order to call any number other than you’re My Faves or Recent calls, you must open the flipping mechanism. Once the number has been called, you then close the screen, or hold a rather awkward open device to your head. Not the easiest phone I’ve ever used. Signal strength was on par with my use of other T-Mobile devices, however the sound quality was considered fair.
Data/Internet
This is where the Sidekick excels. Keep in mind that the EDGE speeds of the device aren’t going to appeal to the 3G junkie, but the built in web browser functions nicely, with full screen layouts on most sites. Email is accessible through either POP or IMAP access, and setup is easy. AOL and Yahoo are the preferred clients, but aren’t required.
Hardware
Starting with the front, the Sidekick has many buttons for easy access to multiple functions. Left of the screen has a menu button, the speaker (which also doubles as a 4 way d-pad) and the dedicated My Faves button for T-Mobile. Right of the screen is a close button, send and end keys, a back button and the track wheel. I found the trackball to be similar to the one on the Blackberry Pearl, and was able to maneuver quickly through the menu system.
The bottom has the volume up and down keys and the power button. The top has 2 soft buttons, one that gives you access to Picture mail, and the other to the camera. Also on top are the 3.5mm headset jack and the Mini-USB charging port. On the back is the 2.0MP camera, however there is no flash.
Software/Features
On the inside, the Sidekick menu system is easy to learn, but at times archaic. I found myself often wondering if it was made for a child, and then realized that isn’t far off. The teen based device has the functions that the younger age group demands at the top of its menus, such as Downloading games/ring tones, Instant Messaging, and Phone Messaging. The address book, organizer and Applications fall lower in the list. Highly customizable though, the Sidekick allows the user to make it their own. Setting themes and styles to suit your needs, it becomes part of you.
Overall
While there isn’t a lot negative to say about the phone, it fell a little short in impressing me. I constantly felt like a man trying to reclaim his youth by choosing the “cool” phone to use. There is just something about Paris Hilton that gets stuck in your brain when you look at it. The Instant Messaging features though kept me using it day after day, even if I wasn’t able to communicate with my services of choice.
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[...] Mickey Papillon The Cell Phone Junkie has just posted up a great review of the Sidekick 2008. This Quad Band GSM (850/900/1800/1900) phone has GPRS/EDGE for its always-on connectivity. The dimensions of the Sidekick measure 4.72” by 2.26” by .73” and it has a weight of 4.8 oz. For comparison, the Treo 750 measures 4.37” by 2.28” by .87” and has a weight of 5.4oz. More details after the break. [...]
Please know that the bottom left button is not a myfaves button, it is the jump button.
It will take you back to the jump menu if pressed alone, but if pressed with another key, it can take you to any other feature instantly without having to navigate through the jump menu.
yeah uhm. left button under the speaker is not a myfaves button, and it really doesn’t seem to be for teens at all. yes, it is mostly teens that have sidekicks, but you’re basing that on the fact you can download games and ringtones… what phone doesn’t do that? and what “child” would memorize all of the shortcuts the phone has? just because a phone is nice and easy to use does not mean it is made for a child. i bought my sidekick 08 after selling my iphone, since i switched to t-mobile. the only thing the sidekick doesn’t have as well as the iphone is the browser. the speeds were about the same but safari was better than the sidekick’s browser.
and with the sidekick you don’t have to open the keyboard to dial a number.
just wantedd to say that i love the sidekick 2008.
I also wanted to make note that the bottom left key is not a myfaves button, it’s the jump key.
Just letting you know.!
=]
I just saw one this afternoon. When i first saw the keyboard I thought “naaahhh”. But then I used that keyboard for a while, and I like it. It’s different than most keyboards. the keys are small, rubbery and raised. When you press a key it gives you a hard solid feedback and I think there was a little audible click too – not electronic, but mechanical. The t-mobile salesman explained – after you get used to the device you put your thumbs on the two upper left and right keys – 1 and 0. from there your thumbs immediately find out where the f and j keys are and you’re off touch typing while staring off into space. He gave me an extensive over an hour long tour of the entire system.
also something i had not heard. He said Danger has been making a TON of upgrades since microsoft came onboard, so that was good to hear.
is this phone skinny????
plzzz answer!!!! (;
It is fairly skinny, but that is a pretty relative question. Compared to some phones, you may consider it bulky. See the specs in he review for the dimensions.
I like my sidekick becuz of the costomizable face plates and the only thing is u can’t dowload your own songs and put them as ringtones u have to buy eveything except themes if u go to sk08themes.com its a sit for free themes and another thing is u can’t watch youtube videos or anything unless u download it to ya phone by computer that sucks….
Just wanted to let you know that you don’t have to open the screen to dial a number. When you are on the call screen, look at the bottom left corner and click on the keypad. That brings up a numerical keypad that you can navigate with the trackball. This is my 3rd sk and I am satisified with it. The id was totally gay but the battery lasted much longer on that one.
hi. just to start I had a sk2 on prepaid plan a few months ago. I loved it!! my family has a att fam plan and I have a cheap phone to talk with. Lots of mins with them. I ‘m not very crazy about att though. Anyway, I had a prepaid sk2 and was loving it then it died. sad sad. I think i over charged it or something. I didn’t have the money to get another one till now. I have been looking for a new phone and even considered att quickfire. What crap!! Last night I went to bestbuy and looked at the sk08. Its so small! At least compared to sk2. Its bigger than a normal phone though. Still I like it. I wish thay had a demo model that worked. I wanted to see the software also but there wasn’t one. Question though, Is there any lag? also, How well is the brouser? Can you change the font on the websites? Does this one handle frames ok like fanfiction.com? thanks
I just purchased a sidekick 08 yesterday, left it charging over night and when i unplugged it this morning the lightning bolt was gone and it was fully charged. Its been on for about 6 hrs and the battery is already down to its last bar. How long is the battery normally supposed to stay charged for? and exactly how long are you supposed to charge it the first time and every time after? the manual didn’t give these specifics. Plz help. thanks.
Sounds like a battery issue. i would say that the first charge should take a few hours, but it should last longer than 6 hours. Charge it up again and discharge it, do that a few times, and you may see some benefit and longer battery.
I have a question..ok so remember when u first got the phone u had to manually add the myfaves application so it would show on the menu..(I think the booklet had the directions) ok well I took my battery out and my myfaves icon is gone. So I need2 know how to get it back cuz I dnt remember and I cnt find my booklet PLZ HELP ASAP! THX!