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Color Sidekick to be Released Tomorrow
Posted by
CmdrTaco
on Thu Jun 05, 2003 09:23 AM
from the hardware-to-desire dept.
from the hardware-to-desire dept.
Saxton writes "Just announced by hiptop.com's T-Mobile Rep, the awaited Color Sidekick will be available at CompUSA and 1-800-TMOBILE tomorrow. The thread is here. Now available is a data-only plan for $29.99, and you can now use any other T-Mobile price plan with the Sidekick. Anyone meeting me at CompUSA tomorrow morning?" Here is
my Review of the Original device, which I still think is among the most useful portable electronic devices I've seen. I'm looking forward to testing out the new version to see what improvements have been made to an already great unit.
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lol... (Score:2)
but at least this time it doesn't flash different colours on repeat refreshes....
SSH? (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:SSH? (Score:2)
Re:SSH? (Score:2)
Re:SSH? (Score:5, Informative)
Like you, I've been waiting and waiting and waiting for an SSH client for my SK. The fact that the application has existed for months, and that I've played with it on the emulator, and that it appears to be fully functional just makes the wait more frustrating.
Although the guys at Danger are relatively responsive and appear to be competent, they seem to have an excruciatingly long software developement cycle. Combine this with the closed nature of the SK's operating system and application distrubution mechanism, and I would be suprised if we have SSH running on the SK any time soon.
As I understand it, Danger must revise and upgrade the SideKick's operating system before you'll be able to install applications. And even after the upgrade, obtaining and installing new applications will never be straight-forward in the same way that it is with PalmOS or PocketPC phones. I suspect that the mass-distribution of applications will require the blessing and cooperation of Danger Inc. to provide the backend equipement for over-the-air installations.
Hopefully, this color SK will have the needed OS revisions to allow the installation of applications, or better yet come with SSH built-in.
Parent
SSH? Try harder... (Score:2)
Re:SSH? (Score:5, Informative)
Parent
Re:SSH? (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:SSH? (Handspring Treo does) (Score:3, Informative)
The really cool thing about the Treo is that you can hook it up via a USB cable to your laptop and get Internet access anywhere you have a Sprint PCS connection. This means that you can be on the Internet pretty much anywhere without worrying about wireless hotspots. (Treo [treocentral.com]
Color Timekeeper (Score:3, Funny)
Compusa (Score:5, Informative)
http://www.compusa.com/products/product_info.as
It looks like they are in stock and available for pickup in the Northeast US. The price seems high, and they will probably change it to $299 on friday.
Re:Compusa (Score:5, Informative)
Parent
Re:Compusa (Score:2)
and 2.) I think people are smart enough (at least here) to figure it out
and 3.) if they cant...screw em, they dont deserve the color sidekick
piccies? (Score:2, Funny)
Features I need (Score:4, Funny)
I am boycotting these so-called "PDAs" until they provide the following features.
In the meantime, I'm sorry but this gets a 2.5 out of 10 on the Seth Finklestein scale of greatness.
Re:Features I need (Score:3, Informative)
Funny post... but c'mon, give it at least a 3.5!
Re:Features I need (Score:2)
Re:Features I need (Score:2, Funny)
And you get a 10 out of 10 on the Phil Evans scale of unnecessary embolding!
P
not 2 cents per kB (Score:2)
Another semi-redundant "I'd buy one if.." (Score:2, Interesting)
Oh, and a correction (Score:2, Funny)
Review (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Review (Score:5, Funny)
"Hey, what's up, John? Not much. I'm in the post office. Buying some stamps. Yep."
I get to hear:
*BEEDEEBEEP*
"Hey, it's John."
*BEEDEEBEEP*
"Hey, what's up, John?"
*BEEDEEBEEP*
"Not much, man. What's up with you?"
*BEEDEEBEEP*
"Not much."
*BEEDEEBEEP*
"Where are you?"
*BEEDEEBEEP*
"I'm in the post office."
*BEEDEEBEEP*
"Why?"
*BEEDEEBEEP*
"Bu
*BEEDEEBEEP*
"Do they have the ones with Mickey Mouse on them?"
*BEEDEEBEEP*
"Yep."
What happened to keeping your conversation to yourself? Damn kids.
Parent
flipsheet: a spreadsheet for the Hiptop (Score:2)
Meeting (Score:5, Insightful)
No. Have fun. Let's see what you will be getting (from the CompUSA site):
Full Color Web Browser to Access Virtually Any Website
Get Your Email & Wireless Calls In One Convenient Package
Get the Internet & POP3 Email, Send Photos** & Read Image Attachments
Two-way Text Messaging
Use Your Existing Screenname for AOL Instant Messenger & AOL Mail
Wireless Synchronization
Flip Screen Reveals Qwerty Keyboard
32MB of RAM
When I see things like this I think, "why?" Some people need to be this connected, but I think that number is small. For the rest, I wonder why people have a need to stay so connected. Fear of loneliness or lack of feeling important? It seems an antisocial way of being social. For me, I'm happy being alone at times...not only alone but unreachable.
Re:Meeting (Score:5, Insightful)
In fact it has been a tremendous convenience. There have been quite a few times that I've needed to call someone (like to ask my wife which brand of toilet paper to buy... important stuff like that
And being unreachable is really, really easy: turn off the phone, or mute it, or just don't answer it. I could be "unreachable" at my desk at work (just ask the people I used to work with!). It just requires some amount of self-control.
If you can't handle owning a mobile phone without feeling like it controls your life, you probably shouldn't own one. Good for you. For those of us who can handle it, its a great convenience.
Parent
Re:Meeting (Score:2)
Socially, it isn't that easy.
If people know that its your cell, they expect you to answer it or at least return your call very soon. If you don't, they will feel that you are ignoring them. "Why didn't they phone back? They carry their cell all the time."
Re:Meeting (Score:3, Interesting)
Seriously, I have a cell phone (or a regular phone) for *my* convenience. I pay the bill, I own it, I use it as I please. If it's someone I don't want to talk to, I don't answer it. The idea that, because you called me, I am somehow obligated to answer the phone or call you back immediately is ludicrous. Worst case scenario, establish a history of "accidentally" leaving your cell phone off, or in your car, or whatever. An electronic leash for work is one thing (they pay my bills). An volun
Great business tool (Score:2)
I on
Re:Great business tool (Score:3, Insightful)
And when she runs into me and I throw her cellphone/pda/whatever ubergadget into a river, she better be ready to shell out $300 for a new one and however much it costs to fix my car. The last thing we need are people using ssh during traffic, cell phones are enough of a problem. Use it in a cafe, fine, but in traffic? People have been shot for less here (seriously, thou
Re:Meeting (Score:2)
But, the IM'ing capability is good, especially when combined with the web browser.
As an alternative, Wyndtell [wynd.com] offers similar services, but, heck, you can get the sidekick from them too.
Can't sync my contacts? No thanks. (Score:2)
not impressed (Score:2)
and seriouslly,a data-only plan? geeks need lives-not another way to check slashdot
Re:not impressed (Score:2, Informative)
Real review (Score:5, Informative)
Cnet Color Hiptop Review [cnet.com]
Why I didn't get a Sidekick (Score:2)
That being the case, they need to make it much cheaper. I'm not going to pay $200 for the privilege of committing myself to using T-Mobile.
(Yes, I have an unlocked GSM phone.)
I'm looking for... (Score:2)
1. GSM or GPRS
2. PIM, preferrably Palm OS
3. BlueTooth enabled
Anyone know if these things are available in any products? Any product roundup reviews worth pointing to?
web proxy (Score:2, Troll)
I was going to get the B&W unit until I found out (from reading the message boards) that websites have to be "supported" by Danger in order to display on the Sidekick. In other words, if you go to an unsupported site, you get a "sorry" error mesage on your screen. Then you e-mail Danger and ask them to add the website, but people on the boards have complained that AFTER A YEAR it hasn't happened.
Re:web proxy (Score:3, Informative)
My advice, if there's a small number of sites you're most concerned about, is to post a list of them on the hiptop.com board and ask people to try them for you. Or go to a T-Mobile shop and try them yourself.
To clarify, it's not like you h
Is Sidekick a Niche Product? (Score:2, Interesting)
I don't see myself using $30/month worth of wireless Internet on a small screen in addition to a broadband connection. So is this a niche product
Borland Sidekick (Score:2, Funny)
Does this thing support SSH? (Score:2, Interesting)
I haven't heard nor have I been able to locate any information regarding an SSH client for the Sidekick, has anyone else?
My experience with the original Sidekick (Score:5, Informative)
Where it loses out is as a PIM-- the calendar has a very limited number of entries, and sync for the calendar and address book is only one-way. You can import your records from Outlook, but there's no getting them back out. Sync was expected Q1 this year, but hasn't materialized yet, so I wouldn't bank on that feature.
The Java SDK is cool, but so far there is no way for developers to actually put code on users' devices. So, although lots of great apps have been written, they can only run in the emulator.
And finally, while I really like the way the device was designed as a whole, whoever is assembling the device is not doing them justice. I am on my 4th unit in 6 months. Some folks at hiptop.com are on their 8th unit. For a device that hasn't even been available for a year! I'm hoping that they have fixed their issues with the release of the color unit, but I would wait a few months before purchasing to see how they're holding up.
I like the unlimited data plan, and I'll be keeping mine. It's great as a wireless IM client and to check webpages (but their proxy doesn't like games.slashdot.org), just don't expect it to be everything they list in their features list. It's like a video game-- it got released before it was ready, and it's going to be a while before all the patches get put in place. And don't expect it to last more than 2 or 3 months. Fortunately, they've been good about shipping replacements.
Sidekick is decent device with some negatives (Score:3, Informative)
Cons
-The phone is still awkward to use after 8+ months of use, and the audio quality of the phone is pretty poor.
-The lack of Outlook synching is a major negative for me and I'm sure many other business users. Danger seems to be of the opinion that this device is for kids and hip twentysomethings that don't use corporate email.
-T-Mobile's network coverage really sucks even in areas where they supposedly offer solid coverage. It's funny that most of the time I can maintain a solid signal at home or at the office, but almost 20% of the time I get no signal in these exact same places.
-The devices are very fragile. I'm on my third unit. The first had a major screen crack within a week of purchase even with no drops. The second just inexplicably lost receiving ability and had to be replaced.
-Too bulky to be pocketable. This one isn't a big deal to me, but it is quite thick for pocket carrying, and there is a real lack of beltable carrying cases on the market.
-No email filtering. My Sidekick access multiple POP3 accounts, and there's no way to separate those into separate folders, they are all just dumped into the Inbox.
Pros
-The easiest data entry on a portable device I've used. I've used just about every type of PDA on the market, including the Treo, Clie, and Zaurus with keyboards, and nothing comes close to the Sidekick keyboard.
-Web browsing is outstanding. None of the WAP that most portable devices offer, this is a full-fledged browser that works great in most cases.
-Portable email works very well. This sort of goes along with the ease of data entry point above, but it's as easy for me to email from my Sidekick as it is from my desk PC. And as long as co-workers don't read email headers, they don't know if I'm at my desk or on the road with my setup.
-It's always connected. No need to engage a dial-up connection. Just open the browser and you're pulling down data right away. And email is always-on and checking for new mail.
-Very affordable. Comparable hybrid PDA/phone devices are hundreds of dollars more. The B&W model even got below $100 after a few months.
I'm not a heavy phone user, so the Sidekick has worked well for me. I basically view it as a portable communications device rather than a phone or PDA. It's not a great phone, it's not a great PDA, but it is a great all-purpose device. If only they could get Outlook synching to work, I might consider upgrading. As it is, I'll be looking at other devices once my contract runs out.
Upgrades available (Score:3, Informative)
Re:I like the red title bar (Score:2)
Um, I meant "...only works in IE." I dont' know what I'm smoking. Probably Microsoft products. Those things are bad for your brain.
Sheesh, I even previewed before posting.
Re:Not the only bug.. (Score:2)
Damned ugly they are.
Re:Is this a good NAV tool? (Score:4, Interesting)
It is quite useful on the road.
Parent
Re:Is this a good NAV tool? (Score:2)
Subscribers (Score:2)
I believe subscribers see the pretty red articles for EVERY article that is posted, 10-15 minutes before us mortals do. Note that back when the article was red, there was also a "Report any errors/problems with this story" link that I've never seen before and disappeared when the story became green.