The Facts:   Being on the go has never been easier with Danger, Inc.’s Sidekick II hiptop cell phone at your side.  The gadget is crammed full of useful stuff: cell phone, text messaging, 6 MB email account, easily-hidden/accessed QWERTY keyboard, integrated camera with flash, speakerphone, Yahoo and AOL Instant Messenger systems, address book with photo caller ID, web browser, notepad, games, an upgrades link, an organizer that synchronizes wirelessly through a desktop interface, and a to-do list and calendar, both with audible/visual reminders.   The Sidekick II weighs in at 7 ounces and the lithium polymer battery provides up to 4.5 hours of talk time and two-and-a-half days of stand-by time.  Bigger than the average cell phone, the Sidekick II measures at 5.1x2.6x0.9 inches.   T-Mobile sells the cell device for around $250, but if you watch for ads on the television and your local newspaper, you may be able to get a better deal when the sales roll around.  By the way, rumor has it that the Sidekick III is due out either by the end of this year or the beginning of next, so the price on the Sidekick II is sure to drop.   Call plans for the Sidekick II range in price based on your calling needs, but the unlimited web browser, text messaging and email stay at $20 a month.

How it Works:   The features of the Sidekick II are accessed from the “jump screen” by highlighting an icon and pressing the scroll button.  To access the QWERTY keyboard, apply a slight amount of pressure to the bottom right-hand corner of the full-color screen and voila!  The flip-up ‘monitor’ reveals a well-designed keyboard, complete with an integrated number pad.   All of the features of the phone/PSD (personal savior device!) are fully adjustable, from backlighting to personalized ringers.  There’s even an ambient light sensor users can activate so the phone will ‘sense’ when an insufficient light requires the backlight to switch on.  How’s that for technology?   For the Deaf and people with hearing impairments, there are free accessible downloads for IP-RELAY.com and Sprint Relay Wireless, not to mention the text messaging, email, and Yahoo and AOL Instant Messaging capabilities.

Dislikes:   The integrated camera takes pictures of poor quality, compared to some less expensive phones on the market, and the flash is not even worth using, unless the object you are photographing is right in front of the lens. Hopefully the developers of the Sidekick III have taken this into consideration.   The flip-up screen is so sensitive it flips up at times when it’s not needed.   In a time when cell phones are becoming smaller and smaller, the Sidekick II goes with the idea that bigger is better.  With the Sidekick II, you sometimes feel like you’re talking into a garage door-opener or that you’ve traveled through a time warp and are speaking into a cell phone made in the Eighties.  However, when you consider the size of some of the other PDA’s on the market, the Sidekick II starts to appear Lilliputian.   I bought my seventeen-year-old a Sidekick II and her monthly cell phone bill was $50 over what it should have been.  The reasonably-priced downloadable games, ringtones, and other applications can add up quickly for an undisciplined wastrel.   Finally, if you’re the type of person who is easily distracted, do not bring the Sidekick II to work, school, or church service during the first month of ownership: the games are sinfully sidetracking.

Recommendation: Recommended   Overall, the Sidekick II earns a gold star from our editorial staff.  Its easy-to-use features make even the crankiest of technophobes smile from ear to ear.  Plus, who can resist the downloadable (for a small fee) games, ringtones, and personal productivity applications? Why do we like phones so much?  Because keeping in touch with people is one of the things that makes Life so Full!       © 2005 J Carlton Media LLC

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