T-Mobile Sidekick LX Unboxing
Not happy to let the T-Mobile Sidekick be the only device to keep its name, T-Mobile has, as you all know, released the update to the Sidekick LX named… the Sidekick LX. Similarities don’t end there, however. We’ve covered the device a little bit but we’ve now got a unit of our own and in addition to some unboxing photos, here are some of our continued first impressions:
The screen is possibly the best screen we’ve seen on a mobile device. RIM really nailed it with the Bold and 8900 but we think the ‘kick take it one level further. Anyone who has used a Sidekick before will obviously be right at home. The main navigation buttons like Jump, Back, Menu, Cancel are all in the same positions and the trackball makes navigating really simple. What about the keyboard? Any real ninja (not you fake ninjas) will know that the Sidekick holds the title for best mobile QWERTY. Ever. It’s not debatable and you will be banned for making a comment that says otherwise. So how is the LX’s keyboard? Fan-friggin-tastic! Really, really awesome. The thinness of the device is much appreciated nowadays but we really wish they’d step it up in the application department. Apple’s App Store approval process makes T-Mobile’s Catalog approval system look uncivilized and down right stupid at best, plus, it’s not like there are any great tools to develop applications with either on the Sidekick. At the end of the day it’s about the OS and we’re not sure Danger’s OS cuts it.
As far as the social aspect of the device, there’s still some major idiot decisions all around. First off, the 6MB mailbox. Do you even want anyone to at least try and take this seriously? It seems like you do. You added Exchange support finally. 6MB though? Get real. The browser is still pretty horrid and with no other 3rd party options, you’re out of luck. As usual, the Sidekick holds the crown for instant messaging. Yes, it does. Now with photo support (something that should have been added long ago), too. MySpace on the Sidekick is crack (if you uh, still use MySpace), but we need some time to dig into the new Twitter app and Facebook app.
All in all, the key phrase for the last two years for the entire industry (minus a very, very select few exceptions) has been evolutionary and not revolutionary. In a world where even Google is having trouble battling the BlackBerry, Apple and Nokia champs, the Sidekick brand (or Danger, or Dangersoft) really needed to come out swinging. It’s a completely different landscape than it used to be when the Sidekick reigned supreme, and we keep feeling like each new Sidekick product cycle should have happened an entire cycle ago — not where the roadmap currently sits. We’ll dive into this thing and get a review going. For now, check out some flicks in the gallery!
Click on over to our T-Mobile Sidekick LX Unboxing gallery!
how come no one said anything about the youtube yet?
w.e i already preordered mine.. i’m waiting (im)patiently for it to arrive next week
Im happy the new lx came out I only use it for internet and texting and so do most of my friends. Its great to keep in touvh simple and to the poit. Most touch screen freez up been there done that! Im getting one looking forward to it.
I have been a long time sidekick user and I am happy that tmobile is getting with the times. It’s not a smart phone it’s a messaging phone. The web browser on this is better than any other non smart phone. I get a full web browser w/ flash out of the box. Does the iphone have flash support? Does the iphone even have a flash? I have unlimited minutes, messaging, and unlimited real web for 70 dollars. When at&t offers a complete iphone plan for less than $129 then I will switch. Until then I will live with my admittedly not perfect phone and a much cheaper bill. I thought that the phone as a status symbol thing died back in 2000.
Does it really matter?! It’s a phone! People have different needs in a phone!
You don’t have 2 be teen 2 like this phone its actually pretty nice.
I been with Tmobile for 7 yrs. And I always look at the sidekick,but though they were the most ugly phone I ever saw that why I never purchase one until now. For the first time I seem the SK08 and I said 2 myself that doesn’t look like a SK at all. My SK 08 is the best thing ever. And what I,m 50 yrs old,that RIHGT that what I said. SK Sp work great, volume work great, ex special the alarm excellent it will deftly wake your ass up and get U 2 work on time. Now I getting the SK09. Buy a phone to suit your need and if it don’t -don’t buy it. I have a BB 2 and I’m sick of it.
Yes. I do.
Thats why I have it.
There are no improvements because Microsoft was on contract to deliver the new Sidekick. MSFT was dragged into this by lawsuit, not out of competitive necessity.
Actually, Microsoft is a perfect suitor for the makers of the Sidekick because.
Why? Because MSFT has no qualms about making a horrid product and neither does Danger Inc. The original management at Danger were retrograde incompetents-the entire lot of them.
The new Sidekick is rife with known bugs-some real doozies. Unless it’s a warranty issue, MSFT has said they are not interested in doing any OS upgrades or firmware patches.
MSFT fired most of the Sidekick team or stuck them on the 8x delayed PINK project. They also deactivated all the testing SIM cards for the Sidekick. You know what that means? It means that’s all folks! Enjoy your battery-eating,piece of crap,buggy end-of-the-line junker.
I am 21 and this device is perfect for messaging. And plus, i know a bunch of people over 15 that care a lot about these devices.