i was thinking of getting one...curious to know if there is any way to use it with os x. what are people's experience in general with them..i think they seem like the perfect combo of features....
i was thinking of getting one...curious to know if there is any way to use it with os x. what are people's experience in general with them..i think they seem like the perfect combo of features....
Rumor has it they'll be announcing new models pretty soon. The screen on the current version is not great, but it does what it says on the box...if you don't mind a poor quality b/w screen you should be able to pick one up at a discount.
Now if only Nokia would hurry up with a GPRS tri-band communicator...
nobody on this entire forum uses a product from the co-creator of apple- the Woz?! come on, there must be someone here that has tried it out. it seems so cool. anyone?....anyone?.....Ferris?....Ferris?\
sorry, guess i just meant can one sync it with os x in anyway..would be ideal to be able to sync with address book for numbers, email addresses and such
sorry, guess i just meant can one sync it with os x in anyway..would be ideal to be able to sync with address book for numbers, email addresses and such
I have one, and feel the same - it does what it says, but it is just too bulky for my liking.
The good stuff: I got a good deal at Amazon ($49 for the phone with activation). It IS great to be able to read and send email from your phone, and it beats the hell out of trying to type messages using a standard phone keypad. The web browser has helped a couple of times (looking up phone numbers, getting directons), and I have even used the low-res camera for something useful (sending my wife pics of backpacking tents at the store before deciding). The IM stuff has been nice (I travel lots, and it is nioce while driving long distances to be able to stay in touch), and I have a cheap service through T-Mobile that offers no roaming and unlimited internet, which kicks ass.
The down sides - the phone is awkward, and gets poor reception (don't know if that is T-Mobile or the sidekick). Service is spotty - here in CA, as soon as you leave a major highway, you are in danger of losing your signal. I have already had two of them malfunction on me (one went totally dead, the other lost use of the headphone jack), but T-Mobile DID replace them for free (although it took a LONG time, because of backorders (maybe these problems are common? I don't know). Battery life sucks - if you heavily use the internet (even just leaving it on all day and letting it download your email), you MUST charge it every night. Even being careful to turn the phone completely off when not in use, 2 days is the best I can get without recharging.
As for syncing - no super-easy way, but you can sync your address book via the sidekick web site without TOO much hassle (maybe 20 mins of effort).
In all, I decided that when my contract expires, I will dump the phone. The problem (for me) with the nice little phones (like the T68) is how tough it is to do any typing on them. Right now (unless something great comes up before then), my thought is that I usually only need email on the road during my research trips, and then I always have my iBook with me, so I could use a bluetooth enabled phone to act as a modem for the book, download my email once or twice a day to the laptop, and deal with it that way. The web browsing I can handle on the tiny screens, and the benefit of longer battery life and portability make everything worthwhile.
thanks, that was a nice review. sounds like a color version could be out as early as may..could be useful and i thought with tmobile you could sign up by the month no?
You may be able to sign up by the month with T-Mobile, but they had a special deal on the Sidekick, where the $49 phone and the all-you-can-eat internet had to be on a one-year contract.
As I say - I like my sidekick, but it's size and mediocre phone quality are flies in the ointment.
Comments
Originally posted by macfly
i was thinking of getting one...curious to know if there is any way to use it with os x. what are people's experience in general with them..i think they seem like the perfect combo of features....
Rumor has it they'll be announcing new models pretty soon. The screen on the current version is not great, but it does what it says on the box...if you don't mind a poor quality b/w screen you should be able to pick one up at a discount.
Now if only Nokia would hurry up with a GPRS tri-band communicator...
It's pretty much a device on it's own. I don't know of any way to use it with OS X. You can ask the forums at hiptop.com.
Originally posted by macfly
sorry, guess i just meant can one sync it with os x in anyway..would be ideal to be able to sync with address book for numbers, email addresses and such
Don't think so.
The good stuff: I got a good deal at Amazon ($49 for the phone with activation). It IS great to be able to read and send email from your phone, and it beats the hell out of trying to type messages using a standard phone keypad. The web browser has helped a couple of times (looking up phone numbers, getting directons), and I have even used the low-res camera for something useful (sending my wife pics of backpacking tents at the store before deciding). The IM stuff has been nice (I travel lots, and it is nioce while driving long distances to be able to stay in touch), and I have a cheap service through T-Mobile that offers no roaming and unlimited internet, which kicks ass.
The down sides - the phone is awkward, and gets poor reception (don't know if that is T-Mobile or the sidekick). Service is spotty - here in CA, as soon as you leave a major highway, you are in danger of losing your signal. I have already had two of them malfunction on me (one went totally dead, the other lost use of the headphone jack), but T-Mobile DID replace them for free (although it took a LONG time, because of backorders (maybe these problems are common? I don't know). Battery life sucks - if you heavily use the internet (even just leaving it on all day and letting it download your email), you MUST charge it every night. Even being careful to turn the phone completely off when not in use, 2 days is the best I can get without recharging.
As for syncing - no super-easy way, but you can sync your address book via the sidekick web site without TOO much hassle (maybe 20 mins of effort).
In all, I decided that when my contract expires, I will dump the phone. The problem (for me) with the nice little phones (like the T68) is how tough it is to do any typing on them. Right now (unless something great comes up before then), my thought is that I usually only need email on the road during my research trips, and then I always have my iBook with me, so I could use a bluetooth enabled phone to act as a modem for the book, download my email once or twice a day to the laptop, and deal with it that way. The web browsing I can handle on the tiny screens, and the benefit of longer battery life and portability make everything worthwhile.
Just my thoughts,
Fish
As I say - I like my sidekick, but it's size and mediocre phone quality are flies in the ointment.
It's still the same size, unfortunately.