Always on
Sidekick Offers a New All-in-One Mobile Option
The first available hip-top device gives you the connectivity of a Blackberry at a much lower cost.
REPORTED BY MICHAEL ANTONIAK
If voice and data communications are what you need most when you’re out of the office, the new Sidekick, available from T-Mobile, may be what you’ve been waiting for. One of the newest all-in-one devices on the market, the Sidekick combines wireless Web browsing with always-on e-mail send/receive, instant messaging, a full-function cell phone, address book, and calendar.
Launched early last month, the Sidekick is actually the first commercially available version of the hiptop from Danger Inc. The hiptop is an all-in-one convergence device that combines the features of a cell phone and e-mail messenger with wireless Web access and basic PDA functions.
For all it can do, what’s especially enticing about this brand new hiptop is the price. The Sidekick carries a suggested retail price of $250, but can actually cost less than $200 after rebates.
The introductory service plan, where available, is also an enticement at only $39.95 a month. For that, Sidekick users are entitled to unlimited e-mail, Web access, and instant messaging, plus a calling plan that includes 200 weekday and 1,000 weekend minutes with free long distance.
The unit itself sports a design somewhere between a Blackberry and a dedicated PDA, offering an array of communications options without the processing power or expansion options of the latest PDAs. It features a 2.6-inch monochrome LCD screen, measures 4.5 x 2.6 x 1.1 inches, and weighs five ounces. Included are 16MB of RAM and 4MB of flash memory and ports for USB, a telephone headset, and wireless IrDA for sharing data with other devices over short distances.
A control button and wheel to the side of the screen can be used to navigate functions or scroll data. The screen itself folds out of the way to reveal a miniature typewriter keyboard with dedicated number keys. These can be used to enter or sort data, compose e-mail messages, or dial the phone. When making calls, users can hold the handheld to their faces or plug in a special earbud headset with built-in mike.
Bundled software provides an address book, a to-do list, and calendar/scheduling functions. Danger has not yet announced when it will release the software development kit required before third-party vendors can begin developing additional applications for the unit.
Some early adopters of the unit have been favorably impressed with the Sidekick’s form and performance.
“If you’re looking for e-mail and a cell phone in one device, this is worth it,” reports Steve Volkodav, director of information systems, North Shore-Barrington Association of REALTORS in Northbrook, Ill.
What attracted Volkodav most to the device was the price: “After rebates, the Sidekick cost me around $100. There’s nothing else that does as much at that price.” He was able to combine T-Mobile’s $50 rebate with an in-store $100 rebate on new cell phone purchases to get his bargain price.
Volkodav says the device has been easy to learn and use and retrieves and displays Web content faster than his wireless Palm. Still, he sees the capabilities of the Sidekick as a complement his Palm, which he continues to carry. “There are a lot of real-estate-specific programs available for the Palm that I have to have and use,” Volkodav points out.
Nor does he find the device as easy to use as a cell phone for making calls. “Because of the layout of the keyboard, you really need to pull over when you need to dial while driving,” he explains.
Keith Garner, strategic architect with the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® Center for Real Estate Technology, has been carrying a Sidekick since its release to gain hands-on experience with the value of this convergence device. He He’s been carrying a Sidekick since its release to gain hands-on experience with the convergence device. believes the Sidekick will find an audience with real estate practitioners whose primary need is a mobile e-mail solution. “People who thought about getting a Blackberry but found it too expensive will like this,” he predicts.
Garner says an advantage of using the Sidekick is there’s no risk of lost data should the device be damaged, lost, or stolen. “All your data is automatically uploaded and backed up on T-Mobile’s server. If anything happens to the Sidekick, you can still retrieve your data,” he says.
Garner sees another benefit in the fact that all the Sidekick’s applications are Java based. “You don’t have to worry about upgrading the software; when a new version of any of the applications comes out, it will be downloaded to your device automatically, ready to use.”
As much as they like their Sidekicks, neither Volkodav nor Garner suggest it is the handheld solution for every mobile real estate practitioner. It will be some time, if ever, before the Sidekick as a catalog of programs available that could rival those available for the Palm or even Pocket PC. So if you want a wide range of real estate software choices, the Sidekick isn’t a good bet. Other practitioners may prefer a device with a color screen or one that’s more like a traditional cell phone for making calls.
“What’s the right device? That really depends on what you want it to do,” Garner says. “There is no one magic, silver bullet that will solve everyone’s technology problems. Figure out what you want to do, and then get what works best doing what you need.”
But certainly, given its wide functionality and relatively low price, this first-ever hiptop is an option worth considering.
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More Resources:
For more on other options in multifunction devices, visit the Wireless Advisor.
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