SIDEKICK CEL PHONE ANDROID
Well, the Sidekick 4G actually has two, both above the display: one for normal Android notifications, one for charging. I'd hoped they'd kicked the habit with the Galaxy S line's move to sliding door covers, which I've found to be far easier to open (and leave open if you prefer), but no dice on the Sidekick.Īn oft-requested, oft-overlooked feature in Android phones these days is an LED notification light. Unfortunately, the port is covered by one of those finicky plastic flaps that requires a fingernail to open - a "feature" that Samsung has embraced far more frequently than most other manufacturers over the past few years. That's pretty unusual for an Android device, but it'd drive me nuts far more if the Sidekick had capacitive touch controls without any tactile response it's a little more tolerable here when the buttons are real, actual, clicky buttons.Īlong the right edge, you've got a proper two-stage camera button and the Micro USB port.
The keyboard is - more on the keyboard in a bit - but not the main navigation controls. Oh, and memorize the location of these four buttons the moment you take your Sidekick out of the box, because they're not backlit. The keyboard is exquisite - I'm fast and accurate on it, which is all you can really ask for Granted, T-Mobile did everything it could to stay true to the Sidekick formula, and that meant splitting the four buttons across either end of the display - and the good news is that you can press and hold Back (which is at the bottom left) to accomplish the same thing. Considering how often Home comes into play while you're using an Android-powered device, this seems like a really odd oversight. I found that I could swivel my thumb up to hit it when holding the phone normally with my right hand, but not my left - and I have fairly large hands. The strangest nuance, though, has to be the Home button, which lies on the upper right of the front when you're in portrait mode. Wacky, right? Likewise, the 3.5mm headphone jack is on the other end of the same edge, right next to the volume rocker - not exactly "normal" placement. For example, the power button is on the front right edge if you're holding the phone landscape, which equates to the lower left if you're holding it portrait. Looking at the controls and ports, some of them are going to be pretty foreign if you're not coming from an older Sidekick. One small bit of good news is that the casing is entirely matte, which should do a far better job skirting damage (scuffs, minor scratches, and the like) from normal use than Samsung's famously glossy Galaxy S devices do.
For instance, there's not a lick of soft touch anywhere to be found on the top or bottom - it's all hard plastic.
There's definitely a market for this class of device.Īnd let me be clear: this isn't a cheesy, rickety, or poorly-made device, nor does it look particularly cheap - it just lacks that certain je ne sais quoi that higher-end phones usually exude. In other words, I don't think it's a bad thing that this isn't as luxurious of a device as the LX was for its day - if anything, the 4G is truer to the Sidekick brand than the LX ever was. And my hypothesis here is underscored by the pricing - back in the day, the LX went for $199.99 on contract after rebate, whereas the 4G has launched at $99.99.
SIDEKICK CEL PHONE FULL
With the 4G, though, the story has changed the myTouch and G brands are in full effect for the mainstream consumer and high-end markets, which gives the Sidekick brand an opportunity to return to its teen-centric, hypersocial roots. T-Mobile wanted a high-end device that carried over Sidekick familiarity. I don't think it's intended to be quite as high-end, and in the the scheme of things, that makes sense: when the LX came out, it was trying to appeal to longtime Sidekick users who'd started to grow up, get grown-up jobs (hence the Exchange support), and have grown-up money to throw around. I wish I had a Sidekick LX 2009 (which I reviewed) handy for direct comparison, but from what I remember, the Sidekick 4G is clearly a half-step down the first time you look at it - it's chunkier and more plasticky than its predecessor.
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