Digital Trends

SideKick 3 July 10th, 2006 | by Vince Veneziani

This new version of the Sidekick has obviously gotten a facelift. From the sleek black design and thinner width to the smaller buttons and trackball, users will feel like they’re on a more professional device, as opposed to a toy. Buttons are smaller and are easier to use, plus the trackball makes navigation quicker and easier.

The Danger-based OS the Sidekick 3 uses is not that different than the Sidekick II’s. It’s still easy to use and now features a music player application for playing MP3 files. Using the included headphones and USB cable, loading music onto your Sidekick 3 is as easy as dragging and dropping music files on the phone. 

Those fed up with not being able to carry an extra battery will be ecstatic over the new removable battery. Removing the battery reveals an easy to reach SIM-card slot and mini-SD card slot. You don’t have to remove the battery to access the SD card though, which is a great design feature. Also, Bluetooth 1.2 is included for use with headsets. Although version 2.0 would have been better, most people will just be glad they can use a wireless headset with their Sidekick now.

Anyone who was hoping the 1.3 megapixel camera on the Sidekick 3 would be a vast improvement over its predecessor is in for disappointment. The camera is technically better than the Sidekick II’s, but the picture quality is still absolutely horrible and isn’t even very good for viewing on phone screens. The fact that Sharp has the nerve to say they included a 1.3 megapixel camera in this phone means that they either exaggerated the camera’s picture quality or they just made a horrible camera. Don’t plan on taking too many pictures with the Sidekick 3. 

A decent screen is included and works great for your chatting, texting, and e-mailing. Viewing photos on it isn’t incredibly impressive, but it’s not terrible either. The keyboard included feels sturdy and is great for fast typing. It’s about the same as the Sidekick II’s and works better than any Blackberry out there. So don’t worry at all about sending long messages.

The price point may be a bit high for some, though, with the device costing $400 outright or $300 with contract upgrades.

Image Courtesy of T-Mobile