The big improvements? Bluetooth, a memory card slot, a better camera, more memory, a music player, and a trackball. There haven’t been any major changes in the UI (mainly a few tweaks here and there), and you may or may not like the new keyboard (we liked it, but you’ll just have to try it yourself and see), but the biggest disappointment is the display, which is still a paltry 240 x 160 pixels and still looks sorta washed out to our eyes.
Despite rumors to the contrary, it does not add support for corporate messaging networks, like Microsoft’s Exchange. In fact, you could call it the anti-BlackBerry – T-Mobile wants to keep the Sidekick aimed at its niche market of 18-to-30-year-olds. That hasn’t meant a huge market, but it has a loyal following.
The Sidekick 3′s major competitors are the T-Mobile MDA and the BlackBerry 8700g. Neither is as easy to use as the Sidekick, though both are more powerful and flexible. The MDA lacks a simple personal push e-mail solution but has much more multimedia verve, while the 8700g loses the camera but has even better e-mail than the Sidekick.
The Sidekick 3 will be available on June 28 to existing T-Mobile customers and on July 10 for everyone else. Why not check out the owner’s manual while you wait?
Pages: 1 2
