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01.06.05 01:20 AM
the gadgets you'd love to have, or not
Sidekick II
This is a gadget that makes so much sense, yet it's still a little on the large side with dimensions of 5.1 x 2.6 x 0.9 inches. It's currently a TMobile only device, and with the $100 off, for a total of $199 for the device, you're getting it a lot cheaper than I did. It features an integrated camera with flash, speakerphone, 6MB email acct included plus ability to add up to 3 pop or IMAP accounts, even with SSL. It also has both AOL and Yahoo IM, a real web browser and serves as an International phone with Tri-band (1900, 1800, 900 MHz). The unlimited data plan is just $29.99 and if you want to add 600 minutes of talk time, your gonna' pay $59.99. I use this baby religiously. Now it's not all good either. At first, the swivel opening top got the best of me, and those folks who I see using it as a phone with the top open because they don't realize they can talk with it closed irritate me. Yet, since you can't dial #s with it closed maybe for them it makes sense. But if you activate your voice dail, all you gotta' do is use the speakerphone. There's no infrared beaming capability to send contacts to another device, like that old trusty 2Way I used to own, but that was a dinosaur anyway. I'm also really not fond of the fact that it's not bluetooth enabled so that I can use a wireless headset (yes, they have adapters to remedy that nowadays) or to sync any information with my 'puter.
Motorola A630
I'm hoping to take this baby for a spin in the next couple of weeks. When it comes to size, this gadget has others in its class beat for all the features it's loaded with. The dimensions are 3.74 x 1.93 x 0.92 inches, and though I used a friend's recently and liked the way it fit into the palm of my hand, I'm totally unsure about typing on that mini QWERTY keyboard. As a plus, when the top is flipped down for phone usage, the numeric keypad is easily accessible on the front of the phone. It's bluetooth enabled so you can basically keep it hidden while talking. Bluetooth capabilities also include connecting to any PC or MAC and transferring images and other multimedia files, or synchronizing your phonebook, calendar and other vital information via Mobile Phone Tools 2 accessory software - which BTW most folks on message boards say doesn't operate all that well. Some folks have even reported experiencing problems with accessing email. Also a camera phone, the a630 is a lot like the Sidekick. You can send e-mail, picture, and text messages while talking on the speakerphone and chat with your friends using AIM. It also has tri-band phone capabilities for global jet setters. To the best of my knowledge, it's a T Mobile only device and costs around $149.
Ogo
Now this is one of those gadgets that make absolutely no got damned sense to me. It reminds me of those Internet-enabled machines that connect you to the Internet, but don't do much else, or better yet, how about those keyboards you hook up to your TV to send email with. Wack! Ogo comes from AT&T Wireless, also nowadays knows as Cingular, since the merger that is. The device currently costs $79.99 and features unlimited dedicated IM, e-mail, and text messaging for $17.99/monthly. I guess it's cool as a handheld wireless device enabling you to do all those things that you don't want to carry your laptop around all the time for - besides laptops only perform these functions at hotspots anyway. But in these days of the all-in-one devices, this device simply doesn't make complete sense. It looks a little weird, and won't exactly fit into the palm of your hand with dimensions of 4.5 x 2.95 x 0.98 inches. The main problem with Ogo is that you can't use it as a phone and it doesn't have a calendar function. But don't take my word for it though, because my opinion is all based on technical documenation. It's not something I've taken for a test drive yet, and I'm not really interested in doing so anyway.
posted by lynne | link to this |
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Comments
Lynne, we folks in the USA are way behind on electronic gadgets (some worthwhile and others worthless). My wife's friend in South Korea sent a celly made by LG Communications that would make the Sidekick II cry. Asia got it goin' on in electronics.
posted by Solomon | January 6, 2005 4:46 AM #
hey lynne, seems like you should be working for one of those companies or something, you make a nice sell pitch about those devices.
i actually went to get a sidekick one time, but after the man told me $500 down, plus the $300 for the sidekick I, plus the activation. it just wasn't that serious. especially being that i did have t-mobile's service at one time, and i wasn't impressed with all the dropped calls, even with my phone showing a full signal strength - what gives?
the first 2 are nice devices. i'm just not big on t-mobile. i wonder whats up with these cell phone companies making devices for certain wireless companies anyhow?
now the ogo. personally, i think its a nice device if you tend to text, im, or check your email alot. only thing was the price b/c it started out at $200, but you could get it online for $100. now it's $80, so i guess they aren't selling. i'm thinking the ogo is being marketed towards kids, huh?
peace
posted by sincere | January 6, 2005 5:04 AM #
Yeah these are sweet but have you checked out Sony's PSP. Some say it's an iPod killer.
http://
www.ipodlounge.com/articles_more.php?id=6020_0_8_0_C
"Released in Japan last month for under $200, the PSP takes one step forward and two steps back from Microsoft's fall 2004 Portable Media Center devices, offering music (MP3/ATRAC), video (MPEG-4), photo (JPEG/etc.), and game playback capabilities - all in a beautiful, heavily iPod-influenced enclosure."
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| January 6, 2005 9:49 AM #
Love my sidekick (even if it is a little large) and have even started to like it as a phone (although I headset it or speakerphone it mostly) and, really, I don't know how I lived without it.
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| January 6, 2005 10:36 AM #
I wanna cop the Sidekick II, but I hear that the T-Mobile customer service sucks and that calls drop in and out repeatedly with the Sidekick.
I say this because I have a cheap cell phone that I copped from Verizon and it's the shiznit. I can do a little e-mail on it, surf the web and record notes on it (via voice recorder). And Verizon's customer service is on point -- at least with me. One time, I had a problem with the phone and they replace my old phone with a new one no questions asked and no extra charge.
Plus, I get clear reception on the phone and not a lot of drop calls. I can't even remember the last time I had a dropped call. My phone is the shiznit but it's clearly outdated. I had it since 2000 and it has a black & white screen. Reading web pages on it is a bitch because of the small screen, but I read the Yahoo! news service on it.
If you can see my phone Lynne you would laugh and tell me to step my technology game up.
I want a Sidekick II, but I'm not down with bullshit customer service. And yeah, drop calls are normal with any cell phone, but I hear with T-Mobile phones it happens almost all the time -- repeatedly. Like, every time you use the celly expect the call to drop.
In general, I'm an impatient person. I don't tollerate bullshit in any form or fashion. I want less drop calls and excellent service, period.
The Sidekick II looks nice -- the women seem to notice you more when you flip it out [ha, ha ;-)] -- but is the service and the phone's reliability on point?
posted by Trent | January 6, 2005 12:07 PM #
I actually just bought the Ogo because of the cost and no contract strings. I have 30 days to return it if I don't like it.
But I didn't realize that the Sidekick had and unlimited data plan. I may just switch.
posted by Hashim | January 6, 2005 2:36 PM #
Great wrapup. I'm waiting for the dust to settle before I spend bucks on a device that could get replaced in six months.
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| January 7, 2005 8:12 AM #
Eh...I was all about the Sidekick II, have a buddy who works at T-Mobile so he got me one to play with for a week. Nice toy, but does me no good since I couldn;t make a call to save my life. T-Mobile coverage here in Colorado SUCKS!!!!
Verizon is not cheap and their constant billing erros drive me insane, but I have yet to find anyplace that I can't make a call...including the top of a 12,000 ft. mountain.
posted by T-Square | January 13, 2005 5:18 AM #
fyi - I hear yahoo chat rooms don't work on the sidekick II. It would be nice to java chat on the many internet chat rooms with this device - but not yet. IRC chat on a mobile device would be really nice.
The a630 looks interesting. Anybody know if aol IM means you can join aol chat rooms?
posted by Jason | March 27, 2005 8:01 PM #